CONCEALING AND REVEALING: REPRESSION IN A PALE VIEW OF HILLS AND THE REMAINS OF THE DAY
CONCEALING AND REVEALING: REPRESSION IN A PALE VIEW OF HILLS AND THE REMAINS OF THE DAY

Summary/Abstract: A recurring theme in many of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novels is that of repression. This article examines A Pale View of Hills (1982) and The Remains of the Day (1989), analysing repression through the lens of psychoanalytic literary theory— particularly Freud’s concept of repression as a defence mechanism—as well as trauma theory and the narratological frameworks of narrative identity. In addition, it draws on sociocultural and gender theory to argue that repression functions not only on an individual level but also as a broader societal and national construct. Through close textual analysis, the article contends that Ishiguro’s characters repress not only emotions but also aspects of their personal and cultural histories in an effort to preserve a fragile sense of dignity and self-coherence.

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