Jasmine Sanchez

Fifth Business
Mrs. Anderson
February 8, 2017

In this work of literature, by Robertson Davies, Dunny encounters many people

throughout his life that have had an immense impact in his life. Many of whom became

a mentor to him. In this case, it is not a mentor that gave Dunny life advice or that has

always remained a part of his life. Rather, Dunnys mentor was someone who left an

impact that dramatically changed his worldly views. Although the novel portrays Dunny

as fifth business, his greatest impact is Mrs. Dempster, as she is able to pave the way

towards Dunnys interests in saints from the very beginning of the novel till the end of

Dunnys story.

At the start of the Dunnys story, Dunny chooses to start his autobiography to the

newspaper with Mrs. Dempster. He even acknowledges that he has had a lifelong

involvement with Mrs. Dempster, My lifelong involvement with Mrs. Dempster began

at (Davies, 1) . Mrs. Dempster has not only had an influence on his views of himself

since he was ten years old but throughout his lifetime has been able to change his views

on the world. At the moment that Percy Boy threw the snowball that had missed

Dunny and inevitably caused the premature birth of Peter, it had caused a sense of guilt

in Dunny. By keeping this secret, it not only caused Dunny to question his morals but

the kind of person he is and is becoming.

Mrs. Dempster in many points of Dunnys life has changed him on a larger scale

than just within himself. After many of his conversations with Mrs. Dempster and the
way she is portrayed by the townspeople, Dunny is outraged and he is able to see her in

a different light. Even after not seeing her for years, she remains a constant reminder

for him. During battle, he saw Mrs. Dempster and Dunny had always believed that she

served as his fool-saint. Dunny dedicates most of his life to searching for saints and

travels around the world to educate himself about saints. He becomes fascinated with

the idea and the ultimately knowing everything he possibly can about saints.

In Fifth Business, not only does it depict how Dunny was influenced by the

people around him but how those people, like Mrs. Dempster were able to give him

insight into the person he was and the way he saw the world. Her influence was the

most beneficial because if it were not for her, he would not be where he is now

essentially far from the person that he is now. After her, moves into all he does and he

comes closer to finding himself and individuating himself from the other characters. He

wants to stray from being fifth business his whole life and Mrs. Dempster helps him

realize it. Although Mrs. Dempster was an unstable figure in Dunnys life he was able to

make decisions like joining the army and becoming a hagiographic as he traveled the

world.

This has had a significance to the work as a whole because Dunny was able to

come to the realization that he did not want to remain fifth business his whole life.

Many of his greatest attributes and adventures as well as deep rooted feelings have

derived from Mrs. Dempster.