Question 1 - Fifth Business Outline
INTRO:
In the novel Fifth Business, by Robert Davies, Percy Boyd Staunton is a charismatic and shallow
character; a friend and enemy of the main protagonist. The novel shows through the character
that a character who is obsessed with creating and maintaining power and a perfect life will
discover that having such a need possess the person to ignore the better part of themselves,
and instead of creating success, will lead to failure. With Boy’s obsession he destroy the lives of
people around him to better himself and sever possible relationships, he is constantly driven to
be the best no matter the cost because of his greedy nature, and destroy all ties to his childhood
and by default, his history. All of the counterproductive needs lead to Boy’s failure in his goal
and leads to his death.
1ST PARAGRAPH:
Boy develops many relationships but severs them when he needs to be more, to have more.
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Develops a relationship with Leola Cruickshank as a child – marriage
striving and failing to make her the perfect wife, and not who she was, it throws her into a
downward spiral until her death.
“I had always thought it suspicious that Leola opened the windows when the nurse had closed
them, and took a chill, and was dead in less than a week.”(p184)  possible suicide, unhappy
“Poor Leola had become more and more listless since the outbreak of the war… she had
completely given up.”(p183)
“Poor Mum, I guess she’s better off, really.” (p184)  David 14
No real relationship with children
David is constantly put down and punished if not a man
Caroline is spoiled
both rarely see their father, who is not even there for their mothers, his wife’s funeral.
“… Lost intimacies could not be recaptured, not even with his adored Caroline.”(p183)
“I kept him by me at the funeral…” (p184)  Dunstan is more of a father figure
“It was my duty in 1942 to tell this unhappy boy that his mother had died.”(p183)
“He asked me, by cable, to do what had to be done.”(p184)
Has a strange relationship with Dunstan, he uses him and gets rid of him (make fun of him)
whenever it suits him. An example being Dunstan as headmaster, then taken off post (lie/rude)
Also the pictures of Leola naked (lording over what Dunny missed, show wealth/power/
“Look, old man, let’s not make a long business of this…you’re queer.”(P186-187)
“After thirty years I was no longer an intimate of the household.”(p231)  Dunstan being banned
from the household by Boy (really Denyse)
“My lifelong friend and enemy Percy Boyd Staunton.” (p3)  Dunstan & Boy love hate
2ND PARAGRAPH:
Boy is completely driven by materialistic things, and to have power and riches. To be the best
and beat thee other ‘little’ people. GREED.
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Percy Boyd Staunton changes his name.
“He was Boy Staunton because he summed up in himself so much glory of youth in the postwar
period. He gleamed, he glowed. ..Boy seemed to have made himself out of nothing, and he was
a marvel.” (p102-103) Changing his name allowed his new start and his power, from living in
some hick town.
Alpha Co. was a very productive company during the war, one of the only, gaining statures as
being known as the corporation to help those in need, and also made a lot of money from it.
“His growth as an industrialist made him a man of might in the national economy.” (p183)
“A company that controlled other companies.” “Boy was fast becoming one of the truly rich”141
Denyse Hornick, the hunt, the power, the marriage, with her she helped get him into
parliament, and position in politics.
“Boy decided he wanted Denyse. Denyse was not so easily achieved.”(p227)
“He was drawn to her at first because she was prominent in two or three groups, and thus could
influence a large number of votes.”(p224)
3RD PRAGARAPH:
In Boy’s hunt for power he destroys all ties (as much as possible) to his childhood life.
 He changes his name in the war, to not have a name that came from Deptford, to be taken more
seriously
“Percy had thrown aside that name (which had become rather a joke, like Algernon) and had
lopped the “d” off the name that remained.
“Boy seemed to have made himself out of nothing.”  name=way to start over, Bcm new
 Alpha Co. though his father dealt with some sugar Boy takes it to an extreme, makes it better
than his fathers, and the Corporation itself is nothing that would have been found in Deptford.
There was filial piety, as well as altruism, in Boys decision. Old Doc Stauntons annoyance at
being out smarted by his son.(p142)
 He completely blocks out the unpleasant memory of Mary Dempster and the part he played in
hers and Pauls life.
I really dont remember, are you sure (p250)  in response to Paul saying he called his
mother a hoor.
Who may Paul Dempster bep251
You have no recollection of Mrs. Dempster None at all, why should Ip251)
CONCLUSION:
After all the work to be the greatest and powerful, though you may believe it leads to success,
the road to success is full of failed relationships, greed, and changing memories of undesirable outcomes
from a person’s past. To have an obsession to be successful will always, eventually, lead to a failed life,
and eventually a person’s death.