Summaries and Analyses of Literature - Fifth Business

In Fifth Business, Robertson Davies lays out the story of a man named Dunstable Ramsay who writes a letter (spanning the length of the book) to the headmaster of an academic institution where he used to teach and serve as headmaster himself. The book progresses from his birth to the first 16 or so years of his life in the little town of Deptford in Canada, a soldier in World War I, a student, a professor, and travelling the world to research saints, sprinkled in with many interesting interactions and associations that shape his life. Being the main character, Dunstan Ramsay can be described as an outwardly conforming yet inwardly inquisitive fellow who goes along with the protective and conservative ideals of his hometown yet questions them throughout the course of the play. Mrs. Dempster features significantly in the novel, a character with whom Dunstan has a great affinity and who serves more as a caring and motherly figure than Dunstan’s own mother. Percy Boy Staunton journeys with Ramsay through life as a sugar leader who excels in his societal position and gains both financial and social significance. Paul, Mrs. Dempster’s son, is shown later in the story as a magician who Ramsay had initially and is now a figure of surprise for Ramsay himself. Liesl is the person who most understands Ramsay’s true personality and disposition, his role as fifth business, always staying on the sidelines and unwilling to embrace the unusual devil inside him.

Theme: Related closely to the title, one of the major themes that develops in Fifth Business relates to the role that Dunstan Ramsay played as fifth business in his life and the role that we as human beings play in our lives and how the choices we make impact our own impressions of individuality and understanding ourselves.

The narrative voice conveyed in the novel is one of detachment and passiveness, as fulfilled by Ramsay’s role as fifth business. Even though Ramsay is essentially telling his audience his life’s story, he has a didactic attitude that lacks any sentimentality or attachment to the events of his life. Consequently, the tone of the narrator is one marked by distance and aloofness, almost a disinterest in the content of the story. It seems as though Ramsay is merely pointing out the significant events of his life rather than truly commenting on them and reflecting on his life. As the whole story is in the form of a novel, Davies makes abundant use of imagery. Whether it be to paint his thoughts or paint the setting, Davies appeals to the reader’s senses in more than one way to most effectively convey his story. For instance, the scene with the snowball and the falling of Mrs. Dempster is vividly portrayed, demonstrating close proximity to the birth of Jesus from Mary, which is also the name of Mrs. Dempster. The setting of a snowy night and the painting of Ramsay’s thoughts of holding himself guilty for Paul’s birth shows the extent to which Davies makes use of imagery. Later in the novel, the description of the gravel pit serves to indicate the physical limits on society that serve to indicate an abstract limit on its outlook. The description of the events that go on in the pit and the picture of Mrs. Dempster with the tramp relate back to Ramsay’s character and how every event in his life at Deptford and beyond as vividly seen by him have affected his thinking and outlook towards the world.

            Like all the other pieces of literary merit, Fifth Business contains various symbols and references throughout. Starting with the title itself and its relation to the book as an autobiography leads the reader to recognize the development of Ramsay’s character and his inclination to remain on the sidelines, going with the flow of society yet questioning inwardly. Religion is another significant reference in the novel. Having grown up in close proximity to Christian beliefs and always having been instructed to adhere to these principles all through his life, Ramsay’s exploration along the study of saints allowed him to further explore the nature of religion and people of belief more closely, giving him a chance to understand how and whether saints are viewed and involved. According to my interpretation, even his wooden leg serves as a significant symbol that connects directly to the theme. As the wooden leg often serves the role of an obstacle in Dunstan’s life, Davies intends to show his audience how a hindrance such as this further exacerbated Dunstan’s role as fifth business in his life, encouraging him to stay on the sidelines. Lastly, Liesl herself is one of the most significant symbols in the novel, serving the role of a guide for Ramsay to understand his own character and personality better, giving way to embracing his inner, yet unusual devil, and recognizing his own individuality as it presents itself to him.

            In a quote that ties in nicely to the theme, Liesl tells Ramsay that “You must get to know to know your personal devil.”, essentially stating that Ramsay has spent many years trying to explore the world, and especially the world of saints, yet he has never taken the time to consider his own self and try to understand all the various and complex aspects of his personality (213). In another quote, Ramsay states that “The autobiography of Magnus Eisengrim was a great pleasure to write, for I was under no obligation to be historically correct or to weigh evidence.”, indirectly referencing the readers to his own past and his portrayal of his life. While he has no difficulty sculpting the life of others, he has not yet fully encapsulated the true meaning of his own self, lingering to recognize his individual human character (215). 

Summaries and Analyses of Literature - Hamlet

In Hamlet, Shakespeare presents a tragedy for his audience, laying out the story of young Prince Hamlet who has returned from his studies in Wittenberg to the royal house at Denmark to lament his father’s death and take part in the coronation of his uncle Claudius and his marriage to his mother, Gertrude. His loyal friends report to him that they saw a ghost of the now deceased king Hamlet. Young Hamlet eagerly awaits the ghost’s arrival at midnight. When it arrives, Hamlet follows and is told the truth of the whole event, how Claudius had killed old Hamlet by pouring a poison in his ear while he was sleeping. His main motivations were described as being ambition for acquiring the throne and lust for Gertrude. Throughout the majority of the play, Hamlet consistently looks for the opportunity to avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius, continuously ruminating on the act and whether and how he should do it. His obsession with revenge turns his against his love Ophelia, giving the impression to Polonius, the king’s right-hand man, and Claudius that Hamlet is insanely in love with Ophelia and is thus heavily affected due to her withdrawal of her love for him. After returning from England, contrary to the king’s plan to get rid of Hamlet, he (Hamlet) agrees to a duel with Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, upon the king’s strategy. At the end of the play, the king, queen, Hamlet, and Laertes all die, leaving behind their lives to be pondered.

  Theme: The whole series of events that occur throughout the play culminate in developing the theme of uncertainty and human curiosity and inquisitiveness where the human character is constantly faced with new situations that give way to more questions than answers, developing character to understand ourselves and view the world in a different light.

In Hamlet, even though the point of view of the characters differs based on their dispositions as portrayed by Shakespeare, the general perspective is one of longing to understand the complexities of nature and human society. Especially through Hamlet’s character, Shakespeare conveys inquisitiveness about what life constitutes and questions the purpose of man. The tone of the play relates closely to the point of view, demonstrating a questioning attitude that leads the reader to analyze the situation more closely and recognize an almost dragging outlook. In terms of imagery, as this is a play, readers have to rely on descriptions by characters. The elaborate descriptions by Shakespeare through characters such as Hamlet, of the ghost for instance, show the awe-inspiring feeling that Shakespeare intends to invoke in us. Another instance of vivid imagery occurs during the conversation between Hamlet and Gertrude, overheard by Polonius, that shows the passion that Hamlet delivers to question the intentions and actions of his mother. Even near the end of the play in the graveyard, the quarrel between Hamlet and Laertes over Ophelia’s grave for instance, delivers the contrast between the background and the actions.

 The author’s style is the most distinctive element of Hamlet. Considering Shakespeare’s style, language, and syntax, his writing his ripe with a wide range of devices from various rhyming patterns to other literary devices such as chiasmus, apostrophe, and many others. These techniques add a certain flow to Shakespeare’s writing and give way to a more insightful interpretation of his work. In terms of symbolism and references, Hamlet is full of this particular usage. Starting with the appearance of the ghost, the reader is instigated to question Hamlet’s belief in the supernatural and the degree of faith which Hamlet and the reader can place in the ghost’s words. Throughout the play, Hamlet persists on questioning the prevalence and affects delivered by religion, especially in his attempt to kill Claudius during his (Claudius’s) prayer, acting otherwise for fear of sending him to heaven. The poison is a clear indicator of the authenticity of the ghost’s claims about Claudius’s actions. Ophelia’s madness and her flower-giving act is a nice representation of using her character to denote the characterization of the other characters’ dispositions, motivations, and inclinations. Yorick’s skull near the end of the play was another symbol that illuminated Hamlet’s questioning of the purpose of man in light of inevitable death. His careful analysis of the skull offered insight into his deeper consideration of life after death, the role of religion, and the purpose of the human character.

In Act II Scene IV Lines 33-35, Hamlet states, “What is a man,/If his chief good and market of his time/Be but to sleep and feed? A beast no ore.”, indicating his constant questioning of the purpose of man in life. He is intrigued by the role that each man plays and how life goes on regardless of due consideration of its implications. This relates back nicely to the first line in the play that starts by questioning indirectly the purpose of man. In another quote, in Act I Scene II Lines 133-134, Hamlet says, “How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable,/Seem to me all the uses of this world!”, again circling back to the theme and questioning what exactly is his purpose in life as a man. Furthermore, he questions the purpose of the world as a whole in relation to him, questioning the purpose of mankind as a whole.

Summaries and Analyses of Literature - Pride and Prejudice

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen portrays a classic Elizabethan society that rests on certain ideals that all members of society have to abide by, certain niceties and etiquettes. The central family in the town of Netherfield is the Bennet family with their five daughters on the brink of marriage. The course of the whole story progresses on various attempts by these spinsters to find eligible husbands who have a high enough social standing in society and who will elevate the status of these females. Elizabeth, Jane, and Lydia are the three daughters who feature the most prominently in the play along with Darcy, Bingley, and Wickham, respectively. The whole course of the novel is marked by various social interactions and exchanges that illuminate the characteristics and views of the characters, indirectly showing how society functions and what society values in its members. The setting of the play varies, centering mainly around social gatherings where individuals interact and share the “gossip”, so to speak, of society.

Theme: In Pride and Prejudice, the interactions between the characters serve to represent an attempt essential on each human being’s part to forge connections through marriage and secure a position in the societal hierarchy, illuminating the necessity of maintaining good social standing.

Throughout the majority of the play, the tone of Austen remains to be subtly different for each character yet almost pervasively supercilious and cloying, making it a force of habit to talk eloquently and establishing an agreeable self-image. The imagery remains consistent with the tone of the passage, conveying a very serene and overall harmonious picture, whether it be in relation to nature or among the society’s members. The focus of the text remains to be the people while the background set-up sheds light on a simple yet elegant world. In terms of symbolism, one of the first prominently featuring symbols is the pre-eminence of a ball and its importance in society, representative of an opportunity to interact with other members of society and take the opportunity to elevate one’s social standing. The houses and their varying conditions are yet another symbolism for distinguishing one’s tastes, inclinations, and social status in society, shedding light on one’s prevalence in society as important members. Lastly, the title itself sheds light on the theme. According to my interpretation of the novel, while pride is present in each and every member of society, whether it be is a form of social standing due to financial capability or whether in terms of one’s views as presented by Elizabeth, the establishment of a social hierarchy inevitably gives rise to a prejudice and pre-conceived notions about an individual that are fed by the desire to set oneself apart in society.

A statement by Elizabeth saying, “Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity to what we would have others think of us.”, shows how Elizabeth recognizes the distinction between self-acknowledgement and seeking recognition from society (21). While all of society’s members seek identification and importance by society’s standards, she realizes the essentiality of considering our opinion and standing by it, which is contradictory to society’s general view. Another quote by Elizabeth where she states that “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” shows how society’s general perception and view of the necessity of marriage in order to secure happiness urges individuals to follow on the path to raising a family and passing on the same ideals to them. Elizabeth understands these factors and realizes their importance for society and members, thereby setting herself apart by deciding to marry Darcy based on love rather than social standing.