Fifth Business Character Analysis

Jimmy knows too well the agonies of abandonment. First, when his mother, Cecilia, ran away with Richard to pursue a better lifestyle. Then, due to his father’s, Damacio Baca, alcoholisms and violent behavior; he also had to leave Jimmy behind. In spite of the drawbacks from abandonment to being a maximum security prisoner in Arizona State Prison, Jimmy preserver’s the darkness of prison by overcoming his illiteracy. However Cecilia and Damacio is not as fortunate as their child; Cecilia is shot by Richard after confronting him for a divorce and Damacio chokes to death after he is released from the detox center(Baca 263). Therefore the most significant event in this section of the memoir, A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca is the death of Jimmy’s parents.

Dempster's downfall as a mother and wife. The misfortune of being hit in the head by a snowball led to her having her baby prematurely and going "simple." Mrs. Dempster has greatly impacted Dunstan's life since that fateful night. First, Mrs. Dempster has led Dunstan to write multiple books and become a famous author, based on Saint hood. Dunstan's fascination with saints started when he was just a little boy. Dunstan's passion has led him to believe that Mrs. Dempster is a saint herself. Mrs. Dempster has completed three miracles in Dunstan's mind such as bringing his brother, Willie, back to life after he was nearly dead due to a very bad flu. Mrs. Dempster's second miracle was saving the life of a tramp which caused him to turn his life around after their encounter. Finally, her third miracle was her face appearing on the statue of a saint in the war when Dunstan was close to death. Next, Dunstan thought of Mary Dempster as if she was his own mother. Dunstan says, "Leola I wanted as a trophy of success, but Mrs Dempster was beginning to fill my whole life," (Davies 24). Dunstan was constantly with Mrs. Dempster, helping and playing with Paul. Dunstan was constantly sneaking off to visit her and suffered through the torment and teasing of his school peers because he was always by her side. Even the day his brother died, he immediately ran to her which led to her bringing him back to life. A scared teenage boy at the time, Dunstan and the town were searching for Mrs. Dempster after she went missing, “I was afraid and did not know what I feared, which is the worst kind of fear," (Davies 41). Finally, Mrs. Dempster has caused Dunstan to live a life of guilt. Dunstan felt as if he was responsible for her state even though Percy was the one to throw the snowball. "I had made her what she was, and in such circumstances I must hate her or love her. In a mode that was far too demanding for my age or

In John Updike’s short story “A & P”, a dynamic and round character expresses his subjective attitude towards his views, a plot twist causes him to realize his future. Sammy an opinionated cashier at A & P grocery store does not agree with his Lengel, his manager after he reprimands a particular group of customers at the store. Sammy’s further actions cause him to face the true reality of his future.

The 1998 movie, Bulworth, dives into the realm of the scandalous American political system. From income inequality, to corporate greed, Bulworth manages to put a comedic twist on a very serious set of topics that politicians and the American public face daily. The main character, Jay Billington Bulworth is a liberal democratic Senator from California who is running for reelection (Bulworth: 1998). He has recently accepted millions of dollars in financial campaign donations from large corporations in order to combat his younger, populist opponent. At the beginning of the movie, Bulworth is sitting in his office, re-watching an old commercial from a prior election campaign. He hasn't slept or eaten for days and is considering ending his life.

The award-winning author, Luis Alberto Urrea, creator of The Hummingbird's Daughter, Into the Beautiful North, and The Devil's Highway, describes The Devil’s Highway which occurred in May of 2001, one of many that impacted the desert on undocumented immigrants. which is a desert located beyond Sonora, Mexico. It is a desert which few turn to in able to cross over. A group of illegal Mexican were left for dead after attempting to cross; they were left stranded after traveling for days in the wrong direction, through mountains, desert and only a small amount of water along with a few personal items. The Devil’s Highway name was set out to one’s belief “bad medicine” (5). Even though the desert is an obstacle itself, there are still other physical

I was pleased to have attended a lecture cosponsored by the Ethics Center, the Fresno State office of the president, the Fresno Bee and Valley PBS. The lecture began with Dr. Castro recognizing a few leaders on campus, including a past Fresno State president, Dr. John D. Welty and campus volunteer Mary Castro. Dr. Castro then mentioned a few things about Mr. Brooks stating that he is a columnist for the New York Times and an analyst for the PBS “News Hour” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Dr. Brooks also teaches at Yale University, one the finest university in the country. Dr. Castro continued by saying that he learned that Mr. Brooks office hours are from 9am to 1pm and how “cool” it sounded to him. I was surprised how many people attended the event. I was fortunate to find a seat. David Brooks mentioned how he has some remote roots in the Central Valley because his father grew in Chowchilla, CA but Mr. Brooks grew in New York.

The impact of childhood events determines one’s character in the course of one’s life. This is particularly true in the life of the principal characters of Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business, where one incident, the throwing of a snowball, decides the future of Boy, Dunstan, and Paul. Whether or not a person can move beyond his past has a profound effect on individuals as they age. In the novel, psychological well-being during childhood development is one of the central themes that shapes the characters. Boy Staunton, who is born into the richest family in the town of Deptford, grows from an irresponsible and spoiled boy to an ambitious and arrogant tycoon. His character epitomizes the way many rich people behave when they are unwilling to accept

The guilt felt by Dunstan altered the way he lives through his complete devotion for Mary Dempster. Dunstan’s guilt is the

Out of all the women in Dunstan’s life, Mrs. Dempster has the greatest effect on it. Dunstan became acquainted with Mrs. Dempster when he dodged a snowball from Boy Staunton, and it hits Mrs. Dempster in the head. Because of the impact she goes into premature labour, and gives birth to Paul. Dunstan feels a large amount of guilt for what happened because he thinks it was his fault that Mrs. Dempster was hit by the snowball. Very luckily Paul survives although he is very under-sized, and Dunstan’s mother gets him to help Mrs. Dempster take care of Paul and to insure his health whenever needed. Mary Dempster is also considered to be his first love because he is attacted to her sincerity and simple-minded logic. Dunstan becomes attached to Mrs. Dempster because of his guilt, but the effects on him are caused by the three acts the Mrs. Dempser performs, that he considers to be miracles. The first miracle happened when Dunstan’s older brother, Willie, falls ill. While in his sickened state he stops breathing suddenly and this causes Dunstan to panic. He decides quickly to take Willie to the Dempster’s residence rather than to Mr. McCausland, the physician.

In addition to his commitment to Mary Dempster, Dunstan felt responsible for the premature birth of her son Paul Dempster, which led him to also care for Paul.

Robertson Davies’ novel Fifth Business outlines the development of the lost and empty main character Dunstan Ramsay. Dunstan forms many relationships on many different levels. Each of Dunstan’s private and intimate relationships gave him a unique view of his identity. These relationships help him understand and get closer to the accomplishments of his quest of self knowledge, happiness, and ultimately fulfilling his role as ‘Fifth Business’. Diana, Liesl and Mrs. Dempster play vital roles in Dunstan’s understanding of himself.

Finally, throughout the novel, Mary Dempster has an impactful role in the growth of Dunstan Ramsay. Mary teaches Dunny to disregard the moral rules of society, and to behave in a manner that is unselfish and for the betterment of others. Dunny admires Mary

The Fifth Business by Robertson Davies is told in the form of a letter written by Ramsay on his retirement from teaching, “a character essential to the action but not a principal” that was affected by or had an effect on the other characters of the play. The life of Dunstan Ramsay is the backdrop and the thread connecting countless subplots and themes, but as his very evident passion for hagiology sets him out to discover the difference between materialism and spirituality, the actual importance of women is brought about in the novel by his interactions since childhood onwards and we see how these women mould, scar and

In the story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the characters Sylvia, Sugar, and Mercedes are different in their personalities, behavior, and the way they decide to handle the lesson taught by Mrs. Moore, but alike by all living in poverty and having a positive elder as Mrs. Moore, to teach them the lesson.

In “Miss Brill,” Katherine Mansfield utilizes Miss Brill’s thoughts and actions and the surroundings to characterize Miss Brill as a lonely character. Mansfield immediately introduces Miss Brill with a very odd scene that shows her conversation with the fur coat. This quickly and effectively establishes the type of person Miss Brill is. As a result, Mansfield suggests that Miss Brill is a lonely and an “abnormal” person to illustrate to the audience how society treats those who are not considered “normal” through the later actions of a young couple.