There is a quality that every individual strives to achieve and possess during their life. This quality is dignity. In The Remains of the Day, a novel written by Kazuo Ishiguro, many themes are presented throughout the narrative of the main character, Stevens. Among the themes, the most striking is that of dignity and grandeur. However, there is also another underlying theme throughout the story: loss and regret. It may seem strange that these two almost antithetical themes are present in a single novel. However, Ishiguro, with the help of Stevens' narrative, uses the contrast between the two themes to express his thoughts on the theme of dignity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Throughout the story, the theme of dignity and grandeur is first addressed when Stevens attempts to ask "what is a great butler?" Stevens then cites the words of the Hayes Society, according to which "the most crucial criterion is that the candidate possess a dignity commensurate with his position." Stevens concludes his reflection by addressing two major incidents, one relating to his father, Mr. Stevens Sr. and the other relating to himself. Stevens Sr. was butler at Loughborough House, Mr. John Silvers being the employer. Mr. Stevens Sr. had served Silvers for fifteen years and had become what Stevens considers a great butler. According to Stevens, Mr. Stevens Sr. had demonstrated his greatness during a driving incident with three guests of Silvers. After getting drunk, the three guests had Mr. Stevens Sr. take a tour of three specific cities. However, during the ride, Mr. Stevens Sr. made a mistake regarding the order of the ride, and two of the guests made ill-considered remarks to him. Despite these remarks, Mr. Stevens Sr. calmly maintained his composure and drove to the next town. However, annoyed by his indifference to these remarks, the two guests proceeded to hasty remarks about Silvers. It was at this point that Mr. Stevens Sr. stopped the car, opened the rear doors and stood calmly but solemnly in front of the two guests until they apologized for their actions. The third guest in the car, Mr. Charles, was surprised to see that although Mr. Stevens Sr. had shown no signs of anger and had simply stood up, the two guests'. . . seemed to cower like little boys caught by the farmer stealing apples. The second incident concerned Stevens' stay at Darlington Hall. There was an important international meeting at Darlington Hall which could affect the fate of Germany. After the First World War and the economic collapse of Germany, Lord Darlington, the former owner of Darlington Hall, considered the Treaty of Versailles to be cruel and unfair to the German people. Thus, to make changes to the treaty, Lord Darlington had invited influential figures from various countries, notably France, to encourage their participation in the change. However, during this important event, Stevens' father, who also worked at Darlington Hall, sadly suffered a stroke and eventually died. Although Stevens was informed of his father's death and was deeply grieved by it, Stevens prioritized his service to guests and the importance of this event to Lord Darlington and attended his father once the event ended. There is one thing these two incidents have in common. No matter what happened, the two butlers remained professional and completed their task without becoming emotional?