The book Fifth Business by Robertson Davies is written from the narrator's point of view; a man named Dunstable Ramsay. From the readers' perspective, we see him as the main character, but as the novel progresses, he and those he meets begin to see him as the fifth deal. The novel shows and follows Dunstan Ramsay in his quest for self-knowledge and, ultimately, in fulfilling his role as the "fifth deal" in the eyes of a number of people. It is evident that throughout the novel he reminds himself and the reader that in reality his life and the lives of those close to him do not necessarily revolve around him, yet he still plays an important role in influencing each other's lives. The novel consistently shows instances where guilt and competition play a role in shaping the characters' decisions. Thesis: Throughout the novel Fifth Business, the narrator, Dunstan, after meeting a number of important characters, goes on a quest in an attempt to fulfill his depiction of the Fifth Business; a secondary character without opposites, who is neither a hero/heroine nor a villain, still plays an important role in the progression of the plot. There are three characters that stand out as the main reasons why Dunstan is the fifth business; Mary Dempster, Paul Dempster and Percy Boyd Staunton. Over the course of this essay, Dunstan's position in their respective lives will be discovered, proving that he is actually the Fifth Business. Dunstan plays the role of the fifth deal in these people's lives because in the book he talks more about others than about himself. Another reason for this is because he is more of an observer and likes to observe things going by and people going about their daily lives, instead of getting emotionally involved even in... middle of paper... r Illusionistic Talents by Dunstan. As soon as Dunstan realized that Eisengrim was Paul, he knew that he would influence his life and lead him on the path he would follow for his entire life. Body Paragraph 3: Point: A third character who sees Dunstan as the fifth quest would be Percy Boyd Staunton. Growing up, Percy was Dunstan's best friend and enemy (there were "obstacles" for each other), and over time they grew distant from each other when Dunstan went to war. However, they never forgot about each other. They continued to meet several times later in the book, when both were much older. A recurring theme between the two would be guilt and competition. This topic was first raised during their childhood, when they both wanted Leola Cruickshank for themselves. Before Dunstan is the fifth affair for Percy, as well as for Percy and Leola as a couple.