Dunstan Ramsay is one of the main characters in the novel Fifth Business. The novel is based on his point of view. Dunstan is from an honorable family. Dunstan was disciplined by his mother who shaped Dunstan’s anima. After the snowball incident, when Percy Staunton threw the snowball at Mrs. Dempster. Dunstan felt guilt that became part of his life. The incident drove away many of his desires in his life. The guilt that he had made him try to prove the Mary Dempster is a saint. At a magic carnival, for the first time Dunstan tells the story of Percy Staunton, who is also known as Boy Stanton, of the event when he threw the snowball at Mrs. Dempster's head. Dunstan also showed the granite rock that was inside the
snowball.
During his journey, McCandless was a leather tramp, he travelled on foot and he would
	Robertson Davies’ novel, Fifth Business, revolves around guilt, competition, and two men who are foils of each other. Although Dunstan Ramsay and Percy Boyd Staunton are parallels to each other, they contrast in a great number of ways. Their awkward relationship plays a significant role in the number of elements which make Fifth Business such an interesting story.
There are characters in every story to help build a meaning to what is being told. Just because the story is build upon a major character, that doesn’t mean that minor characters aren’t as important. Three reasons that minor characters are important is that they help develop the plot in the story, they can influence how the major character might act, and having minor characters intrigues the audience.
While Dunny was away at war, Boy was still finishing school and in the process of stealing Dunny's girl while he was away. Boy and Dunstan had been competing for Leola all their life up until when Dunny left. This loss for Dunstan could have been avoided if in fact he had not accepted responsibility for the snowball incident he wouldn't have had to leave and therefore could have kept Leola.
The premature birth of Paul Dempster and the madness of Mary Dempster were both caused by a rock in which Boy Staunton throws. The statement Magnus says at the end of the novel indicates the reason for Boy’s death perfectly, "He was killed by the usual cabal: by himself, first of all; by the woman he knew; by the woman he did not know; by the man who granted his inmost wish; and by the inevitable fifth, who was the keeper of his conscience and keeper of the stone." (Davies 256) In this quote, it refers to “by himself” which can be interpreted as the cruel acts he does to others around him. It also states “the women he did not know” which highlights, how Boy placed what he does to Mary Dempster in the back of his mind. The actions he does to others, even though he does not remember, is what causes his unfortunate death. Both these characters who do wrongful actions got an equal reaction to what they
The marvelous story of saints is one of the leading themes in Fifth Business. As the author Robertson Davies develops this theme through Dunstan’s journey into hagiology, he often uses certain saints such as Saint Dunstan, as allusions. Among the Saints that the novel refers to, Saint Paul is the perfect allusion that portrays the character of Paul Dempster since the two share strong similarities in their lives. Additionally, Saint Paul foreshadows Dunstan’s encounter with Paul Dempster.
In his thoughtful retelling of his own life, Dunstan introduces the Headmaster- to whom his autobiography is addressed- to Mary Dempster. He is meticulous in this introduction, informing the Headmaster that his “lifelong involvement with Mrs. Dempster began at 5:58 o’clock p.m. on December 1908” (1). Already, Dunstan has provided some insight into the nature of his relationship with Mrs. Dempster; by reciting the moment this involvement began with such precision, Dunstan emphasizes just how deeply the events that would follow with this woman would affect him. This hauntingly specific reference also appears to foreshadow the guilt that a young, ten-year-old Dunstan could never have predicted he would carry with him; by reciting this exact period of time, Dunstan acknowledges just how deeply his obsession with his own guilt runs. Though it is the incident in which Mrs. Dempster is struck by a snowball aimed at Dunstan that bestows a lifelong sense of guilt and debt to Mrs. Dempster upon him, it is the
did not tell anyone how Mrs. Dempster got hit by a snowball. Throughout his life, he continued to
Christopher Johnson McCandless, a.k.a Alexander Supertramp, “Master of his Own Destiny.” He was an intelligent young man who presented himself as alone but really he was never lonely. However, he believed that life was better lived alone, with nature, so he ventured off throughout western United States before setting off into Alaska’s wild unprepared where he died. Some may say he was naive to go off on such a mission without the proper food and equipment but he was living life the way he wanted to and during his travels he came across three people: Jan Burres, Ronald Franz, and Wayne Westerberg. McCandless befriended these people, it is believed that he made such a strong impression on them that their connection left them with strange feelings after finding out about McCandless’ death.
The purpose of this essay is to reveal the importance of Canadian history in the novel Fifth Business by Robertson Davies. Fifth Business was written as a reflection of Robertson Davies’s life but also serves as a viewpoint of Canadian life in the early twentieth century. The novel is written accordingly to sequence of events in Canadian history; this allows Davies to shape the plot of the novel around these historical events. Canadian history plays a large role in the first half of the novel, which launches Dunstan Ramsay into a series of trials that develop his character and personality. Such as the Canadian Pacific Railway had united Canada, the same history would link the characters together, develop the characters, and drive the plot of the novel. The two most important historical events within the novel are The Great Depression and World War I.
Furthermore, Mrs. Dempster’s “hysteria” and deviation from such society norms by way of abnormal sexual behavior, and wandering nature, are comparable with her journey to sainthood; and this is made explicit when Ramsay sees “Mary wandering by herself” (Davies 143). The act of wandering, according to Goldman, is a perversion of the proscribed female role in society, and is thus an affront (Goldman 992). Mrs. Dempster’s non-conformity is key to understanding her transformation with the process of sainthood, as her being seen as a simple woman, reduced to “a series of hysterical crying fits” after being hit by the snowball, essentially sets her down the path to social deviance and eventual sainthood in the eyes of the Ramsay. This notion of “hysteria” is attributed to Ramsay as well, and Goldman writes that the isolation and loneliness generated from Ramsey’s time in the army, causes him to suffer from a kind of
...iesl, Dunstan satisfies the role by knowing the secret birth of Paul Dempster, by witnessing Boy Staunton’s rises and falls, and by being the “odd one out” through achieving a bachelor status. Similarly, both characters were designed to be neither the protagonist nor the antagonist. Instead, Horatio and Dunstan Ramsay both play the secondary character role; the plot is not directly focused on them, but rather on the main characters that they interact with and influence. However, their fulfillment of Fifth Business has proven to be more than just a significant secondary role; they provide the necessary foundations for the development of both the main characters and the plot.
Through a young man’s eye we see how he views life and what is important to him and his reactions to the important life obstacles. Dexter is the main character we meet him young, he works at a golf course that he caddies for. We also meet someone important to the story as well who is young named Judy Jones. Judy is the girl of Dexter’s dreams and will be awhile down the story. Dexter has three desires that he thinks about through the whole book and they are love, happiness and, wealth. Dexter is put through these obstacles throughout the whole book and it has shaped his choices and feelings.
Mark Torello gave the snowstorm five school buses. Nobody believed the storm would actually come, given past events. The whole winter consisted of swings and misses with school closings. Dean Gulberry gazed upon the bright television screen, in hopes of a school cancellation. Dean wasn’t an average kid, because he was stupid. As the schools were flashing across the screen, Dean was drinking an absurd amount of pop. Dean let out a satisfying belch, when he saw his school got cancelled. He found this a surprise, because Mark Torello never got anything right. The two shared a trait of being stupid. Now that school is no more, Dean has decided to ponder what activities this day will hold. Little does Dean know (because he’s stupid) he’d get into
Mrs. Ramsay embodies the traditional, ideal woman. She is a wife and mother. She sees her role as being a supporter to her husband, her children, and to the people around her. Mrs. Ramsay is occupied with matronly duties, such as knitting socks and running errands. She is devoted to her children. She sympathizes with James, understanding his disappointment at not being able to go to the lighthouse. She looks through a catalog for pictures for him to cut out. She also reads fairy tales to James. Mrs. Ramsay is a kind and devoted mother.