An Exploration of Historical Backdrops and their Consequences in former Novels of Kazuo Ishiguro

Dhivashini M; Dr. S. Susan Nirmala

Vol-10,Issue-2,March - April 2025

Author: Dhivashini M, Dr. S. Susan Nirmala

Keywords: World War I World War II History Trauma Loss

Abstract: The novels The Pale View of The Hills, An Artist of the Floating World, The Remains of The Day and When We Were Orphans hold the history of World War II predominantly and other historical contexts. Kazuo Ishiguro has placed history as an inevitable backdrop for most of his novels. The storyline blends with history and varies from traditional historical fiction. The protagonists are severely affected by the war, and the trauma recurring in the characters. This paper aims to analyse the historical instances and the trauma the characters had to undergo in the former novels of Ishiguro. In The Pale View of The Hills and An Artist of the Floating World, Estuko and Ono, the protagonists, recount their trauma after the disastrous atomic bombs on Nagasaki. The hardship in rebuilding the city after the loss is eminently narrated through the characters. In the novels, The Remains Of The Day and When We Were Orphans the histories are pinned along as important events before World War I and inevitable consequences of the Sino-Japanese War respectively.

Article Info: Received: 19 Feb 2025; Received in revised form: 18 Mar 2025; Accepted: 25 Mar 2025; Available online: 29 Mar 2025

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.102.18