Fifth Business
Kaitlin Hald Hald 1
ENG4U1
Tuesday July 21st 2009
Dominating Personas: Fifth Business
A persona can be an influential part of ones life, which is shown in Roberson Davies’ Fifth Business as many characters use this prevalent topic to make decisions in their life. To start with, an individual named Eisengrim, uses magic to illuminate life and provide people with fabricated possibilities using the domination of Liesl and Faustina. In addition, a Baptist Preacher named Reverend Amasa Dempster has a crude control over his wife who suffers form an inoperative mental condition after a snowball incident. Finally, a character by the name of Boy Staunton dictates his wife Leola in order to prove himself a successful businessman. Men dominate women in order to protect an individual’s professional persona.
Eisengrim is a man of magic, who truly believes in inspiring others. With the use of hypnotism and escapes, Eisengrim will go to any measure to give his audience the amazement that is desired and to achieve his unique vision:
That the show must keep in character at all time…The girls must have it in their contract that they do not accept invitations unless we approve, appear anywhere except in clothes we approve, get into any messes with boyfriends, or seem to be anything but ladies. Not easy you see. (Davies 211)
Eisengrim has sacrificed the typical behavior of a woman during this time, and exploits these individuals, by taking away justified rights and freedoms. The needs of Eisengrim’s
Hald 2
persona is more important than the dignity of Liesl and Faustina, because he is willing to obtain this image in order to please his audience, “People want to marvel at something, and the whole spirit of our time is not to let them do it. They will pay to do it, if you make it good and marvelous for them.” (Davies 211). As a result of Eisegrims selfish motives to take Liesl and Faustina’s civil rights, it is shown that he has dominated women to enhance his...
View Full Essay
