The Fifth Child Analysis

Ben Lovatt is arguably one of the most controversial characters of all time. In Doris Lessing’s The Fifth Child the reader is only subjected to the outlook of the protagonist, Harriet Lovatt, who portray’s her son as demon spawn whose sole purpose is to make her life miserable Institutionalizing Ben would benefit everyone around him by preventing both psychological and physical harm. The Lovatt family although unorthodox in its size was pleasant and _____ before the arrival of the fifth child, Ben. Even before Ben was born he caused problems within the family. From the moment of his conception Ben stole his mother from the rest of her attention deprived children. As a poor stand in for their mother the remainder of the Lovatt children were

Ben was also violent and destructive. He had killed several creatures including a cat and a dog ”He had opened his door, gone quietly past his sleeping parents, down the stairs, found the dog, killed it, and gone back up again, quietly, into his room, and shut the door” (Lessing__) After the deaths of the animals everyone was wary of Ben, making the children uneasy. It was only a matter of time before he would start to hurt people too. When the Lovatt family came to this conclusion they started to lock Ben in his room for the safety of the rest of the family. “He bared his teeth and snarled. Paul screamed, his terror bursting out of him. He raced up the stairs, slipping and falling, to get away from the horror that was Ben.”(Lessing __) Ben’s attack on Paul was only the beginning of Ben’s assaults on other people. “Ben had suddenly gone berserk and attacked a bigger girl in the playground. He had pulled her down, so that she fell heavily on the asphalt, bruising and grazing her legs. Then he had bitten her, and bent back her arm until it broke.” When Ben attack’s the older girl

It is implied that he partakes in near-criminal and criminal behavior “The gang always seemed to have plenty of money. More than once, dissatisfied with what they found in the refrigerator, they brought in feasts of food, and ate all evening. Derek (never Ben!) would offer her some.” (Lessing __) As a result of his role in criminal activities Ben would face harsh punishments. Rape was punishable by life imprisonment, after the passing of the Criminal Justice Act of 1948. Theft was also punishable by up to life imprisonment, marked by the Theft Act of 1968. If Ben was imprisoned he would only contribute to the already growing problem of overpopulated in jails and an increasing rate of mentally ill imprisonment.As described by the American Psychiatric Association mental illnesses are “health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion or behavior (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities.” With this defining in mind one can conclude that Ben may be suffering from a mental illness which can be responsible for potential rapes or abnormal sexual activity. “People with schizophrenia or related psychoses may often commit rape or show abnormal sexual behavior which is related either directly to the psychosis or indirectly to disinhibition.” If Ben is institutionalized he is