A terrifying moment when a beloved being turns into a dreadful presence, shattering the family and exposing the illusion of family ideology(by DorisLessing).
Intro
Introducing, The Fifth Child, a provocative and sharp questioning of the origins and values of 'humanity', trapped in the paradigm of the late 20th century, penned by acclaimed British author Doris Lessing. Published in 1988, this novel challenges whether the foundation of a family can be utterly destroyed by a child born into it, disrupting all the ideals of happiness in mundane daily life or if it's a divine punishment or a cosmic offspring ascending to the primordial.
Doris Lessing was born to British parents in Iran in 1919. Growing up in colonial territories like Iran and South Africa, she vividly witnessed the lives of the local inhabitants. Settling in London in 1949, she embarked on her prolific literary career, focusing mainly on various social issues that emerged in the 20th century, such as racial discrimination and women's rights. In 2007, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, gaining worldwide recognition for her body of work.
Despite being relatively short, The Fifth Child garnered attention upon its release due to its impactful content. Through this allegorical tale of family and society, readers are prompted to reflect on themselves.
Characters
The protagonists are a couple named David and Harriet. Dreaming of a peaceful and harmonious home, they give birth to five children, with the fifth child, Ben, becoming the central figure in this work.
David has financial support from his wealthy father, James. Harriet's mother, Dorothy, assists in raising the children. Additionally, John, Ben's only friend, makes an appearance.
Plot summary
The protagonists, David and Harriet, meet at a company party. Despite being reserved and observing at the party, they are drawn to each other, and soon fall deeply in love, leading to their marriage shortly after.
Aspiring for an ideal traditional family, they purchase a large mansion in the suburbs of London, even though it exceeds their financial capabilities. They desired to have as many as six to eight children, with financial support from David's wealthy father, James.
Their family life progresses relatively smoothly, hosting parties inviting extended family members every Christmas, Easter, and summer vacation. Their children, Luke, Helen, Jane, and Paul, are born consecutively, with Harriet's mother, Dorothy, assisting in their upbringing.
However, relatives oppose their desire for a large family, as they believe David and Harriet are trying to have more children than they are capable of raising. Despite this, Harriet eventually becomes pregnant with their fifth child. However, something feels off about this pregnancy from the start, leaving Harriet feeling uneasy, sensing anger and hatred emanating from the unborn child.
Their fifth child, named Ben, is born displaying not only an unattractive appearance but also violent tendencies, unlike typical babies. Ben's disturbing appearance and behavior lead to the gradual dissolution of the annual family gatherings, and the fear among adults peaks when it's speculated that Ben may have killed pets.
After much deliberation, the family sends Ben to an unnamed nursing home due to the distress he causes. Despite David's objections, Harriet, burdened with guilt, visits Ben alone at the facility. Upon seeing Ben heavily sedated in restraints, Harriet returns home to a chilly reception from David, their children, and relatives, who silently criticize her actions.
As Ben begins to be cared for at home, his siblings and relatives fear him, further straining Harriet and David's relationship.
One day, Harriet witnesses Ben obediently following a young man named John, whom she had hired for garden maintenance. John, a unemployed youth leading a rough life, is entrusted with Ben by Harriet, who even gives him pocket money.
As time passes, Ben's siblings scatter to relatives' homes to avoid him, and John and his group also find employment and leave the neighborhood. Despite seeking professional counseling for Ben, Harriet finds little help.
As Ben grows older and starts attending school, he shows no interest in studying, instead associating with delinquent students and even bringing them into the house, leading to unruly behavior. They even go missing for days, and one day, Harriet is shocked to see Ben at a riot scene on the news.
She foresees that Ben may never return, and the novel concludes.
Impression
Everyone has their own ideal vision of what they want in life. Whether voluntary or not, these young couples, outsiders in their own way, believed themselves to be different from others and made efforts accordingly. They hoped to have many children and create a stable home, and they worked hard towards that goal. The children they brought into the world were all adorable, and despite the physical and economic challenges, they seemed to respond to their efforts to create a stable family life. But there's always a twist. Things beyond our control. For them, it was the fifth child, and ultimately what they believed turned out to be nothing but illusions. Of course, being a novel, the narrative may not have guaranteed their happiness to create conflict, but they were ultimately denied the rewards of maternal love, parental responsibility, and the obligation to fulfill their children's desires.
This story, perhaps a fairy tale-like narrative, shows how a family changes because of a child born into a home dreaming of happiness. It makes one think about the duality of family, something precious to many people, something they want to protect no matter what. For most people, family brings joy and peace.
However, ironically, it's often the case that our greatest source of pain is not strangers but our own family members. This work illustrates this aspect well, precisely through the existence of Ben. While Ben is portrayed as an unusually strange child in this work for dramatic effect, it serves as a symbolic device to show that family members can cause the breakdown of a home through their own actions.
Reflection
For the protagonists David and Harriet, family was more precious than anything else. So, they went to great lengths to purchase a mansion and spent time with relatives whenever possible. However, family members also hurt them. Moreover, relatives openly criticized their plans for children.
Ben's presence, on the other hand, vividly highlights the duplicity of family existence. Harriet's efforts to protect Ben, a member of the family, ironically lead to the dispersion of the family.
Yet because she did, because she saved that child from being murdered, she destroyed her own family.
We often witness cases where actions taken to protect the family ultimately threaten the family. While family is precious to most people, it can also be the source of the greatest pain, as this work aptly illustrates.
The protagonists, David and Harriet, have different attitudes toward the notion of otherness. Ben is certainly a different child in some way. He possesses a personality and appearance completely different from his parents or siblings. As this difference evolves into substantial violent tendencies, he is stigmatized as abnormal by family and relatives alike.
What's interesting is the opposing views of David and Harriet regarding the origins of Ben's behavior. This crucial difference in how they perceive Ben leads to differing attitudes in how they treat him. While David sees Ben's traits as unrelated to himself, Harriet agonizes over whether her own genetic traits might have been reflected in Ben.
In short, while David externalizes Ben's otherness, perceiving it as entirely alien, Harriet internalizes it, considering whether similar violent tendencies may lurk within herself. Harriet's instinct to embrace Ben may stem from her heightened sense of connection to children compared to men. This difference between them highlights how our perceptions of the causes of others' differences can dramatically affect how we treat them.
Furthermore, the novel provides ample food for thought for couples preparing for a new home, pregnant women, and couples raising young children. It vividly portrays how marriage, which seemed filled only with love and happiness, confronts various issues when faced with reality. For instance, it shows how challenging it can be for couples to uphold their beliefs and values in childcare without being conscious of others' opinions, and it occasionally raises the idea that one's beliefs may be achieved at the expense of another family member's sacrifice.
Through the negative changes experienced by Paul, who receives little attention from his mother due to her focus on Ben, the novel also prompts reflection on how parents' mental and physical environments affect their children. Above all, it prompts contemplation on how having a life entails a great deal of responsibility. Thanks to this, we cannot escape from such questions. What if I were Ben's parent? Could I fully accept Ben if I were in their shoes?
Final thoughts
At the end of the novel, we could see the David couple hoping that Ben would eventually leave home on his own. However, it didn't seem like Ben's disappearance would restore the happy picture of the couple's past. Ending without any resolution left a lingering sense of regret.
It seemed like a book that shattered vague fantasies about marriage and parenting. It vividly conveyed the message that life does not always go as planned. The harsh reality that I cannot have a child with the desired traits hit home. Nevertheless, that child remains my responsibility, whether I want it or not. This book seems to question that responsibility. If I were in that situation, how would I have raised Ben? How would I have corrected the deteriorating family relationship?