In their meeting, Dunstan reveals the secret of the snowball: the reason it hurt Mrs. Dempster so badly is that Percy had placed a rock inside it. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Fifth Business Quotes | Explanations with Page Numbers | LitCharts. Before he leaves, she rechristens him Dunstan from his birth name of Dunstable. He goes back to Canada to find that Boy (Percy’s new name) and Leola are engaged. As described by Liesl late in the novel, he is "Fifth Business," the type of person always destined to play a supporting (and never a lead) role in life. Back in Toronto, Dunstan realizes that Boy is cruel towards Leola, who is sinking into a depression. In the tiny village of Tyrol, Dunstan stumbles upon the traveling circus Le grand Cirque forain de St Vite. She crumples to the ground, and soon goes into premature labor. Over time, Dunstan completes his degree in History, and settles into teaching at Colborne College for Boys. Meanwhile, Boy shows his genius for making money by doubling his father’s fortune in short order. At only ten years old, he dodges a snowball aimed at him, that instead strikes Mary Dempster, the young, pregnant woman next door. By now, Mary’s mind has completely gone, and she recognizes Dunstan only as a new friend. She defends the sex as an act of charity: "he wanted it so badly" (48). Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. The three go back to Dunstan’s for a drink, and it is revealed that Boy doesn’t remember the Dempsters ever living in Deptford. He teaches Paul about magic, and the boy shows a great facility for it. Meanwhile, Dunstan lives a relatively isolated life, with Paul Dempster as his only frequent friend. And Dunstan was because he is the one who knows the secret of the hero's birth (Paul), or comes to assist the heroine when she thinks all is lost (Leola), or keeps the hermitess in her cell (Mrs. Dempster), or may even be the cause of somebody's death (Boy). She is cremated, and Dunstan keeps the ashes in his room. “Ah, Ramezay, you are a rash man. During this time, Leola finds out Boy has been cheating on her, and she attempts suicide. The first event of the story is also the one that stays with Dunstan the rest of his life. Instant downloads of all 1396 LitChart PDFs The next day, Boy is found dead in the bay, clutching his steering wheel and with the stone in his mouth. ed. He teaches Paul magic tricks, but this backfires—Amasa is furious that Dunstan has corrupted his son with “gambling tricks” and bans Dunstan from his home. Fifth Business, a novel written by Robertson Davies approaches the journey to heroic life by the means of the collective unconscious and the archetypes. The town is appalled not only by her behavior but also by her seeming lack of remorse. Meanwhile, Boy shows his genius for making money by doubling his father’s fortune in short order. His wife was glowingly described, though there was little mention of “a former marriage, which ended with the death... Fifth Business study guide contains a biography of Robertson Davies, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Dunstan makes the mistake of telling Mrs. Dempster that he has found Paul. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. One night Mary Dempster goes missing, and Dunstan is part of the search party. Fifth Business fixates on Dunstan Ramsay, a man stricken with profound guilt that stems from a childhood accident. He has no heartbeat, and Dunstan believes he is dead. He is writing to the current headmaster, to insist that he has not simply lived the life of a lonely bachelor academic, but instead has explored a life of myth and wonder. When Mary dies, Dunstan feels it is his fault and weeps for the first time since childhood. Leola still loves Percy, but says she loves Dunstan, too. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Boy's hands were frozen to the wheel and he the snowball stone taped in his mouth. Dunstan reveals to story of the snowball to Paul, and Boy says Dunstan has made a big deal out of nothing. When he awakens in the hospital, there is a note from Liesl, apologizing for causing him trouble and inviting him to live out the rest of his days with Eisengrim’s crew on tour. During World War II, Dunstan serves as interim headmaster of Colborne College, while Boy becomes an international figure through his faux-philanthropic efforts. During this time Dunstan has a sexual encounter with a hideous, devilish woman named Liesl, who tells him he is not living life and has yet to accept himself as a human being. Mrs. Ramsay, Dunstan’s mother, aids in the difficult delivery of her baby, Paul Dempster. What evidence indicates that Boy was murdered? Fifth Business book Summary Part one: Ms. Dempster . He is also glib about their former relationship, sneakily forcing Dunstan to develop naked pictures of her. Consequently, her baby is born prematurely, and she is left with a simple state of mind. What are Blazon’s standards for sainthood in terms of the "fool-saint" ? Book summary; Themes; About the author; Where to Purchase; Works Cited; PrincipAL CHARACTERS IN FIFTH BUSINESS . His show amazes Dunstan. He has a romantic relationship with his nurse, Diana Marfleet, but realizes she is too much like his mother and ends it on good terms. He has to put Mary up in a public hospital, and feels horrible about it, but continues to travel. The novel takes the form of a letter written by Dunstan Ramsay to the Headmaster of Colborne College, where Dunstan is a teacher. Staunton is the child of a wealthy family, while Ramsay is the son of strict Scots parents who run the local newspaper. All of the books focus on the effects of the same single event: a snowball striking Mary Dempster in the head. Dunstan shows Boy the stone that was enclosed in the snowball—he has kept it as a paperweight all these years. The Fifth Business is the odd man out, the person who has no opposite of the other sex. Our, “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. In this, both the protagonist, Dunstable (Dunstan) Ramsay, and Percy Boyd (Boy) Staunton encounter many concepts regarding the human unconscious, particularly that of their own. Over time, Dunstan completes his degree in History, and settles into teaching at Colborne College for Boys. Over time, Mrs. Dempster further alienates the town through her bizarre behavior, which is considered improper. Dunston Ramsay is a newly-retired headmaster who writes to the new headmaster to object to the dismissive tone in which his career was characterized by the speeches at his retirement banquet. Fifth Business stands alone as a remarkable story told by a rational man who discovers that the marvelous is only another aspect of the real. Through his after-school job at the Deptford library, he finds books on magic and saints, and becomes enamored of both subjects. When Mrs. Dempster delivers Paul Dempster early, Dunston takes it upon himself to … He gets Mary Dempster, and she touches Willie and calls his name, and Willie wakes up. In effect, he will no longer be only "Fifth Business.". This story begins on the twenty- seventh of December 1908, as a snowball possessing a rock inside is thrown by Percy Boyd Staunton and in failing to hit his friend (the young, ten year old Dunstan Ramsay) it hits the sensitive, fragile and pregnant Mary Dempster. Fifth Business Summary F ifth Business is a novel by Robertson Davies, which tells the story of Dunstan Ramsay, who believes his neighbor Mary is a saint. Dunstan goes anyway, and the closer he grows to Mrs. Dempster the more he believes there is something saint-like and holy about her. Dunstan begins to see Mrs. Dempster as a saintly figure. He comes across a traveling circus and meets Paul Dempster, who has no interest in forming a relationship with his mother, who has gone insane since he left and Amasa died from the flu, and who is living with her Aunt Bertha. Forums Essay, Paragraph, Dialog & other Composition Writing 13 41,416; i have an inclass essay this week on fifth business and i loved this book. Dunstan renews his study of saints with new vigor. On that day, Dunstan and his lifelong nemesis/friend PercyBoyd Stanton, son of Deptford's richest man, are sledding. Overskou” which defines “Fifth Business” as describing those roles that are not of the hero or heroine, confidante or villain, but are nevertheless crucial to the unfolding of a drama. She has been sent to live with an aunt, Bertha Shanklin, who lives near Toronto. He spends time with the troupe at the behest of Liesl, the bearded lady who manages the show's finances. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. A summary of the fourth section of the novel Fifth Business by Robertson Davies. (including. Her husband, Amasa Dempster, a devout Baptist minister is burdened by his wife after the accident, for the blow to the head makes her “simple.” Mrs. Ramsay, Dunstan’s mother, takes care of Mrs. Dempster, pitying her because she has become ill equipped for sensible domestic life and because her husband’s religion prevents him from thinking clearly and helping her. The protagonist and narrator Dunstan Ramsay has an impassioned interest in hagiography, or the biographies of saints and other spiritual beings. Dunstan wakes up six months later from a coma, and finds he has lost his leg but has been awarded the Victorian Cross (the highest military honor awarded in Canada) and that both his parents have died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. She thinks Dunstan is keeping Paul away from her, and Dunstan can no longer see her without upsetting her. Throughout the story, he carries the guilt from an accident during his childhood involving Mary Dempster, and is convinced Mary is a fool-saint. Meanwhile, Dunstan becomes interested in renaissance art and sainthood and travels around Europe seeking out new knowledge, leaning new languages, and writing books. Published in 1970, it is the first work in his Deptford Trilogy. Summary. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Fifth Business by Robertson Davies. Plot Summary. The novel follows the life of its narrator and protagonist, Dunstan Ramsey, and reflects Davies's interest in the … After recovering, he retires and writes the letter to the headmaster, explaining his story and informing him that he is joining Liesl and Magnus with their carnival in Europe. In the process, he is seriously wounded. Detailed Summary & Analysis Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Themes All Themes Religion, Faith, and Morality Guilt and Sacrifice The Meaning of Success History and Mythology Love, Family, and Psychology Quotes. Now deep into his research of saints, Dunstan suspects that his own Mary Dempster is a bonafide saint. His closest friend is Padre Blazon, who encourages him to keep investigating Mary Dempster’s sainthood. Dunstan was born in 1898 and is a confident, strong, opinionated and well rounded man. Once healed, Dunstan returns to Deptford, wounded but also honored with the prestigious Victoria's Cross medal. Note the spelling of “Crookshanks” (258). She describes him as "Fifth Business," an archetypal figure who always plays a supporting role and never takes the lead. Lying bloody near a ruined church, he turns his head to see the statue of the Virgin Mary, and is shocked to see that the figure has Mrs. Dempster's face right before he is struck unconscious by a falling flare. Over in Europe, Dunstan meets a Jesuit priest named Padre Blazon, an eccentric whose attitudes on religious are devout but questioning. He has the sense that he has been reborn, and is free to redefine himself. While fighting in the fields of France, Dunstan single handedly destroys a German machine gun nest, although almost by accident. Dunstan takes a six-month leave to go to Mexico, where he meets Paul again, who is now a successful and famous magician. Though the boy survives, he is small and Mrs. Dempster suffers some brain trauma that leaves her 'simple' in the eyes of the town. By now, Boy has almost no morals left. This encounter is later remember by Dunstan as his encounter with the Devil, and he believes it was a crucial and formative event in his life—Padre Blazon will tell him that a friendship with the Devil is indeed a good thing. Dunstan continues to travel and have success, earning the respect and friendship of the Bollandists, a group of Jesuits who study Saints. He comes to love Mrs. Dempster, partially because he feels responsible for her misfortune. Boy has taken a liking to Dunstan as his one confidant with knowledge of his past as Percy. This brings back a flood of painful memories, which lead her to identify Dunstan and enemy and then slowly waste away. Fifth Business Introduction + Context. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Dunstan fares well in the war, remaining uninjured until one day he suffers a blow to his leg after taking out three German machine gun operators. That night, Dunstan attends the Eisengrim show, and realizes through one of the episodes that Paul had killed Boy. He has a heart attack on the spot. Fifth Business essays are academic essays for citation. This guilt is exacerbated when Mrs. Ramsay assigns Dunstan as the Dempster's personal caretaker, not trusting Mr. Dempster to handle it himself. Back at his school in Canada, Dunstan encounters the tramp who slept with Mary—his name is Joel Surgeoner, he is a charity worker, and he believes Mary’s act miraculously reformed him. He never visits her again until she dies. 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