Almost anything taught in childhood relates to individuals actions in adulthood; without a proper upbringing, these individuals will never meet their one ultimate goal to be self satisfied. Many people start out as self-absorbed and childish individuals, but learn to evolve. Some people do not evolve and continue as a selfish unsatisfied adult. To be truly self-satisfied, one should have developed good values as a youth. In Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, there are many instances where this has happened and in contrast, instances where a good upbringing has affected a character’s adult life. Some people without an emotionally stable upbringing may become adults are bossy, self-absorbed, and destructive. These traits have both a positive and negative impact, but in most cases, the negative aspect often overtakes the positive aspect of the characters personality. Characters in Fifth Business who display these traits are Boy, and Dunstan. As adults, they are often seen vying for the attention of their peers or have an overpowering need to be popular and try to achieve success. Although, there are some instances where individuals are completely satisfied these are rare occurring. These special cases occur when the individual has adapted to the environment and learn to fit in. They forgive what happened in their childhood and are content to be mediocre. The individuals who do not fit in the special case try to use bully tactics or commit selfish acts. They also develop destructive behaviour without these values and are often on an eternal journey of ultimate satisfaction. In general, childhood values are the basis for adult well being; however, these people may develop their own values later in life and become somewhat satisfied with their successes.
Individuals without good training while growing up, become destructive. Boy developed destructive behaviours as a child and was never disciplined. It started when he and Dunstan were children;
Bibliography: Davies, Robertson. Fifth Business. Second. Toronto, Canada: Penguin Books, 1996