In the novel “Remains of the Day” the main character is at its base the quintessential archetype of a British butler – dutiful, serving and emotionally detached.

The novel creates a butler that is more than emotionally detached – he’s emotionally absent. He’s emotionally absent from the masters he serves and he’s emotionally absent from himself.

The butler serves as both a character and a writing device. The character by being almost fully unconscious inadvertently reveals the machinations in the surrounding environment.

He’s both the unreliable narrator and a representation of both emotional control and emotional denial. Those around him continue with their emotional lives as the butler serves as a 35mm film capturing what goes on around him.

Moon in Capricorn

The butler in “Remains of the Day” represents in a caricatured way moon in Capricorn.

I say caricatured because at no time in the novel is the butler even remotely aware of his feelings. In contrast, the main character in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime” is similarly unaware of self, but suffers anxiety and mental confusion because of it.

People with moon in Capricorn do have feelings. They just do not show those feelings. Are they unconscious of those feelings?

You’ll have to ask your moon in Capricorn loved one.

Resentment is an emotion associated with moon in Capricorn. Like Scorpio’s revenge, if there were no strong feelings, the reactionary states of revenge and resentment wouldn’t occur.

The Capricorn Resentment Cycle (trademark) seems to arise as Capricorn does not express clearly its needs but expects others to meet those needs thinking the needs are the standard, are what everyone needs.

If a Capricorn wants you to offer him/her another glass of sparkling water, he/she assumes that you know the rule about re-filling a glass the moment the drink-ee takes the last sip.

Unfortunately, there are at least ten other signs that didn’t get the rule book and the one sign that does have a rule book (Aquarius) doesn’t follow Capricorn rules (you get your own refill).

Capricorn, then, becomes resentful of needs unmet and others wonder why it is upset.

The moon is the comfort zone. The word “comfort” itself evokes images of whatever makes you comfortable. Because Capricorn is about control, “comfort” for moon in Capricorn is about order.

A moon in Cancer, for example, might want a big hug and cup of hot chocolate for comfort. If you want to make your moon in Capricorn comfortable, show up on time, push in your chair after dinner and help clean the dishes.

Keep the order. Order=comfort.

Capricorn sun Richard Nixon’s 1968 campaign slogan promised “law and order.” He was offering comfort.

Here’s an interesting description of moon in Capricorn.

Kazuo Ishiguro

The author of “Remains of the Day,” Kazuo Ishiguro, does not have moon in Capricorn. His moon is either in Pisces or Aries.

Saturn, ruler of Capricorn, however, is in Scorpio conjunct sun in Scorpio.

While Saturn on sun in Scorpio says, “Be nice, don’t get all revengeful every time someone does something you don’t like,” Scorpio is still a deep well of feeling and emotion.

If the moon is in Aries, this is someone very unlike the butler character, someone quite emotionally explosive. If the moon is in Pisces, this is someone who would place blame first on self before blaming others causing guilt and anxiety.

Scorpio/Aries gets revenge and Scorpio/Pisces just thinks about it (a lot).

Why is a Scorpio sun creating these moon-in-Capricorn characters? Many of Ishiguro’s characters have this emotional restraint and unconsciousness.

I’m suspecting Ishiguro’s poetic and dreamy Mercury conjunct Neptune in Libra is in the writing house (3rd), personality house (1st) or creative expression house (5th).

Libra is beautiful and poetic and has beauty in its life as a fish has water in its life.

Libra is not unconscious as much as reflective of its partner. The butler in “Remains of the Day” makes others needs his needs. He’s got a little Libra going on there.

The butler, in maintaining emotional restraint and preserving social hierarchy, believes his employer to be a good man yet inadvertently provides evidence to the contrary.

Libra, for me, wears the “rose colored glasses” in the zodiac which denies ugly realities so that life is beautiful.

Ugly avoidance?

Is Ishiguro trying to create emotionally restrained characters or is he simply avoiding ugly and discordant emotions because they are not beautiful?

If moon is in Pisces, the Scorpio/Saturn-moon Pisces combination explains the underlying melancholy of much of Ishiguro’s work. Moon in Pisces can deal with ugliness and is the one who takes care of those delicate and unpleasant situations that others avoid.

The ugly is there in the novels, but not discussed.

Ishiguro also has Mars (in Aquarius) square that sun/Saturn conjunction in Scorpio.

What would that look like as a character?

This type of character would have charm and beauty and also have unusual charisma. Would the character use this power to manipulate others or inspire others to great heights?

That character would express feelings, some unusual feelings that led to quirky and weird situations.

It’s the stuff of novels.