What does the snowball symbolize in Fifth Business?
Percy packs a stone into the snowball that accidentally strikes Mary Dempster’s head instead of Dunstan’s. The stone is a symbol for Dunstan’s enduring guilt and sense of responsibility, as well as a symbol for Boy’s complete ignorance and lack of responsibility. …
What does the term Fifth Business mean?
denouement
Here is the definition that Davies offers in a preface: “Those roles which, being neither those of Hero nor Heroine, Confidante nor Villain, but which were nonetheless essential to bring about the Recognition or the denouement, were called the Fifth Business in drama and opera companies organized according to the old …
What is the theme of fifth business?
Guilt and Sacrifice The internal conflict driving the story is one based in guilt: Dunstan feels responsible for Mrs. Dempster’s premature labor (since the snowball that hit her was meant for him). This guilt compounds over the course of the story: subsequent misfortunes also seem linked to Dunstan’s behavior.
What happens at the end of fifth business?
After an eventful life, Ramsay reunites with both Staunton and Mary’s son, Paul, who is now a famous magician. The three men get together and, after Ramsay reveals Staunton’s role in Mary’s accident, Paul and Staunton leave together. Staunton is found dead the next morning, having apparently committed suicide.
Who is Diana in Fifth Business?
Diana Marfleet—who Ramsay at first refers to as the pretty nurse—is the one who gives Ramsay his new name, Dunstan. She also has an impact on who he is as a person. Diana is twenty-four and tells the narrator that her fiance was lost when Aboukir was torpedoed.
Who is Joel surgeoner in Fifth Business?
One day, a man named Joel Surgeoner visits Colborne College to conduct a lecture. He is the head of Lifeline Mission in Toronto, an organization that helps the poor and destitute. Dunstan does not share Joel’s belief of God delivering during times of great need.