Guilt was one of the main recurring themes in the book “Fifth Business” by Robertson Davies. The reaction of some characters to the conflicts in the novel shows that the morals and values taught in childhood can reveal the true person. Davies presented this theme early in the novel. The snowball originally intended for Dunstan misses and hits a pregnant Mary Dempster. A simple snowball accident sets off a major chain reaction that transforms Dunstan into an isolated, serious, and complex person. Percy Boyd simply ignores the guilt and moves on. Thanks to his easy and wealthy lifestyle, he can solve anything with a little money. He is your typical everyday rich businessman, handsome, rich and intelligent. It's akin to an invisible, impenetrable barrier between him and the guilt of his immense wealth protecting him verbally. His father always taught Paul Dempster to do whatever was right to make things right. The consequence is that as he grows up he blames himself for his mother's madness. He has a slightly similar upbringing to Dunstan. He is also isolated and was easily bullied. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. However, his mother teaches Dunstan to fear all sins and to fear God. After the snowball incident, she indirectly forces Dunstan to take care of Mrs. Dempster and her newborn baby. He is teased by his classmates and classmates in his early childhood getting the name cripple for helping Mrs. Dempster free herself from guilt. It gave him difficulty making friends and as a result Dunstan became an increasingly lonely person. As the novel continues, people begin to open up to him, but he continues to think about his past and push people away. He is not the “main character”. What he wants is the Fifth Business. A secondary character who helps and supports but never leads. He isolates himself from every possible event. When Leola asks Dunstan to sleep with him, he refuses for fear of making the situation even worse. Early in the novel, Dunstan says “This is one of the cruelties of the theater of life; we all think of ourselves as stars and rarely recognize this when in reality we are mere supporting characters.” and that's when he considers himself a secondary character. The snowball incident turns his entire life upside down and he will never try to direct again. He has the exact same mentality throughout the novel. On the other hand, Percy Boyd comes from a rich family and is the person who hit Mrs. Dempster with a snowball. He's almost the exact opposite of Dunstan. The characters in the novel see him as an extroverted, handsome and extremely wealthy politician. Since he came from a rich family, all the things he did as a child were never addressed by his parents. As a result, he never indirectly worries about the actions he commits when he was a teenager. In his adulthood, he begins to manipulate and control every situation. He wants Leola to be the perfect wife in the political world, but can't keep up with the constant pressure. As a result, Percy ends up neglecting her and his children. He took the lead role, unlike Dunstan who chose the supporting one. Paul Dempster is a character in the novel that no one wants around because of his mother's madness. Throughout his childhood he blames himself for his mother and his own misfortune. He never really knew what was going on in his life, he was optimistic and easily placed his trust in others. Due to constant harassment from the school and..
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