Discussion-Upper Class and Middle-Class Differences about the Working Class

Discussion-Upper Class and Middle-Class Differences about the Working Class
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Upper Class and Middle-Class Differences about the Working Class
"Literature is interpreted as reflecting norms and values, revealing the ethos of the culture, the processes of class struggle, and certain types of social "facts (Albrecht, 1954)."
The theme of class difference struggles and a refusal of existing social norms has become quite common in the literature produced after World War II. Authors have questioned the existing notions of aristocracy and bourgeois cultures, sometimes in subtle undertones and at others quite prominently. This article aims to give a comparative study of class difference as presented in 'The Remains of the Day, ' Last night at the lobster,' 'Keep the Aspidistra Flying,' 'The Doctor's Visit,' 'The Circuit,' and 'Working Roberto Acuna, Farm Worker'.
'The Remains of the Day, written by Kazuo Ishiguro, is all about the protagonist reminiscing the past when he worked at the Darlington Hall, the real estate of Lord Darlington, who has recently died as the story opens. The novel is set a few years after World War II, in 1965. Stevens, the protagonist, is professionally a butler from generations. He receives a letter from an ex-colleague at Darlington Hall, probably hinting at a struggling marriage. Ms. Kenton expresses her desire to rejoin Darlington Hall. He wonders with a diminishing staff at the Darlington Hall, and it is not a bad idea to have a skilled housekeeper like Ms. Kenton come back. So, he decides to visit her. On his way to her home, he is looking back on when he worked for Lord Darlington. Now he works for Mr. Farraday, who is a wealthy American but quite cordial with him. He lends his car to Stevens to have a little vacation on the road as he wishes to visit Ms. Kenton.
Down the memory lane, he remembers his loyalty to Lord Darlington even when he used to host lavish meetings between German sympathizers and English aristocrats before World War II to influence international affairs. Not once did he doubt his master's patriotism. He ponders over the word 'dignity and how he looks at himself as a dignified butler as he honors and understands the proper behavior a butler must uphold (Ishiguro, 1956). He has never deviated from the behavior that society expects of him as a butler. Propriety is an essential attribute for him that has been transferred to him from his father and probably to him from his father too. He takes pride in being involved in his ancestral profession. As the journey progresses, he finally comes to the point where he ponders over his ex-employers character and reputation.
Society still respects lords, ladies, and the culture of having butlers and maids. Large mansions and a life of discipline are what is depicted in the novel. It is a present culture at the time the novel is written, but it is slowly diminishing. Darlington Hall reflects that shift where although Englishmen have their titles, they are no longer rich and have to sell their property to wealthy Americans like Stevens's new employer (Ishiguro, 1956). The awareness of having a social class and a difference of...