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Mr. Pace
English IV
09 May 2019
“They had felt it deeply wrong so to tamper with the processes of Nature! Nature - they
now reminded themselves they once felt - was at some level or other to be relied upon” (111).
David and Harriet have four, sweet, idyllic children. Then, a fifth comes along who
changes their entire life. One of the main questions in The Fifth Child is whether a child’s
personality can be changed through nurture, or if it is determined through nature. Ben was born
with an unnatural violence from the start, and despite their efforts, they cannot change who he
becomes.
All five of the children are born into and raised in the same environment. Ben though, is
different from his siblings in that, while being cared for by his mom, he maintains his violent
streak while his siblings are kind and caring, and content with their lives. This violence vs
tenderness started even during Harriet’s pregnancies. The first four went smoothly and she had
very little pain, while her pregnancy with Ben was a difficult one. He was constantly moving and
Later on, due to his violence and aggression, they decide to send him to what was
essentially an asylum. But Harriet feels so much guilt that she goes and brings him back, much to
David’s dismay. “While she was part of the general relief, and could hardly believe she had been
able to stand such strain, and for so long, she could not banish Ben from her mind. It was not
with love, or even affection, that she thought of him, and she disliked herself for not being able
to find one little spark of normal feeling: it was guilt and horror that kept her awake through the
nights” (93-94).
One unique thing in The Fifth Child is how involved their extended family is. Harriet’s
mother basically lives with them, and their extended family is very involved in taking care of
their other children. If Harriet loses track of time when she’s with Ben, she’ll find another family
member helping out. “ ‘The trouble is, you get used to hell,” said Harriet. “After a day with Ben
I feel as if nothing exists but him. As if nothing has ever existed. I suddenly realize I haven’t
remembered the others for hours. I forgot their supper yesterday. Dorothy went to the pictures,
and I came down and found Helen cooking their supper’ ” (79).
Because of Harriet’s attention to the troublesome Ben, her other children start to suffer,
and lose touch on what family life is supposed to be like. Ultimately, they all leave Harriet and
David, and opt to live with their grandparents, or go to a boarding school. All in an effort to
escape Ben, and thanks to Harriet’s inattentiveness. Ben is on the cusp of joining a gang at this
Ultimately, Ben doesn’t change. He is still the violent and aggressive and vaguely
murderous child that he was born as. Even though David and Harriet had lavished basically all of
their attention on him in hopes to change him, he didn’t change. This goes to show that the
author believes that nature is the biggest factor in how a person turns out, and nurture, even the