1970. Choose a
character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay
in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in
which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and
responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.
Often times the place a person comes from plays a significant role throughout their life. The life of Dunstan Ramsay in Robertson Davies' The Fifth Business is no exception.His upbringing in the small Canadian village of Deptford and its conservative society greatly influences his thoughts on religion and is a large part of his development into the "Fifth Business" from which the novel gets its name.
Deptford is a place divided by five christian religions. The main character is a Presbyterian of hardy Scottish stock. His mother and father are both hardworking and honest, yet set in their ways. The people of Deptford look after their own, meaning the Catholics tend the Catholics and the Baptists mind to the affairs of other Baptists, and the town is rife for gossip. Every little event is heavily scrutinized by the townsfolk, and everyone who doesn't conform to the towns narrow standards are criticized. Dunny saw his idol, Mrs. Dempster, become "an exile from a world that saw things her way" when the people didn't understand her. Davies uses excellent imagery to describe Dempster's condition throughout the novel that shows the effect exile has had on her physical and mental condition.Even Mrs. Dempter's husband, Amasa, can't look past his fervent religiosity and ends up permanently damaging his beloved wife. The curious ways of the town of Deptford help explain Dunstan's development.
Dunstan's experiences in Deptford lead him to develop a very human and personal form of faith. He manages to respect the faith of even the most despicable of human beings, including the man that convinced Mrs. Dempster to sleep with him, forever soiling her social standing and causing her to lose her mind. He also learns that letting people define how you believe is unwise, and his pursuit of hagiology, or the study of saints, a highly eccentric move for a protestant. Davies makes excellent use of detail when describing Dunstan's pursuit of saints, it helps the reader become familiar with a very unusual topic and adds dimension to Dunstan's character. Some of the saintliness he studies then rubs off on him, causing him to care very much about the people around him. His humanistic approach to faith is formed by the things he witnessed in his hometown.
Dunstan's faith pushes him too be a very benevolent man, open to helping all those in need, contrary to the society in which he left in Deptford. He often actively sought to fix, such as the case of Mrs. Dempster, never leaving her side until her death in an insane asylum, although he didn't owe her nearly as much. He just thought it decent of him to look after her. However he often overlooked the needs of himself for others, and the major turning point in his life comes when he realizes that he was "fifth business" told to him by an atrociously ugly women named Liesl, who seems to represent the ugly truth. "Fifth business" is a clever metaphor used by Davies, relating Dunstan's life to that of a play, with the character being played by Dunstan being of very minor importance, in the play only to assist in someone else's problem. Dunstan realizes that in order to find some sense of fulfillment, he must become a self advocate.
Dunny's experiences in his hometown set the tone for his feelings on religion and the development of his character later in the novel. His societal norms have a decidedly negative effect on his childhood, and he spends the rest of his life attempting to understand faith and step out of the shadow of Deptford.
Deptford is a place divided by five christian religions. The main character is a Presbyterian of hardy Scottish stock. His mother and father are both hardworking and honest, yet set in their ways. The people of Deptford look after their own, meaning the Catholics tend the Catholics and the Baptists mind to the affairs of other Baptists, and the town is rife for gossip. Every little event is heavily scrutinized by the townsfolk, and everyone who doesn't conform to the towns narrow standards are criticized. Dunny saw his idol, Mrs. Dempster, become "an exile from a world that saw things her way" when the people didn't understand her. Davies uses excellent imagery to describe Dempster's condition throughout the novel that shows the effect exile has had on her physical and mental condition.Even Mrs. Dempter's husband, Amasa, can't look past his fervent religiosity and ends up permanently damaging his beloved wife. The curious ways of the town of Deptford help explain Dunstan's development.
Dunstan's experiences in Deptford lead him to develop a very human and personal form of faith. He manages to respect the faith of even the most despicable of human beings, including the man that convinced Mrs. Dempster to sleep with him, forever soiling her social standing and causing her to lose her mind. He also learns that letting people define how you believe is unwise, and his pursuit of hagiology, or the study of saints, a highly eccentric move for a protestant. Davies makes excellent use of detail when describing Dunstan's pursuit of saints, it helps the reader become familiar with a very unusual topic and adds dimension to Dunstan's character. Some of the saintliness he studies then rubs off on him, causing him to care very much about the people around him. His humanistic approach to faith is formed by the things he witnessed in his hometown.
Dunstan's faith pushes him too be a very benevolent man, open to helping all those in need, contrary to the society in which he left in Deptford. He often actively sought to fix, such as the case of Mrs. Dempster, never leaving her side until her death in an insane asylum, although he didn't owe her nearly as much. He just thought it decent of him to look after her. However he often overlooked the needs of himself for others, and the major turning point in his life comes when he realizes that he was "fifth business" told to him by an atrociously ugly women named Liesl, who seems to represent the ugly truth. "Fifth business" is a clever metaphor used by Davies, relating Dunstan's life to that of a play, with the character being played by Dunstan being of very minor importance, in the play only to assist in someone else's problem. Dunstan realizes that in order to find some sense of fulfillment, he must become a self advocate.
Dunny's experiences in his hometown set the tone for his feelings on religion and the development of his character later in the novel. His societal norms have a decidedly negative effect on his childhood, and he spends the rest of his life attempting to understand faith and step out of the shadow of Deptford.
Hey Doug! This seemed to be an essay that was very well thought out, and it is very clear with all of your conclusions about "Fifth Business". Again, make sure to avoid too much plot summery in your first paragraph. It is important to only include the aspects of the book that are significant to getting your point across. Your other paragraphs made some pretty good points about the characters, but try and tie this to the intentions of the author. Also, the conclusion seems to be a little short again. You might want to add a few things about the author's meaning. It will be convenient that you already know so much about this novel for when we do our close reading of it in class! Nice work
ReplyDelete-Nikki
Your first paragraph was a lot of plot summary, but I understand that sometimes you really do need to summarize a lot so people can get what you are trying to point out. Your other two paragraphs are okay, but for the conclusion I would maybe put something in that ties the paragraph topics into the prompt again, because the last two paragraphs get sort of confusing when you look at the prompt.
ReplyDeleteGood job connecting your chosen piece of literature to the prompt! I can tell you thought through your structure and examples, and this is a very well-written essay. As Nikki and Laura have mentioned, you might want to be careful that you don't talk about plot too much, and specific quotations could also help to drive home the point more. However, this is overall a very effective essay.
ReplyDelete