Selfish or Son?

"Miss Kenton was still standing out in the hall where I had first spotted her. As I emerged, she walked silently towards the staircase, a curious lack of urgency in her manner. Then she turned and said: ‘Mr Stevens, I’m very sorry. Your father passed away about four minutes ago.’
‘I see.’
She looked at her hands, then up at my face. ‘Mr Stevens, I’m very sorry’, she said. Then she added: ‘I wish there was something I could say.’
‘There’s no need, Miss Kenton.’
‘Dr Meredith has not yet arrived.’ Then for a moment she bowed her head and a sob escaped her. But almost immediately, she resumed her composure and asked in a steady voice: ‘Will you come up and see him?’
‘I’m very busy just now, Miss Kenton. In a little while perhaps.’
‘In that case, Mr Stevens, will you permit me to close his eyes?’
‘I would be most grateful if you would, Miss Kenton.’
She began to climb the staircase, but I stopped her, saying: ‘Miss Kenton, please don’t think me unduly improper in not ascending to see my father in his deceased condition just at this moment. You see, I know my father would have wished me to carry on just now.’
‘Of course, Mr Stevens.’
‘To do otherwise, I feel, would be to let him down.’
‘Of course, Mr Stevens.’" (55-56).

The idea that Stevens is being selfish throughout this chapter is proven wrong by this passage. As soon as Stevens finds out that his father is dead, he begins to work again. This seems outrageous, since it implies that Stevens didn't care about his father being dead. However, once he claimed that "my father would have wished me to carry on just now", the perception of Stevens' actions completely changes. Instead of seeing his actions as selfish, they are now seen as fulfilling his father's last wishes, and respecting the dead. Stevens talks a lot about being a "great" butler, and although it may seem like he is just trying to make himself look good by continuing on with his job, this passage shows just how much he strives to be like his father. Revealing Stevens' hidden motives for striving to be a great butler helps the reader get deeper into his character and understand why he values his job so much. He isn't a crazy man who is selfishly invested in his job, he is a son who wants to make his dead father proud.

Stevens is mourning his father's death throughout this passage through the diction. He doesn't make any comments about his own feelings or actions throughout the passage, which shows he is emotionally vulnerable and doesn't want the reader to know how he was really feeling at this time. He is suppressing his feelings in order to continue how his father would've wanted him to. The diction also enhances the morbid feeling of the passage. By not including very much commentary surrounding the dialogue, Ishiguro makes the talking seem very dry and almost uncomfortable for the characters, as one would assume it would feel. Also, the repetition of the "Of course, Mr Stevens" by Miss Kenton gives the dialogue a monotone feeling, which enhances the feeling of death in the passage. Even though he might not realize it, Stevens is using the diction to reveal his desire to suppress the emotions he is feeling about his father dying.