Fifth Business: A Deptford Triology
...life. “There’s just one thing to remember, whatever happens, it does no good to be afraid,” pg. 61. I believe that Dunny carried this simple but powerful advice throughout his journeys. He began to be less cautious and took on all opportunities offered to him. Because Dunny had the idea that Mrs. Dempster was a saint, he would have taken her advice seriously, without question. On Dunny’s journey to discover saints, motivated by his wonder, he finds advice from an idol of his. Padre Ignacio Blazon, a Bollandist, accompanies Dunny on his trip through Europe. When Dunny confides into Blazon about his theory of Mrs. Dempster being a living saint, Blazon gives him advice that allows him to question his purposes. “Invariably, I come back to the same answer: Why do you worry? What good would it do of I told you she is indeed a saint,” pg. 175. Blazon also advises Dunny to find the truth, not the real truth, but his own moral truth behind his beliefs. “Who is she? That is what you must discover, Ramezay, and you must find your answer in psychological truth, not in objective truth,” pg. 179. As Blazon is an influential character on Dunny, I think Dunny accepted this, and found that he was searching for a truth that was impossible to discover in a book, or from an educator. It was purely a mental answer, which he could find within himself. Liesl is an extremely important character because she harnesses two things: Dunny’s roles in his life and how he related to Boy Staunton’s death. She also gives Dunny some much-needed confidence in his work. “You underestimate yourself, Ramsay,” pg. 212. But at a significant outlook, this is only a small indent she made on him compared to the other impacts she made. Dunny’s role, according to Liesl, is Fifth Business. “Who are you? Where do you fit into poetry and myth? Do you know who I think you are, Ramsay? I think you are Fifth Business,” pg. 230. Dunny may have not understood this at first, but in Liesl’s continuation of the advice speech, she explained more clearly the definition of his role as Fifth Business. “…But you cannot make the plot work without another man…and he is called the profession Fifth Business, because he is the odd man out…And you must have Fifth Business because he is the one who knows the secret…or comes to the assistance…or may even be the cause of somebody’s death…you cannot manage the plot without Fifth Business…Are you Fifth Business? You had better find out,” pg. 231. Dunny contemplated this advice more when Liesl gave her explanation for Boy Staunton’s death. “He was killed by the ...