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Fifth Business Guilt Quotes

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Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines guilt as “the fact or state of having committed an offense, crime, violation, or wrong, especially against moral or penal law” (Merriam-Webster). In the novel Fifth Business by Robert Davies, he explores the topic of guilt. Published in 1970 (Goodreads), the book goes into detail of a man’s life story and how he finds the deeper meaning of life. One of the main messages of this novel is that a person’s life is dependent on how they make decisions and how they deal with the consequences of it. This message is shown in the novel through the character’s journey to search for the truth. Robert Davies shows how guilt affects a person through the adventures of Dunstan Ramsay, Boy Staunton, and Paul Dempster. Firstly, the main character Dunstan Ramsay, is profoundly influenced by his guilt that originates from his early years in life. In his expedition for wisdom, the effects of his guilt on him can be seen throughout the various stages of his life. At the age of ten, Dunstan sees a traumatic event that he blames himself for. Boy Staunton throws a snowball towards Dunstan, but instead hits a pregnant woman Mary Dempster, which causes her to go into premature labor. Dunstan feels guilty for this incident so he dedicates his life to her. Later, he starts his journey …show more content…

As a result of dealing with their guilt, these characters all experience changes in who they are. Robert Davies’ Fifth Business is a novel that investigates the quest to find the meaning of life; this helps the reader understand the theme in the novel of how appropriate approaches to coping with guilt are necessary in living a healthy life. Both enlightenment and guilt, which are thoroughly explored in the novel, forces readers to think about their own lives and educates them to refrain from avoiding their

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