DAVIES,
Robertson: Fifth Business.
1. Robertson
Davies' writing has a powerful undertow of descriptive narration that is very
beautiful. However, his book Fifth Business contains an erroneous
philosophy about man's fallen nature, a negative and contused depiction of
Christianity, particularly Catholicism, as well as a preoccupation with sex.
2. The message conveyed
by this story is a liberal attitude towards sin and its consequences. It
portrays human beings correctly as being fallen but incorrectly dictates that
in order to remain 'human', men and women must discover that sin is
unavoidable. The Character of Liesl, the most amoral character in the story,
who is portrayed as a noble romantic with Faustian allure, tells the main
character, Dunstan, that in order to be fulfilled he must shake hands with his
devil. This confused idea of self-knowledge as a sinner, makes no effort to
state that sin damages the individual. In fact, in the words of Liesl, sin is
"a whole great piece of your life that is unlived, denied, set
aside." In other words the author tries to justify man's weakness and
lusts by saying that men who try not to trespass into the realm of sin
deny themselves fulfilment and self-knowledge. Liesl encourages Dunstan:
"Why don't you do something inexplicable, irrational, at the devil's
bidding, and just for the Hell of it?" This nonchalant treatment of evil
and the part it plays in the human story is disturbing. It should be understood
by the readers that while man is capable of falling into sin he is equally
capable of avoiding and triumphing over sin.
Besides, Liesl's
exhortation to sin is contradicted by a later incident in the story wherein the
character of Paul Dempster murders Boy Staunton, the
novel's antagonist. He feels completely justified in doing so because Boy has
been, in the lives of many, the source of all the evil. In fact, this character
represents the devil in the novel. The question then presents itself. Is this
murderer who would rid the world of evil, incapable of ridding his own life of
personal sin? It is seen again in regards to the sexual sins of both Dunstan
and Boy. Those of Boy are depicted as being evil, as opposed to those of the
more 'likable' characters of the book. There is no moral difference between the
protagonists and antagonists in the story, in the way they live their lives,
yet the author insists that we judge and condemn the actions of Boy Staunton,
while smiling upon those of Dunstan on the grounds that he is simply being
adventurous, discovering himself. The way the author presents the murder
contradicts and practically disproves the story’s message about the legitimacy
of sin.
Throughout the
narration there is expressed a confused and negative perspective on
Catholicism, its clergy and the Christian faith. Liesl, in the end of chapter
five says: "Oh this Christianity! Even when people swear they don't
believe in it, the fifteen hundred years of Christianity that has made our
world is in their bones, and they want to show they can be Christians without
Christ. These are the worst, they have the cruelty of doctrine with the poetic
grace of myth." At first glance it seems that Christianity is being
praised here but actually it clearly states that the story of Christ is a myth,
that any kind of religious laws and doctrine are cruel, and that the devil is
the only Christian belief that is a reality.
The author
speaks a lot about the Catholic faith but it becomes clear that he is
uninformed. The Catholic faith is presented as 'solvent' or incapable of saving
souls along with the rest of the Christian faiths. The celibate state of
priests is generally looked upon in the novel with amazement mixed with pity
and scorn. The priests in the story, especially Father Blazon are in on the
erroneous thought. Father Blazon finds no fault in Dunstan’s submission to the
devil, because he concludes that the devil knows more about us that Christ.
There is, amidst all the confusion, one idea that rings true, and that is the
discoveries made by Dunstan while studying the saints. He decides all human
beings need something greater than themselves to offer homage and petition to,
to admire and be in awe of. A similar acknowledgement is made by the character
of Paul Dempster when he is designing his magic show, but he is only thinking
of himself. Dunstan's fascination with the Catholic belief in saints leads to a
rather beautiful discovery on his part, that is that saints were just as human
as he is, in the sense that they were sinners, and had failings. He discovers
that their sainthood comes from their triumph over these personal sins. He
greatly admires the piety of the Catholic laity who ask the saints for favours,
although there are also moments in which some of the saints and their miracles
are made to look a trifle ridiculous and absurd. The instance of Dunstan
beginning to have private devotion to Mary Dempster, his 'saint' is confusing but
stems from Dunstan belief that anyone can be saint including madmen. Father
Blazon encourages Dunstan's devotion, contrariwise the catholic priest in
Deptford warns Dunstan against a 'fool saint' and the disastrous consequences
of virtue tainted with madness.
While the
underlying theme is the legitimacy of sin, another connecting factor is sexual
sin. The novel is thick with the description of sexual experiences, all extramarital,
and one particularly disturbing lesbian affair. All are vivid enough to be
equally as graphic as if they were shown on film and are presented as
permissible and good, honour and decency only confuse and complicate things.
This distasteful use of talent is a frequent occurrence throughout the story
and it seems to be simply a sensational glue that cements the story together.
3. The story, on
the whole, contains a message that really doesn't make any sense to the human
mind or soul, and leaves people confused as to what is true or not to human
nature. And yet while the author tries to maintain his message, there naturally
appears through his characters the human abhorrence of the evil the author is
trying to justify. Written with brilliance, the book is thought to be a
masterpiece, but it's allure lies only in its typically rebellious attitude
towards doing good, that Christianity cannot be explained or lived, and the
frequent sexual imagery. If a summary can be gotten, it is probably the best
route to take in studying this book.
S.H. (2002)
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