Development Of Dunstan Ramsey
Development Of Dunstan Ramsey
Scientist, psychologist, biologist all pose the question of How the complex human mind develops, Robertson Davies shows the rise, zenith and decent of his character Dunstan Ramsey. The development of Dunstan Ramsey, in Fifth Business, is associated with the psychological rebirth. Jungian psychology identifies this as individuation. Daryl Sharp simply explains individuation in The Jung Lexicon as; “Induced by ritual or stimulated by immediate personal experience, it results in an enlargement of the personality” [Sharp, 4]. In terms of Fifth Business, Diana, Faustina, Mrs. Dempster and Liesl fulfill the role of ‘stimulus’, meanwhile Dunstan Ramsey absorbs this profound knowledge, in his quest to become Fifth Business.
The first phase of Jungian Individuation is the biological identity, given by Diana Marfleet. She was a beautiful volunteer nurse were Dunstable was taken during the war, she cared for Dunstable while he was bed ridden. “She had been nursing me… she had also washed me and attended to my bed pan and the urinal” [Davies, 77]. Diana became a mother figure to him, as the relationship grew; Dunstan began to reject her presence. Jung explains “The mother complex… experience of the personal mother, then by significant contact with other women…” [Sharp, 21]“In homosexuality, the son's entire heterosexuality is tied to the mother in an unconscious form; in Don Juanism, he unconsciously seeks his mother in every woman he meets” [Jung, 162]. Don Juanism displays why Dunstan would reject Diana because in his unconscious she represent his mother. Diana represents Eve in mythical terms; she has insightful information but is rejected jus as Adam did.
Romantic-biological and emotion outline the second phase of development. Faustina fills this void for Dunstan, she teaches him about his sexual body and unconsciously won over his heart. “But I loved her!… to watch her very rapid changes from Gretchen to Venus… she was almost naked” [Davies, 210]. Dunstan’s lack of sexual experience is accounted for by the negative mother complex; “…either sexuality does not function properly … responded to with impatience and irritation.” [Jung, 170]. In Faustina Dunstan does not find mother like traits, which allows him to open up to her. “Jungian, Passive projection is completely automatic and unintentional event, like falling in love…” [Davies, 3] explains Dunstan’s boyhood crush on Faustina. In Greek mythology, Helen of Troy is seen as Faustina, “Helen's beauty became legendary. It was obvious to all that the child would...