Fifth Business by Robertson Davies is written as a memoir for the new Headmaster, with the purpose of saving Dunstan’s face and putting himself in a better light. He taught history at a private school in Deptford for forty years, but was demoted as Headmaster by his old friend Boy who felt he was too old and strange.
Dunstan wanted to set the record straight and perhaps add a bit of colour to his image as a straight laced boring schoolmaster. Since he had the reputation of “getting in a good one” when someone insulted him, he also probably wrote the memoir out of vengeance.
Mr. and Mrs. Dempster in Fifth Business
Mrs. Mary Dempster was the young wife of Reverend Amasa and seemed unsuited to that role. Dunstan’s mother cared for Mary Dempster because she went simple after getting hit on the head with a snowball meant for Dunstan.
As a result, Mrs. Dempster gave birth to Paul Dempster prematurely. Tactless but god-fearing Amasa Dempster expected his wife to die during childbirth and made a huge scene about it right in front of her. Dunstan was not a fan of Amasa and believed he thought too much of himself. “This is one of the cruelties of the theatre of life; we all think of ourselves as stars and rarely recognize it when we are indeed mere supporting characters or even supernumeraries.”
Dunstan also had to help because his mother didn’t trust Mrs. Dempster alone with the baby. Because of this, his social life suffered and he was nicknamed “Nursie”. He continued this relationship and sacrificed others out of guilt and obligation to his mother.
Dunstan treasured time alone at his job at the Deptford library and became fascinated with the contradicting subjects of saints and magic. After Reverend Amasa caught Dunstan teaching his son card tricks, he banished him. He had to sneak over to visit after that, so his visits were less frequent.
Mrs. Dempster was eventually tied up for her own protection as she had wandered off one evening and was caught copulating with a tramp. Nevertheless, Dunstan seemed to be imprinted on Mrs. Dempster and was convinced not only that he loved her, but that she was a saint. An Irish priest said if she was anything it was a fool saint.
Eventually, his mother strongly disapproved of Dunstan’s continuing friendship with Mrs. Dempster and demanded he choose her or Mrs. Dempster. He refused and enrolled in the military instead. There he toughened up, met a couple girlfriends, got burned from a flare and lost his leg.
Paul Dempster and the Circus
Paul Dempster ran away and joined the circus as the taunts about his mad mother in the small Canadian Ontario town were too much to bear. The card tricks Dunstan taught him years earlier came in handy for him.
Dunstan thought he finally found love again with Paul Dempster’s friend Feona in the circus. This took a tragic and comedic turn when he stumbled upon her performing a sex act with a dog faced but determined woman named Liesl. Dunstan became good friends with her and she helped him find himself. Liesl was the first to suggest to him that he was “Fifth Business”. It seemed to make sense, because although he was an important person who made things happen, he tended to be on the sidelines and never had a partner.
Boy in Fifth Business
His old friend and rival Percy Boyd Staunton(or Boy as he came to be called) married the one girl Dunstan thought he could marry and rubbed it in every chance he got. Boy was responsible for throwing the snowball that made Mrs. Dempster mad and caused her to give birth prematurely.
The difference was that he had no memory of it, which infuriated Dunstan as he was racked with guilt about it all his life. Dunstan, being Fifth Business could not keep his mouth shut and had to finally say who was responsible for Mrs. Dempster’s tragic state. This revelation led to tragic consequences for the successful and previously clueless Boy.
Robertson Davies illustrates how people are affected differently by the same incident in Fifth Business (Penguin Books, 1977), and how in the end, everyone meets their own karmic justice. The time span covered is from 1908 until 1969. To continue with the rest of the story, read the remaining novels in the Deptford trilogy called The Manticore and World of Wonders.
Also by Robertson Davies: Tempest-Tost
Sandra Williams - Sandra's a book addict and writer from Ontario, Canada. Her interests include cooking, health and personal development, so many of her ...
