The twentieth century is the century with the greatest loss of human life in the history of civilization. It was a time of mistrust and espionage. Being loyal is defined as “faithful to one's oath, commitments, or obligations” (OED). Some loyalties are bought, while others are earned. Earned loyalty tends to last while purchased loyalty tends to fade. Two books, The Human Factor by Graham Greene and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro show this difference. Although both characters demonstrate external loyalty, Stevens' loyalty is bought and Castle's is earned. Castle's genuine loyalty allows him to risk his life, while Stevens' loyalty is only obedience. Stevens, in The Remains of the Day, lives only to serve. Those who employ it are rewarded with blind loyalty. He works tirelessly to please his master. No act is too big or small to complete. All it takes is for a rich man to give him his salary and in return he is given his life. Stevens isn't one to take a break. He dedicates his life to the house. His mind is always focused on his work. His actions are all about his role as the house butler. He puts it above family, above love, above his morals. He lets the love of his life slip through his fingers due to his devotion to work. He believes that "a butler who constantly attempts to formulate his own 'strong opinions' about his employer's affairs is bound to lack an essential quality in all good professionals: namely, loyalty" (Ishiguro 165). Stevens seems confident, using bound as if to say it will happen, as if no good butler could have his own opinions. He admits that he has unconditional faith. He believes that being loyal means being a robot. He just believes in what he is... middle of paper... he knows exactly what he's doing, there's no part of him that questions. His loyalty is earned and he doesn't take it lightly. The Remains of the day shows that purchased loyalty is not true dedication, while The Human Factor shows that earned loyalty is valued more than life. One has his loyalty earned by being bought, the other earned it by saving his wife. Both dedicate their lives to the causes of those to whom they also owe their loyalty. However, one's loyalty wanes and the other's never wanes. Devotion to a cause is always tested and only those who are truly sincere decide to stay. Works Cited Greene, Graham. The human factor. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978. Print.Ishiguro, Kazuo. The remains of the day. New York: Knopf, 1989. Print. Simpson, J. A. and E. S. C. Weiner. The Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon, 1989. Print.