Mr. Stephen's Dignity

Ishiguru's The Remains of the Day: Mr. Stephens' 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) …

…unequivocally worthy of his father's title and name (182). Watson finds that the silence of Mr. Stephens' emotions and voice is not only false, but rather tragic. I have to agree with Watson; I think Mr. Stephens is a rather tragic–almost comic?–figure, and I think that for all his talk on dignity and his profession, inside he's a small boy, afraid to let go and be challenged by allowing someone into his personal life.