The Remains of the Day

Stevens recalls one of the “incidents” (104) when, at Darlington Hall, he heard an explicit example of fascist ideology. During that time, Lord Darlington makes friends with someone named Carolyn Barnet. She is a member of the British Union of Fascists, commonly known as the blackshirts. Two young Jewish girls had come to work at Darlington Hall. Under Carolyn’s influence, Lord Darlington tells Stevens to fire the young girls because they “cannot have Jews on the staff here at Darlington Hall” (105). That evening, Stevens sits down with Miss Kenton to drink cocoa, as he does most nights in meetings that were “predominantly professional in character” (106). They review the day, and Stevens mentions the need to fire the girls. Stevens admits that he knows the girls to be excellent maids, but he does not feel it proper to question his employer. Even when he is alone with Miss Kenton, he refuses to question Lord Darlington. Miss Kenton is shocked. She believes Lord Darlington is wrong to fire the girls just because they are Jewish, which is tantamount to “a sin” (107). She threatens to resign if they are fired.