Persona in Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day

This article studies the archetype of the persona in Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, The Remains of the Day (1989). It deals with the journey that the protagonist Mr. Stevens takes through the unconscious in search of his real self, in which his true persona is revealed. The article mentions, also, the archetype of shadow, which is considered, in most cases, inseparable from the persona archetype. In this novel, the shadow helps the reader realize the true self of Mr. Stevens that has been covered for years by his misleading persona. The article clarifies to what extinct the absence of a real self leads to distorted archetypes. The article uses Carl Jung’s theory of individuation, concentrating mainly on the idea of archetypes. Thanks to memory, a real sense of self, and thus persona is discovered. The persona, in this article, is discussed as one of the astonishing abilities of the unconscious that enables people to hide a lot about their real selves behind it, reminding the reader, therefore, not to be cheated by the appearances.