Cruelty: Evil That’s Prevails in Fifth Business

Incidences that occur in one\'s childhood tend to affect them possibly for the rest of the rest of their life.   Dunstan Ramsay and Percy Staunton were childhood friends.   Percy came from a very wealthy background and felt is if he had to prove him self to everyone, sometime even through acts of violence and cruelty, while Dunstan came from a modest home living an honest and grateful life, but that all changed.   On December 27, 1908 in a small town name Deptford, a terrible accident occurred at 5:58 p.m... After a long day of tobogganing, Percy felt embarrassed because his brand new sled could not out run Dunstan’s older one.   So naturally Percy became offensive and started scoffing at Dunstan.   Being the bigger man, Dunstan decides to go home.   Percy hated the feeling of defeat and threw a snowball.   \"You have paid such a price, and you look like a man full of secrets - grim-mouthed and buttoned-up and harsh-eyed and cruel, because you are cruel to yourself (Davies 217).   Throughout the novel, Robertson Davies exercises acts of cruelty through the self-concerned Percy “Boy” Staunton.

            As Boy and Dunny grew up together they were each others best friends and also worst enemies, but they were on basically equal terms in their childish trials of life.   This remained to be true until that winter day in Deptford when Mrs. Dempster was struck with a snowball that was meant for Dunny.   Through this act, Mrs. Dempster went into a pre-mature labour causing the birth of Paul Dempster.   At which time two very different events happen.   The first being the Dunstan fells guilty that Mrs. Dempster was hurt because that snowball was meant for him.   This guilty carries and prevails throughout the novel.

I was perfectly sure, you see that the birth of Paul Dempster, so small, so feeble and troublesome, was my fault.   If I had not been so clever, so sly, so spiteful in hopping in front of the Dumpsters just as Percy Boyd Staunton threw that snowball at me...