Patriarchy and misogyny are the harsh reality that women of past centuries and women today face. Women are constantly victims of the harsh and unfair treatment meted out to men. In today's society, women have a stronger voice in their lives and in the media. Actresses like Anne Hathaway have expressed their opinions, saying, "A man told me that for a woman, I was very opinionated. I said, 'For a man, you're pretty ignorant.'" However, women have not always held these opinions In the novel "Fifth Business" by Robertson Davies, it is evident that the female characters struggle with their lives within society, their relationships, the upper class world, objectification and. cases when examined with a feminist critical lens Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned” Get the original essay First of all, the female characters in the novel struggle. against their daily life in society. In the first chapter "Mrs. Dempster", Mary Dempster said Mary was known for wandering the streets and offering people rotten vegetables, so the town knew she had. had to wander far away. A search party set out in the hope of finding Mary Dempster safe and sound. rock hole that belonged to the railway company. The grave was not large compared to the number of people going looking for Mary. Remarking on the size of the pit, Dunny said, "I don't know exactly how big it was, but it was big and prejudice made it seem bigger." Mary was found by Dunny in the "pit" having sex with a tramp. There is a stark difference between how men and women would have been treated in society. Mrs. Dempster was considered slow and delusional for her actions, whereas a man would have been considered generous or heroic. Many opinions were expressed about Mary and many were quick to judge her. The other women were especially tough because they all had standards to meet. Dunny said: “. . . but the opinion of their wives made this impossible.” Mary refused to conform to an imagined standard imposed by men and was criticized for her actions. Mary Dempster is a perfect example of a woman who is not respected by society. Second, the female characters in the novel have difficulties in their relationships due to the actions of the men. In chapter two, "I Was Born Again", Dunny met a nurse named Diana. Diana helped Dunny regain strength and confidence after the war. Diana loved Dunny so she took care of him like a mother would. Diana fell in love with Dunny and was planning their future together. Diane; having previously been married, had sex with Dunny and showed him what an adult relationship really is. Diana was so desperate to be married to Dunny, but he refused because he couldn't deal with the fact that Diana had created who he was. Dunny used Diana to show him how to be physical in a relationship. It is evident that he did so when he says, "I will say nothing against her and I will always be grateful to her for teaching me about the physical side of love...the best medicine I 'have received'. Dunny did not love Diana the way she loved him, but instead saw Diana as a tool he used to selfishly satisfy his needs. It’s obvious that he didn’t really love her when he said, “I loved that she was in love with me; it nourished my spirit which was at its most..