Fifth Business Essay Guilt - 1191 Words

Fifth Business Essay: Guilt Guilt is a powerful emotion that can greatly affect the course of a person’s life. Dunny’s character, in Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business, first experienced guilt at an early age due to a tragic accident. A snowball that was meant for Dunny hit a pregnant woman, Mrs. Dempster, causing her to go into premature labour. Although her child, Paul Dempster, survived, the guilt that Dunny experienced from his part in the situation would stay with him for the rest of his life. Guilt stayed with Dunny’s character throughout his life, and continually affected all of his actions. As a child, Dunny felt guilty for the accident, and its affect on Mrs. Dempster. As he sees the weak child, Paul, grow his guilt also†¦show more content†¦Dunny grew up feeling that he needed to repay the Dempsters in any way that he could. #2 As Dunny grew into adulthood, the guilt that he felt grew and continued to affect all areas of his life. Dunny’s life became intertwined with Mrs. Dempsters, and he felt responsible for taking care of her. Dunny agreed to take care of Mrs. Dempster when her aunt and lawyer died. â€Å"So I began then and there to maintain Mrs. Dempster, and never ceased to do so until her death in 1959. What else could I do?† (Davies, 162). Dunny took care of Mrs. Dempster out of the guilt that he felt, even though he didn’t have any money to support her. Dunny then felt guilty for not being able to financially support Mrs. Dempster, and eventually having to put her into a mental hospital. â€Å"So much against my will I got Mrs. Dempster into a public hospital for the insane, in Toronto, where I could keep an eye on her. It was a dark day for both of us when I took her there.† (Davies, 163). Dunny didn’t have the resources to take care of Mrs. Dempster, but no matt er what he did, he couldn’t escape the guilt. â€Å"I dared not look back, and I felt meaner than I have ever felt in my life. But what was I to do?† (Davies, 163). Dunny didn’t have a choice, he knew that what he was doing was in Mrs. Dempster’s best interests, but it still pained him to upset her. Dunny then felt guilty for telling Mrs.Show MoreRelatedTheme of Guilt in Hamlet Fifth Business Essay example938 Words   |  4 Pages it is better known as guilt. Guilt is a reoccurring theme in Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business, and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, that is demonstrated by various characters including, Dunstable Ramsay, Paul Dempster, Hamlet and Claudius and this essay shall compare the theme of guilt between the two literatures. In the novel Fifth Business, guilt is a plague that has spread throughout the lives of Dunstan Ramsay, and Paul Dempster; both characters are drenched with guilt that was a result of aRead MoreAmbition and Motivation in Fifth Business1033 Words   |  5 PagesThwarted love. Ambition. Guilt. Sexuality. Fifth Business is rife with these life lessons. 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