Stevens’ Catharsis in The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Authors : Pınar SÜT GÜNGÖR

Pages : 56-67

Doi:10.33709/ictimaiyat.1212694

View : 58 | Download : 100

Publication Date : 2023-05-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Consideration of the relationship between Aristotle’s and Sigmund Freud’s catharsis theories is significant to revise its efficacy in literature. The view is that the concept of catharsis in literature represents a process of purification and clearing, in which all repressed emotions, desires, and anguish come to the surface and, in this way, they are all eliminated from the psyche. This study establishes a recursive relationship between catharsis theory and Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, The Remains of the Day. In this novel, Ishiguro narrates the story of an aging butler, Stevens, in disjointed periods and sporadic moments. Being full of regrets, Stevens reveals self-accustaions, mental repression, lack of objectivity, and fragmentation in moral, intellectual, and ethical senses. The Aristotelian and Freudian views on catharsis testify that the role of memory in Stevens’ case may form a discernible sample for purification. It has been confirmed that, being celebrated as a historically grounded book, The Remains of the Day exemplifies the true correlation between ‘telling’ and ‘release’ from a marginalized point of view.
Keywords : Katarsis, Aristo, Freud, Kazuo Ishiguro, Günden Kalanlar