Tripartite Theory Of Infantile Sexuality In Fifth Business By Robertson Davies

“My position was a common one; I wanted to do the right thing, but could not help regretting the damnable expense.” (221) This quote is stated in the novel Fifth Business by ‘Robertson Davies’, this quote is one of the many examples of Sigmund Freud’s theories, this quote shows his Tripartite theory. Freud believed that the majority of human behavior is driven by desires and the restraining of these desires. Freud had many theories, two of the more known of theories are; his theory of Infantile Sexuality is generally explained by the Oedipus complex. Oedipus was an abandoned as a baby and raised by another family, who eventually kills a man on a crossroad, marries and has children, and eventually finds out that he killed his biological father

and is married to and has children with his biological mother. This explains the theory because Freud believed that a child is generally attracted to the opposite gender parent and despises the same gendered parent; and his Tripartite theory in which is about his believing of the mind having three main sections to it, the Id which is part of the unconscious mind, the Superego which is the conscious mind, and the ego which is the mediator of the id and superego mind.

In the novel Fifth Business by ‘Robertson Davies’ there are many examples proving his theories. The examples prove both his Oedipus complex and his tripartite theory.

The Oedipus complex was shown in the novel at many different points, but the three times that stick out the most are, one when Dunstable Ramsay took an egg to practice magic tricks and lied to his mother about taking the egg which she later found out because the egg had broken in his pocket. Mrs. Ramsay was displeased with his actions and took the punishment to the next level by whipping him repeatedly resulting in Dunstable breaking down and crying, afterwards he feels unloved by his mother and that her love came at a high cost which he will not ever fully get back again. This shows Freud’s theory because it is a scene that shows how their mother and son bond has broken, Mrs. Ramsay may love her son but not in the way that she had before where she would get

Dunny to help her with tasks, when she does get him now it is more because the duties are those for a man to do not a woman. Dunny feels that he no longer needs to put his effort into impressing his mother and that he will continue to do what interests him and practice his magic tricks. The second example is when Dunny is in the hospital after the war and meets a nurse named Diana. They end up falling in a romantic love where the relationship is only driven by passion and intimacy, later on Dunny feels like there is something off about their relationship and finds out that it's because “she was too much of a mother”(81) to him. Diana had done everything for Dunstable when he was coping with his amputated leg, she would feed him, bathe him, clothe him, and even taught him to walk again. In her doing this she was more of a mother figure for Dunny and he had no interest in getting a new mother again, he even states in the novel on page 81 that he had no intention in acquiring a new mother to act out Oedipus even if this new mother would be his age and beautiful. This is a big example of this theory because even though Dunny knew that he was not ready to be in a relationship and especially not with a woman who reminded him of a mother figure, he was still drawn to her and had already shared a relationship with her and fornicated with her before he had decided to end things with Diana. Lastly there is his connection with Mary Dempster, ever since Dunny was ten he feels like he owes it to Mary to take care of her because he feels guilty for the snowball incident that made her simple minded. Since Dunstable took care of Mary for so many years he discovered that he loved her, but his love for Mary is not an intimacy kind of love even though it is not said it is inferred that the kind of love he has for her is the kind one would have with their mother. When Mary passed away Dunny grieves more for her than he had for his own mother. Mary was there for Dunny throughout his life, even when she couldn’t be he looked to her before he would his own mother. This is shown as an Oedipus theory because Mary is more of a mother figure for Dunstable than his own mother is, and they have a better connection together than he does with his own mother. These each are all times that the novel proved Freud’s Oedipus Theory.

The next main theory that Fifth Business proves is Freud’s tripartite theory there are a lot of examples of all parts but the Id part of the brain is shown in a variety of places in the novel. The first time we see an unconscious minded decision is when Percy Boyd Staunton throws a snowball with a rock in it at Dunny, but Dunny steps out of the way and the snowball hits Mary Dempster making her go into early labor and also making her simple minded. Both Percy’s and Dunstable’s actions are made out of id, because Percy was throwing snowballs at Dunny not thinking about if he hit someone else he was just mad and wanted to get Dunny so he did not think his actions through, Dunny jumping out of the way was an unconscious decision because he knew that Amasa and his pregnant wife Mary were somewhere near behind them and did not think about the possibility of the snowball hitting them and causing the damage that it did, making both of their actions ran by their id’s. Another time that the id section of a mind is shown in this novel is when Willie, Dunny’s brother had died the first time. Dunny went to get Mary Dempster for help even though both his mother and Amasa disallowed Dunny to ever see her again. “Why? I don’t know why. It was not a matter of reason-not a decision at all.”(53) Dunny’s actions were out of his id because exactly like he said he had no reason to get her, he just acted on his desire in needing Mary’s help. Lastly another time that the id took control of someone’s actions in the novel is when Paul ran away with the circus, because of the kids picking on him at school about his mother, because of his father never being there for him in the ways he needed him, and also because of his guilt he had for his mom being simple minded. Paul never thought it through to see what the outcomes in the long run could be he just wanted to get away from his life and build a new one and when he saw the circus he saw his easy way out and ran away with it. This is counted as an act of one's unconscious mind because he did what he wanted to do which was get away from that town and his life he lived and he did exactly that with out thinking it through, he acted on desires. Thanks to the id or unconscious mind people everywhere not just in this novel sometimes do still act on desires rather than thinking things through, unlike the superego.

The superego, also known as the conscious mind, is another part of Freud’s Tripartite theory.

Although there were many parts in the novel that showed that many times they acted without thinking, using their unconscious minds, there is a lot of parts in the novel that shows that they did think things through and used their superego as well. The first time that stands out for someone that used their superego is when Dunny accepts the award of the Victoria Cross from the King, everyone believes and feels that Dunny is a hero to them for his heroic actions, whereas Dunny himself finds that he acted more out of fear when he was in the war and was not a hero. At the same time Dunny also knew that he could not let the people down and tell them he’s not a hero, the result of this he as stated in the novel on page 80 did his best to behave proper, while for he does not believe him-self that hes a hero, but at the same time not protesting to the people that he is one in order to keep their hopes up because people need a hero to look up to. This shows that Dunny thought his actions through this time before he acted because he did not want to disappoint anyone, therefore this is a act out of the conscious mind. Another time that the superego in someone in the novel was shown when Leola was in bed and wanted Dunny to kiss her like he used to, even though Dunny had kissed her in a non formal fashion, he did stop because he knew it was not right and because he did not love her, this is a

form of the superego because in order for Dunny to stop kissing Leola he had to think it through and as everyone conscious mind does it told to stop because it was wrong. Finally there was also a time that Dunny used his superego when Liesl and Eisengrim offered Dunny a job to write Eisengrim’s autobiography because every great magician has one and they thought that Dunny was perfect for the job, but Dunny acted on his conscious and thought about the job offer at first and realized that the pay was not what he wanted so he wagered some more before he took the job, if he had not of acted on his conscious mind he would have had less pay and not liked his job as much, this shows the superego in a different way because it shows that it is not always your actions that rely on your conscious but also it may affect your job opportunities as well. this novel shows great examples that the superego is an important part of the mind because it is what tells people from right and wrong.

Throughout the novel Fifth Business Davies shows many examples of the psychologists Sigmund Freud’s theories. The novel exemplified Freud’s both the Tripartite Theory and his Oedipus complex. These examples prove that the theories do have truth to them and are a part of every individual’s life style in some form. “Where id was, there ego shall be.” (Sigmund Freud).