Paul is a world renowned magician, all caused by Dunstan getting Paul interested in Magic tricks. Feeling guilty, Dunstan spends time with Paul and teaches Paul magic tricks.ĭunstan plays the role of fifth business in Paul’s early life that sticks to Paul through out the story. Dunstan played a very crucial role of fifth business in Paul’s life without knowing, he caused Paul’s rough childhood resulting in Paul running away. Role of fifth business can be either for good or bad, in this case it was bad, Dunstan is responsible for Paul’s early birth and in a way for Paul’s looks. Paul was a ugly looking baby, Dunstan’s mother described him as looking like a “tiny old man. This act of dodging a snowball caused the early birth of Mary’s child, Paul. Dunstan knew Percy would try to throw one last one so he dodged the snowball and hit Mary, ” I stepped briskly-not running, but not dawdling-in front of the Dempsters just as Percy threw, and the snowball hit Mrs Dempster in the back of the head. When Dunstan and Percy are having a snowball fight outside right before supper, Mary and Amasa seem to be out on a walk.

A simple act of dodging a snowball, changing the lives of four different people, one of them has not been born yet. The role of fifth business that he played at this time has changed his life completely. Dunstan dodging a snowball has changed the whole Dempster family’s future and caused tremendous guilt to Dunstan himself. It does not mean that one’s “fate is to be fifth business, you can also be the main character or do something heroic when you take control of yr life. Being fifth business is not a bad role, one influences other’s future or life greatly for example Dunstan dodging a simple snowball. Many overestimate their own importance in life, unaware of their tiny role in one’s life. From this quote one can see that Dunstan is explaining the role of fifth business, everyone plays fifth business now and again. Who could not, indeed, comprehend what fifth business is, even if he should meet the player of that part in his own life drama. “I have been cast by fate and my own character for the vital though never glorious role of fifth business. In the novel, Dunstan is remorsing on the guilt that he has for paul’s birth and mary’s condition.

One can see by examining Dunstan dodging the snowball, and Dunstan’s effect on Paul’s future, that Roberston Davies’s novel Fifth Business examines that everyone is fifth business at a point one’s life people may not be heroic or have an epic impact on others, but everyone’s role is significant.

Fifth business by robertson davies