Fifth Business Essay In Robertson Davies' novel, "Fifth Business", through the lives of his main characters, Davies makes a comment on the idea of change. Davies through the characters of Percy Boyd Staunton, Paul Dempster, and of that of his main character Dunstable Ramsay, shows the progression of their changing identities to illustrate his idea of change. Davies makes it clear that he believes people can change their exterior persona, their identity as the world …showed first 75 words of 1071 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1071 total…boundaries of their origins, but in the end no amount of covering up can ever erase what has been. We can never leave behind our true identity, what we are at our most essential state. Davies is showing us that like his characters so inescapably tied to Deptford in spirit and mind, so to is everyone tied to their true identity that is with them for their entire lives and cannot be denied or destroyed.