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Transcript

Life is filled with materialistic treasures, and our level of desire can be detrimental if it exceeds what is necessary, then comes the risk of being earthly minded. Spiritual values are an important aspect; however that being alone leads to segregation from society and the withdrawal of life interests. Therefore balance between the two is necessary in order to live a fulfilled life

In fifth business the contrast between materialism and spirituality is evaluated through the characteristics of the main characters. The author touches on this issue implements that balance is key to life. He utilizes various characters in the book to give us examples of results that can occur if one is entirely materialistic or entirely spiritual. The author demonstrates the importance of balance through the character; Dunstan.

A Jesuit with a lot of wisdom. Since birth he was enlisted into the service of God. He upholds his faith in God no matter what test is set forth before him. Even at the ripe age of 76 he is still a virgin.

She was a parson’s wife and a young one. She married at a young age, and majority of the time, she doesn’t act as a mature wife she should be. Throughout her life, she performs 3 miracles that make her stand out from everyone else. First with the tramp, the act of giving makes him realize the betterment in life; after, he became an priest. Then she brought Willy back from the dead, an unexplainable feat that left Dunny dumbfounded. Lastly when she appeared as a statue when Dunny was criticaly wounded in battle before he passed out, he heard the words she said to him before they parted.

At a young age, Boy grew up having everything. He was extremely obsessed with his appearance. His social status among his colleagues was a key aspect in his life and the reason he threw countless parties to show off his wealth. Being above others was something Boy valued throughout his entire life. Boy showed off His wife Leola to Dunstan as a prize revealing nude pictures of her to him openly even though he cheated on her with other woman for his own satisfaction. Moreover, even after her death, he didn’t even attend the funeral. He did however marry Diana Marfleet to gain more political status.

Like Boy, Leola was another figure obsessed with her appearance and her social status everywhere she went. She too came from a wealthy family and grew up in the same environment as Boy. When it came down to making decisions in her life, she failed to make them.

devoted to or caring only for oneself

- Dunny grew up in a middle class environment with his tight knit family of four; with his mother being the dominate figure in the family, his father works in the family business of running The Banner. At a young age, he engages in many life altering events that has a tremendous impact.

- Mary Dempster, the parson’s wife acted as a figurehead and due to some of the miracle’s she performed he began to think of her as a saint. Since then he has been obsessed in seeking out saints and spirituality. As he matured, he became interested in hagiography and eventually later on in his life, he wrote a series of books dedicated to saints. His spirituality as a person contrasted Boy’s by a mile because he had the lack of desire for materialistic things.

- However, through the advice of Boy, he invests into the stock market. This smart decision that benefits him in the future so that he has money put aside to travel.

- Dunstan relied on the spirit of the mind and always took other people into consideration and sometimes disregarded his own feelings

- Dunstan was an all-around selfless person but later on came to understand that sometimes he needed to be a bit selfish and take his thoughts and feelings into consideration

Spirituality vs. Materialism

Fifth Business

The Balance

Percy Boyd Staunton

Selfless

having little concern for one's own interests

Leola Staunton

Padre Blazon

Mary Dempster

Selfish

Material Values

Spiritual Values

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