Commentary on extract from "The Remains of the Day"

This is an extract from The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. This event takes place in the Moscombe chapter.
In this extract you can discuss the change of personalities of the main characters, Mr Stevens and Miss Kenton. Here Miss Kenton pours here heart out in front of stevens, but she still comes to a rational conclusion. Miss Kenton has grown to love here new husband and accepted her situation in life:

"You spend so much time whith someone, you find you get used to him. He's a kind, steady man, and yes, Mr Stevens, I've grown to love him."

This is a turning point in the novel as Miss Kenton reveals to Stevens that their chance of ever being together is over. Earlier in the novel, Miss Kenton is still trying to make Stevens see her love for him, while now she has grown to be more rational about the situation. This is how her personality has changed at this point, she has become realistic towards the situation, and can restrain the feelings she has for Mr Stevens.

However, Mr Stevens is in this moment doing the opposite. He admits to himself the feelings he has for Miss Kenton for the first time:

"Indeed - why should i not admit it? - at that moment my heart was breaking"

Even though Mr Stevens admits this to himself, he never reveals his feelings to Miss Kenton. So even though he can be true to himself in this aspect, he is still wearing mask of dignity towards the outside world. Instead, Mr Steven repeats Miss Kentons words:

"We must each of us, as you point out, be grateful for what we do have."

This sentence is also ironic in some sence, as Stevens really does not have anything at all. Also, he is to some extent still living in the past, as he keeps refering to Miss Kenton in her maiden name instead of her married name, Mrs Benn. So while Miss kenton in this extact lets go of her dream of them being toghether, Stevens is only just realising it. In this way they hve changed roles with eachother in comparance to their encounters earlier in the novel. Miss Kenton is accepting her place in life, while Stevens is realising what he is missing.