Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
Fifth Business: The Guilty Party - College Term Papers

Fifth Business: The Guilty Party

The Guilty Party

The novel “Fifth Business”, written by Robertson Davies was first published in Canada by The Macmillan Company of Canada Limited in 1970 (2). The story is depicted from the point of view of the main character and narrator Dunstan Ramsay, who is writing a report to his Headmaster during his retirement from Colborne College (11). The main theme in this story is guilt, and each character uses a different method of dealing with the guilt they carry. All these feelings of guilt seem to intertwine and connect the characters admirably. The author skillfully reveals the deplorable aftermath of concealing ingrained guilt and shows the great impact guilt has on each ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

made him believe he was forever in debt to Mrs. Dempster. He dealt with his guilt by caring for her and her son Paul. Dunny felt alone with his guilt as Boy refused to admit to his responsibility. Boy attempted to convince Dunny that the snowball “gave him a good smack” and when Dunny asked him if that’s what he really thought; Boy responded “you bet it’s what I think, and it’s what you’d better think too, if you know what’s good for you” (20-21). Dunny expressed “I was contrite and guilty, for I knew that the snowball had been meant for me, but the Dempsters did not seem to think of that” (9). The guilt ate at him so much that he felt more responsible for Paul’s birth than Mr. and Mrs. Dempster. “I was directly responsible for a grossly sexual act – the birth of a child”, stated Dunny (21-22).
Meanwhile, the self blame that consumes him begins to give his life a lack of individual significance and is why he acquired the role of Fifth Business. The guilt of Dunstan Ramsay ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.

Already a member? Login

CITE THIS PAGE:

APA
MLA
Chicago
Turabian

Fifth Business: The Guilty Party. (2011, March 27). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Fifth-Business-The-Guilty-Party/96926

"Fifth Business: The Guilty Party." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 27 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Fifth-Business-The-Guilty-Party/96926>

"Fifth Business: The Guilty Party." Essayworld.com. March 27, 2011. Accessed January 11, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Fifth-Business-The-Guilty-Party/96926.

JOIN NOW

Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays

PAPER DETAILS

Added: 3/27/2011 09:30:50 PM
Submitted By: jwest
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1017
Pages: 4

Save |

Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS

Save and find your favorite essays easier