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Identity In Robert Davidson's Fifth Business

636 Words3 Pages

The novel Fifth Business, by Robert Davidson features the fictional memoir of Dunstable as he shares his experiences with people in his life, including characters Percy, and Paul. Robert Davidson shows the lives of Percy, Paul and Dunstable to show how individuals grow from their experiences to form their identity. Each character forms their sense of self in different ways, including Percy, who becomes superficial. First, Percy changes his name to Boy to express his youth as a means to surpass his father. While his father is a wealthy man with a successful business, Boy strives to use his charm and fresh ideas to become greater. When he does, according to Dunstable, he shows off his success by flaunting his expensive “toys…right under [his father’s] nose, without explaining anything” (105), revealing his sense of superiority. Later in his life, he expects his wife to change herself to become more ideal, and treats …show more content…

When watching one of Paul’s shows, Dunstable notes that while his tricks are “all classics from the past”, the way he executes them is unique. (193). Last, Dunstable detaches himself from his biological parents and instead clings to Paul’s mother, Mary. Initially, it is mostly his guilt that leads him to care for Mary, as he felt responsible for her condition. Eventually, his attachment starts to stem from his need for a parental figure because of his negative feelings towards his parents. For instance, upon hearing the news of his parents’ death, Dunstable is relived and “mean-spiritedly pleased” over the loss, showing that, similar to Paul, he has no affection towards his parents (74). However, Dunstable does not only feel detachment towards his parents, but towards his life. Likewise, aside from his obsession with Mary, Dunstable is indifferent towards his life and the people around

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From start to finish it is apparent that Percy “Boy” Staunton from Fifth Business by Roberson Davies suffers from the personality disorder known as narcissism; which causes the victim to think too highly of themselves. A moment where Staunton shows that he believes he is greater than the main character: Dunstable Ramsay, is when he claims that “You unmarried men are terrible fretters. [...] The difference between us is that you've brooded over it and I've forgotten it” in a situation where he is trying to defend why he should not need to apologize for his past actions (Davies 270).

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Boy manifests his guilt through a change in identity which he believes serves as a mask to the wrongful acts he commits during his lifetime. At one point in his army experience, Percy Staunton becomes Boy Staunton and “it suited him admirably” (Davies 109). His new name truly defines him “because he summed up in himself so much of the glory of youth in the post war period. He gleamed, he glowed; [ Boy’s] hair was glossier, his teeth whiter than those of common young men” (Davies, 109).

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