Stevens Response To Miss Kenton

What differentiates human beings from other living creatures is the ability to make conscious choices. Through the act of making decisions, people can control various factors in their lives to achieve desired outcomes. However, another crucial aspect of human social interaction is building relationships, a skill that Stevens seems to consistently display a lack of proficiency in. As seen in passage 1, Stevens reveals the core of his character when he, once again, chooses his profession over personal matters. Specifically, he acts in an inappropriate manner towards Ms. Kenton, hides in the shadow of his duties, and justifies his actions by asserting that he has achieved a sense of dignity that is characteristic of a great butler. There are distinct

Passage 1 is a clear example of such a turning point, but an essential differentiating factor is Stevens’ conflicting emotions on the matter. For example, he says “At first, my mood was - I do not mind admitting it - somewhat downcast” (227). This is the only indication of an emotional response by Stevens to Miss Kenton’s distress. There are numerous instances in which Stevens does not share his emotions explicitly with the audience, but readers can make inferences based on contextual clues. For example, near the end of the novel, Stevens has a conversation with an old man by the pier where his language is highly formal, but readers know that he is crying because the old man offers him a handkerchief in the dialogue. Stevens does not explicitly state that he is unhappy or mournful, but he does not mention that he was crying. This indicates a lack of ability to confront his own emotions, as well as drop his constant facade of equanimity. Stevens’ default method of avoiding sentimentality is to compensate for his losses by gaining satisfaction from his ability to keep his composure during trying times. He states that “a deep feeling of triumph started to well up within [him]” (277) and contemplates “Who would doubt at that moment that I had indeed come as close to the great hub of things as any butler could wish” (227). However, Miss Kenton and his earlier uneasiness are never mentioned afterwards. This reveals a side of Stevens that circumvents confrontation and ostensibly cannot interact with people on an emotional level. His inability to empathize is derived from his devotion to his vocation, which has also influenced his core morals and ideas about