Fifth Business Group

Question:

lololololol
lololololol
Student
High School - 11th Grade

Who lived a life of greater value? Dunstan Ramsay or Percy Boyd Stauton?

Could you please offer your opinion and some examples to support it that I can expand on. I have already narrowed it down to Dunstan's spiritualistic life over Percy's materialistic life. If some examples of both these could be given, I would really appreciate it. If any other comparison can be made, please point it out. Any help on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. 

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Posted by lololololol on Saturday November 8, 2008 at 1:47 PM and tagged with boy staunton, dunstan ramsay, fifth business, life of greater value.

Answers:


  1. danylyshen Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    Right from the very beginning we see the conflicting of the materialistic world view and a spiritual world view in the infamous sledding and snowball incident. Percy's mittens were purchased at a store in the city, while Dunstan's mittens were made lovingly by his mother. Percy's sled is new; Dunstan's is old. The anger and animousity Percy feels and displays toward Dunstan is the psychological struggle each has with these two world views. Dunstan's possessions might be older, made by a loving parent, but they possess a deeper spirituality than Percy's mass produced collection of possessions. Percy is upset not just at losing, but losing to something he cannot or does not possess-soulful objects and a growing sense of spirituality. When we read further we see that Dunstan is psychologically and spiritually affected by the snowball incident which he sees as his fault. Percy is curiously absent from the incident despite being the guilty culprit. All of this is set up in just the first five pages of the novel....

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    Posted by danylyshen on Monday November 10, 2008 at 8:56 AM