Steven adopts the Victorian language in order to achieve his idea of dignity, which he believes stems from serving your employer with the utmost of professionalism, which is an idea that stems from the Victorian ideology Stevens also adopts when taking on the language. Stevens sees himself as socially inferior to the noblemen, and feels he is only fit to serve them, though strives to attain the values they exemplify in dignity and honour. Knowing however, he cannot achieve them due to his social rank, he believes the best way to achieve dignity for himself is by serving the great and noble men and allowing them to operate at the “hub of the world” the best they can. Stevens explains to Miss Kenton that he will never be satisfied until Lord Darlington has accomplished all he wishes.
In his language, these values are perpetuated and asserted. One of the most obvious examples of Stevens’ imitation of the Victorian language is demonstrated by his choice of pronouns. Stevens’ uses of the third person pronoun “One” and the personal pronoun “I” when referring to himself is interesting. He uses the pronoun “one” to objectify himself, makes himself into the perfect match of Lord Darlington. The Victorian ideology Stevens attributes to by using the language forces him to believe, he is at the bottom of the social hierarchy, and cannot change things. In order to make a difference he must serve someone who is great, a person who can change things for the good.
Stevens’ act of taking on the language of the Victorian upper-class society, has made him to instilled the belief that caused him to pressurize him to loose his identity and restricts his life. He also becomes an object to himself and others. Stevens’ adopted language restricts him from having personal relationships with anyone. Stevens managed to find a friend, a Butler Graham with whom he speaks to at length about how to be a great butler. However, Stevens finds out that he cannot find a detached way with the other butler because he feels that there is no suitable opportunity arose for Stevens to gain such information. This is including to get in touch with him, and to develop the friendship. He thinks that like the other entire emotional outlet that he has discovered, it is unrealised or lost due to his failure with his adopted language.
Stevens cannot even create new friendships with people who should be regarded as his social peers. As he talks to Harry Smith in the Inn and the rest of the town, we see Stevens is mistaken as a real gentleman due to his language and dress. They discuss the qualities of dignity with Stevens, which is something he would normally enjoy. However, he finds that it is difficult to speak to them in any other ways than his adopted language despite them being his peers. They treat him as an outsider, his language restricts him from bantering with them about the noise made by the landlady and therefore making general small talk in order to meet new people of his social stratification.
Through his revelations, he realizes that he has wasted his life he uses his own language. Stevens’ adoption of the language and ideology has forced him to form his idea of dignity in this form. Believing he will never be a great man himself, in order to do good he must serve a great man who he believes will do good. At the end, Stevens finally accepts and divulges the fact that his language becomes emotional, subjective and broken.
Another example of Stevens being unable to put together an emotional relationship is demonstrated with Miss Kenton. His love for her is clear from the start of the novel, and despite Miss Kenton creating many opportunities for them to express their emotions for one another Stevens is utterly hopeless. On the night Miss Kenton enters his pantry to pursue him openly Stevens is lost of words. “I cannot recall precisely what I said but I remember showing Miss Kenton out of my pantry quite firmly.” At this point Stevens is ushering Miss Kenton out of the room because he is unable to actually formulate words to say to her. It is clear Stevens has feelings for Miss Kenton as he can not use the detached language he adopts with her as this language carries the ideology of dignified people above primitive urges and emotions, however Stevens is feeling deeply embarrassed and harbours feelings for Miss Kenton. Unfortunately, for Stevens he has completely lost the ability to express his emotions due to adopting this Victorian ideology so religiously. His language restricts him, stopping him from having a relationship with the woman he loves.
Stevens has not lost his Victorian ideology as he decides to become a more desirable object for Mr Farraday, just as he had done for Lord Darlington. It is not clear, in the end, the extent to which Stevens realizes he has deceived himself, despite revealing to himself his theories of dignity and loyalty in his service in which expressed the emptiness his own life. Therefore, he continues to view himself as an object who is still referring himself as ‘one’. He also looks upon the task of learning to banter as a duty expected by an employer of a professional. All in all, Stevens’ uses of language is actually imitating or adopting the Victorian language since he believes that it will make him feels appreciated and puts him in certain hierarchy class in the society.
