In order to reach individuation, one's symbolic rebirth must allow them to continue on the path of a psychologically healthy person, rather than regress to the external stages of life.
Journey to Individuation.
The novel Fifth Business by Robertson Davies follows the character Dunstan Ramsay on his path to individuation. Although he does not quite reach individuation by the end of the novel, he is slowly learning how his rebirth, acceptance of archetypes, and the people around him all contribute to his journey. Both Dunstan and his old friend Magnus Eisengrim have continued to mature into the internal stages of their lives, while Boy Staunton, Dunstan's childhood enemy, has chosen to stay in the external stage of his life. Although they all take different paths, each character is reborn midway through their life. The way each character interprets their rebirth, determines their success on this journey to individuation. .
Davies has most prominently revealed the true meaning of each character's rebirth during the scene where Dunstan discloses that Magnus Eisengrim is actually Paul Dempster. This is the point where Dunstan learns that Boy has chosen to erase his memory and refuses to "remember what is of no use to [him] " (Davies, 251). Through his life, Boy has gained a lust for success and in consequence has erased all information that has not helped to make him successful. He chose to forget his past rather than accept it, thus preventing him from moving forward in his life. Magnus reveals this and other flaws through Boy's choice of name. While Magnus has chosen a name that represents worldly power, Boy has "chosen to forever be a Boy " (Davies, 252). During his midlife rebirth, instead of moving forward on his path of individuation, Boy has chosen to revert backwards and stay in the external stage of his life. Although this alternate route has allowed him to be externally successful, Boy cannot become successful on an internal level.
