Mr. Stephen's Dignity

A detailed Summary of Mr. Stephen's Dignity

In reading Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, one is impressed by the apparent control of emotions Mr Stephens, the butler of Darlington Hall, is able to command. This apparent control can be viewed in a variety of ways. Jack Slay, Jr., in his article "The Remains of the Day" writes that Mr. Stephens has performed the ultimate sacrifice, in maintaining his control (his dignity) as his emotions would naturally wish to lead him otherwise. George Watson discusses the myth of the silent servant in his commentary "The Remains of the Day" and portrays Mr. Stephens as wimpy, one could say. I tend to agree more with Mr. George Watson; I see Mr. Stephens' inability to come to terms with his emotions and feelings-or at least to be able to confront them, and realize they are a viable part of his existence-as an important character trait he should work on.

rience can signify ignorance, according to Watson, and he feels that the novel portrays servants in a misguided way: he feels they (the servants in the novel) embody the myth that they are to be always-silent, and all-but-invisible beings (481). I can agree with this viewpoint, as Mr. Stephens demonstrates again and again that he is to merely serve the master of the house, and to wait on his guests with perfunctory and immaculate control and manners, despite his personal viewpoints or thoughts. Mr. Stephens does not allow himself to stray from this set commands. Slay also writes that Mr. Stephens "performs his job with selflessness and a ruthless suppression of emotion" (180).

Mr. Stephens, at one point in the novel, describes dignity as not taking one's clothes off in public. But I think he means it to be much deeper than that, as expressed in his recollections on his life, when he ruminates on the night of his fathe

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Approximate Word count = 627
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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Mr. Stephen's Dignity

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