“Sometimes you have to kind of die inside in order to rise from your own ashes and believe in yourself to love yourself to become a new person”. (Way). Throughout Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business, several characters reinvented themselves, but not always with success. Dunstable Ramsay was renamed as Dunstan Ramsay and endured; Leola Cruikshank was unable to become Leola Staunton and died tragically; Paul Dempster reinvented himself to become a magician known as Magnus Eisengrim and was successful. It is evident that characters who can enable themselves to be reborn, survive; those who cannot, will perish.
Foremost, Dunstable Ramsay’s character evolved from ‘Fifth Business’ creating his own identity as Dunstan Ramsay. Dunstan began …show more content…
His father blames Paul and torments him for the flaws of his wife. Paul feels forced to reinvent himself after being bullied by his father, Amasa Dempster. He runs away from his past and re-invents himself first as a carnival performer and then a world-famous magician. As Milo Papple was cutting Dunstan’s hair, he explained to Dunstan why Paul had run away with the circus. He explained that he was nine years old and got frequently ostracized by kids at school for having a simple mother. He attempted to fight them but was too small. (Davies, 97) This led Paul to run away with the circus in 1918 and never look back. Paul goes to great lengths to continue his new life as a circus performer under the care of Willard the Wizard, a lying thief and pedophile who teaches Paul magic. Unfortunately, in return Paul must do sexual favours to Willard. As Paul is describing his life in the circus to Dunstan and Boy, he states “…When I had well and truly found out what traveling with Willard meant, he had me in slavery; he told me that if anybody found out… I would certainly be hanged.” (Davies, 245) Despite that Paul had to experience this abuse he was able to persevere and is eventually reborn as ‘Magnus Eisengrim” a famous and powerful magician. Near the …show more content…
In Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business, it identifies with the archetype of rebirth and establishes that rebirth is a component in survival. Jung states, “ To be that which you are is the bath of rebirth.” Dunstable Ramsay was rebirthed as Dunstan Ramsay and survived; Leola Cruikshank was unable to successfully transform herself to become reborn as Leola Staunton and died tragically and therefore perished; Paul Dempster reinvented himself to become a magician reborn as Magnus Eisengrim and also
Foremost, Dunstable Ramsay’s character evolved from ‘Fifth Business’ creating his own identity as Dunstan Ramsay. Dunstan began …show more content…
His father blames Paul and torments him for the flaws of his wife. Paul feels forced to reinvent himself after being bullied by his father, Amasa Dempster. He runs away from his past and re-invents himself first as a carnival performer and then a world-famous magician. As Milo Papple was cutting Dunstan’s hair, he explained to Dunstan why Paul had run away with the circus. He explained that he was nine years old and got frequently ostracized by kids at school for having a simple mother. He attempted to fight them but was too small. (Davies, 97) This led Paul to run away with the circus in 1918 and never look back. Paul goes to great lengths to continue his new life as a circus performer under the care of Willard the Wizard, a lying thief and pedophile who teaches Paul magic. Unfortunately, in return Paul must do sexual favours to Willard. As Paul is describing his life in the circus to Dunstan and Boy, he states “…When I had well and truly found out what traveling with Willard meant, he had me in slavery; he told me that if anybody found out… I would certainly be hanged.” (Davies, 245) Despite that Paul had to experience this abuse he was able to persevere and is eventually reborn as ‘Magnus Eisengrim” a famous and powerful magician. Near the …show more content…
In Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business, it identifies with the archetype of rebirth and establishes that rebirth is a component in survival. Jung states, “ To be that which you are is the bath of rebirth.” Dunstable Ramsay was rebirthed as Dunstan Ramsay and survived; Leola Cruikshank was unable to successfully transform herself to become reborn as Leola Staunton and died tragically and therefore perished; Paul Dempster reinvented himself to become a magician reborn as Magnus Eisengrim and also