Fifth Business Character Analysis

The novel, Fifth Business, by Robertson Davies addresses the importance of life by investigating Jungian beliefs. In the beginning of the novel, Boy Staunton puts a stone inside the snowball which he then throws at Dunstable Ramsay. Dunny who had a feeling that the snowball was coming at him, quickly ducks behind Mrs Dempster who then gets hit on the back of the head. Mrs Dempster who is pregnant gives birth on the scene to a premature baby called Paul Dempster. This defining moment becomes like a snowball effect which causes the character later on in the novel to fight with, as Jung would say, their shadow. Moreover, in the book, Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling, Harry’s shadow is Voldemort. In every circumstance, these characters confront their

He accompanies Dunny sometimes in order to help him with the quest he goes on to find Saints . Dunny believes that Mary Dempster is truly a saint since she passed the minimum requirement of miracles. Blazon's thinks that if Dunstan believes that if she is a saint, then to him she is. He should believe in what he thinks and not take opinions of other people: “What good would it do if I told you she is indeed a saint? I cannot make saints, nor can the Pope. We can only recognize saints when the plainest evidence shows them to be saintly." (Davies,165). Blazon likewise expresses that wonders are ordinary, not uncommon, and that life is a supernatural occurrence independent from anyone else through the demonstration of god. "I think you are an idiot to worry that she was thumped on the head on account of a demonstration of yours. Maybe that was what she was really going after… .Perhaps God needs you for something unique. Perhaps so much that you are justified regardless of a lady's rational soundness" (Davies,169). Through this, Blazon endeavours to lessen the unjustified blame that Dunstan has been conveying with him for so long. Thus, Blazon supplies Dunstan with another key suggestion that serves as a basic venturing stone to Dunstan's wholeness. He advises Dunstan to forgive himself for being human. "… Excuse yourself for being a human animal, Ramezay. That is the start of shrewdness; that is a piece of what is

Boy has no recollection of Mrs Dempster and Deptford. Even though he has met her once he doesn’t feel any guilt or it may seem that way throughout the entire novel. On the other Dunstan felt that if he want to live a better life and feel more content then you must try to suppress the guilt that you have inside of you. This lead to Dunny taking care of Mrs Dempster who has no memory of her past in order to relieve this guilt that has been eating him up. Boy tries to keep up the appearance that he doesn’t feel any guilt towards Mrs Dempster. To the point that Dunny had to reminded him about the snowball he threw when they where kids "It is the stone…I’ve kept it because I couldn’t part with it… The stone in-the-snowball has been characteristic of too much you’ve done for you to forget forever!” (Davies,254), Boy wasn’t able to deal with what Dunstan has said so he decided to go with Paul in order for him to leave the place. Boy has fled his shadow the only way he knew which was taking his own life. When his body was found, they saw a stone that was in his mouth. Killing himself was probably what he thought was best for him to do. The stone could signify that how one’s action has a consequence that could come back and hit you right in the