Professional football player Tim Cahill once stated, “A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.” This statement can be applied to a person’s journey to find their meaning in life. An individual’s purpose in life differs from person to person, however, each person’s journey that leads to their purpose in life is relatable. Cahill’s statement expresses that a journey’s length is insignificant, while the lesson’s learned are crucial. Lessons are best learned from relationships with others, such as family, or friends as Cahill mentioned. Therefore, relationships are essential for a person searching for meaning in their life. Many fictional works of art, as well as non-fiction sources articulate this idea well. Firstly, the novel’s Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy …show more content…
Throughout the sixty year span explored in this novel it can be demonstrated that relationships has given him the most insight into his life’s meaning, not isolation. One of Ramsay’s most intriguing relationships is with Mrs. Dempster, a women who Ramsay assists after becoming mentally incapable. Ironically, while Mrs. Dempster is the one receiving assistance, she is unwittingly providing much more.in return to Ramsay. His relationship with her has given him a purpose in a time that he is ridden with guilt. In addition, he had no purpose at the time for the reason that his older brother seemed to being taking over their father’s occupation as the owner of the town newspaper. He was responsible for taking care of her, and while it harmed his reputation, it was a period in his life he would not change, as he claims he was in love with her. Ramsay states, “the more the village pitied and dismissed her, the worse my obsession grew” (24). However, this strange infatuation with Mrs. Dempster is significant for other aspects of Ramsay’s personal journey. Most notably, his interest in sainthood is broadened
What can ruin lives, destroy families, and cause self-destruction, but does not physically exist? Guilt. In Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business, the debilitating effects of guilt are used to show the importance of dealing with problems as they come. This is shown through the character development of Dunstan Ramsay from the moment of the accident with Mary Dempster, through to Ramsay’s midlife, and finally to the end of his “life” that the readers have become to know.
His selfless service also comes with sacrifice; his time in the army ends with him losing his leg in a near-death encounter. Thirdly, Dunstan Ramsay spends his entire life, from adolescence to adulthood, taking on the responsibility for Mrs.
Wes Moore, writes how to find you own individual “Work,” we usually say find what you are passionate about, or purpose in life. He believes, how you deal with challenges and adversities, and what you stand for will often times set you on your journey to greatness or failure. Therefore, when you know what you’ll stand for, Moore states, “you will find your greatest joy, and you’ll find your point in being her in the first place.” (Moore, 2015) However, while on the journey Moore encourages life, enjoy the journey, have fun. The author states, “savor the little moments.” (Moore, 2015) One of my favorite parts in the book is when his grandfather encourages Wes Moore not to be afraid of being different. The author
Guilt is a nerving feeling that one has had at least once in their life time. Dwelling on the past can set one back majorly in life. Guilt is a major theme that has led the protagonist Dunstan Ramsay to live a unique life in Roberton Davies' novel Fifth Business. Percy Staunton is Dunstan's best friend and worst enemy. Diana Marfleet has given Dunstan the proper care one of like a mother to Dunstan. Finally, Mrs. Dempster going "simple" has led Dunstan to live in the past. In the novel Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, the characters Percy Staunton, Diana Marfleet and Mrs. Dempster have given Dunstan Ramsay's life excitement, meaning and adventure.
The first stage of Ramsay's journey, Mrs. Dempster's injury, has enormous effects on Ramsay's life, requiring him to make difficult choices for the betterment
The obsession, the hardship, and the struggle to make life seemingly simple and easy, is an understatement to its true complexity. To dwell in the past, is a fault that one must not fall under, or else the difficulty to progress and move forward with the future, is a pleasure the past will have to turn any due progression, into failure. Robertson Davies’ novel, Fifth Business, examines the memoir of the character Dunstan Ramsay that reveals the struggles he comes across in his life, and the failure he has with moving forward to progressing from these struggles. By examining Dunstan’s Victoria Cross, his engagement to Diana, and Mary being a saint, one can see behind every literal event is a deeper psychological truth that Dunstan seeks,
Throughout generations in literature, “to live deliberately” has been the goal and purpose of life. As Alexander Supertramp (aka Chris McCandless) said, “The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun” (57).
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
Sometimes the destination of your journey matters and in other cases the destination is pointless. These characters go on journeys to to learn lessons or reach a destination. In “The Odyssey” by Homer and “The Cruelest Journey” by Kira Salak, goes through obstacles into their journey where they endure new things during their journey.
People find their purpose through struggle. Take Salva Dut from A Long Walk to Water as an example. At the early age of eleven, he was separated from his family during a school shooting, later leading over fifteen hundred young boys across the Southern Sudan desert as teenager. In the documentary On the Way to School, a prime example would be young Jackson Saikong. Every school day, he would have to lead his sister on a nine mile journey, racing past aggressive elephants at only the age of ten. From Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water to the documentary On the Way to School, many of the characters featured show strong motivation toward their struggle, not wanting for it to be meaningless any longer, thus finding their purpose through their
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.
Wolf argues that since meaningfulness in one’s life is a factor in well-being, we should try to increase the amount of chances people can have meaningful lives. To understand why meaningfulness is important in our well-being, we must understand what Wolf believes a meaningful life is. Wolf describes a meaningful life as one that is participating in a project that that is bringing positive value. Also, the project has to be successful and completed to be meaningful. If the project is not completed the life will be considered a meaningless one. Wolf also argues that we should want a meaningful life, that is occupied with a project that brings a positive
Robertson Davies’ novel “Fifth Business” outlines and describes the development of a lost and emotionally bare and void man, Dunstable (Dunstan) Ramsay. This is a man who carries the weight of Paul Dempster’s premature birth on his shoulders his entire life. It portrays his quest for self-knowledge, happiness, and ultimately fulfilling his role as ‘Fifth Business.’ This would not have been accomplished without a number of women he encounters throughout the novel. There are a number of women who play a significant role in influencing both Dunstan Ramsay's decisions and general life throughout the novel Fifth Business. They are also essential and fundamental to the character development and spiritual meaning that Dunstable seeks throughout
Mrs. Ramsay thrives in this role of wife and mother, and men support this role by loving and adoring her for it. In watching her fit the stocking to James' leg and at another time, read James a fairy tale, Mr. Bankes can not help but contemplate the wonders of Mrs. Ramsay. He sees her is the best of light, as childlike and beautiful from within. "If one thought of her simply as a woman", one who wished to be admired, they were mistaken. In his opinion, she was beyond all of that. Her self sacrificing nature brought her to a higher level, where although she was strikingly beautiful, she wanted only to be like everyone else, "insignificant", so as to serve those around her.(p. 30) The simple acts which she
Life is a complicated twist of suffering, laughing, and learning all merging to tell a great story - or great many stories. Based on this view, "it is not the end goal or outcome of life that gives life meaning but rather the quality of the story, the quality with which one lives out and develops his or her role."