ECOLOGICAL ESTRANGEMENT SHAPED BY THE TRAUMAS OF WAR IN THE REMAINS OF THE DAY BY KAZUO ISHIGURO

Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Remains Of The Day is often explored through the themes of history, repression of World War II. The novel serves as a poignant critique of the postwar dangers of hierarchical order and political landscape. However by reading against the grain the novel not only reveals memory fragmentation and traces of lost memory but it also touch down upon the ecological detachment- a fragmented connection between human and environment as a consequence of war. Stevens the protagonist fails to read nature as healing force instead his memories of past has ruptured his ability to connect meaningfully with the natural world. The consequences of WWII are inscribed in silences and absences throughout his journey. Touring the countryside he comes across picturesque sites but they do not carry the connection with human consciousness becoming sites of emotional repression. Despite the beautiful landscapes nature only plays a role as a silent background. The ripples of war results in losses- physically, psychologically and ecologically. Every character in the novel is a victim of a loss through which a failed attempt to find meaning in life and desire for a better society can be witnessed. The characters no longer see themselves as part of the environment but as alienated beings who fail to derive an intimate relationship with nature. With ecocritical perspective what remains at the end of the day is a world fragmented by war, ideology and alienation.