"She had forgotten, or perhaps she never knew, that her husband had warned me away. I never saw her without a pang of guilt and concern about her. But for her husband I had no pity" (Pg 38) Throughout admitting his attachment to Mary, Dunstan in a way accepts that he is the only person that is truly capable of looking after her, and decides to adopt that role. Example 3
"I was grateful to Boy for his financial advice...which would in time make it possible for me to do better for Mrs. Dempster and to arrange a broader life for myself" (Pg 184) This line exemplifies the level of devotion the Dunstan administers towards Mrs Dempster. As well later on he says that Mrs. Dempster would be his, in not allowing Boy to pay for her medical hospital. Conclusion
As a result of Dunstan's childhood incident with Mrs Dempster, his obsession has only grown, allowing him to assume the role of caretaker and limiting his progression throughout society. Topic Sentence
Dunstan's obsession with the secrets he keeps about people around him adds to his inability to make meaningful relationships, his biggest failure. Example 1
"Ah, if dying was all there is to it! Hell and torment at once; but at least you know where you stand. It is living with these guilty secrets that exacts the price." p.18
This foreshadows a life of "Hell and torment" for Dunstan, in which his obsession with the guilty secrets he keeps prevents him from having permanent and trusting relationships. Example 2
"If I spoke up for her I might find myself her champion, and a man who champions any woman against her husband had better be sure he means business." p.154
Dunstan keeps the secrets of Leola and Boy's dysfunction from anyone else and never fights for the woman he once loved. Therefore he never allows himself to be able to have the relationship with Leola that he always wanted. Example 3
"But had not Paul edited his memories so that only pain and cruelty remained? I began to wonder what I had erased from my own recollection." p.267
At this moment in his life, Dunstan realized the negative effects of bottling up negative emotions because they can have negative effects on one's experiences, which is what happened to him. Conclusion
Dunstan Ramsay, through keeping many secrets in his life, prevents himself from opening up completely to people and therefore prevents him from having healthy relationships. Topic Sentence
Dunstan’s obsession with saints leads him to become more introvert and to ignore his exterior surroundings that leads him to his failure of friendship and accompaniment. Example 1- Fool Saint
“Ever hear of a fool-saint? I thought not. A fool saint is somebody who seems to be full of holiness and loves everybody and does every good act he can, but because he is a fool it all comes down to nothing- to worse than nothing, because it is virtue tainted with madness, and you can’t tell where it’ll end up. Did you know that Prudence was names as one of the Virtues? There’s the trouble with your fool-saint, y’see-- no Prudence. Nothing but a lotta bad luck’ll rub off on you from one of them. Did you know bad luck could be catching?” Page 138 Example 2- Saint Uncumber
“So I jaunted cheerfully about the Continent on my apparently mad mission, hunting up Uncumber in remote villages as well as in such easy and pleasant places as Beauvais and Wissant, and once positively identifying an image that was said to be Uncumber as Galla, the patroness of widows, who is also sometimes represented with a beard.” Page 135 Example 3- Madonna Immaculate Conception
“The little Madonna was a bee in my bonnet; I wanted to see her againt, and quite unreasonably, I kept hoping to find her.” Page 115
Essay outline
To what extent is a character’s dedication to a sense of responsibility a principal motivating factor in a Fifth Business? Intro
*explain snowball incident*
At an early age Dunstan’s guilt