The Wonders of Magic and Religion Mythology has been present throughout human civilization to provide a sense of awe, wonder, and fear. According to Joseph Campbell's The Need for New Myths, a myth offers gratitude or ecstasy to reveal a complete picture of man's universe and his place in the world. In Robertson Davies's novel Fifth Business, magic and religion recompose human struggles into a recognizable, yet awe-inducing myth. The feeling of wonder, surprise, or fear induces a feeling of insignificance in the face of the vastness of the universe. To accommodate this overwhelming experience, a person undergoes a catharsis in which their thought patterns are reset. In this release of emotions, you accept your place in the universe and become a better self. Dunstan and Paul turn to religion and magic to mend a traumatized childhood. The re-enactment of the Christian legend of Faust in the magical act portrays the eternal struggle of good versus evil in humanity. Eisengrim, as an allusion to Jesus, offers wonder and liberation to its audience. In Fifth Business, magic and religion both reconstruct everyday experiences to provide a catharsis in wonder. Dunstan and Paul attempt to escape their suffocating past through hagiology and magic. The religious world of Deptford was rigid and one-dimensional. When Dunny developed an interest in magic, he associated the hobby with his mother beating him. When he was enthusiastic about the Saints, Amasa Dempster scolded him. As Dunstan developed a passion for saints throughout his adulthood, he discovered that the world was multidimensional and colorful. Through the pursuit of hagiology, he attempts to untangle and decipher his mentally suffocating childhood. When Dunstan first became i......middle of paper......m in religious saints it allows him to release the rigidity established by his childhood struggles. Likewise, Paul relies on the mystery and authority of magic to overcome his rigid and powerless past. Goethe's Faust describes how religion interprets the common experience of good versus evil to elicit a liberation from meaninglessness and pity. Eisengrim's magical re-enactment shows a different interpretation of this common struggle, which induces a catharsis of hope. As an allusion to Jesus, Paul uses magic to excite the ordinary lives of his audience and provoke a dark and frightening wonder. In contrast, Jesus is a recognizable figure who provides a catharsis of love and hope in humanity. The popularity of religion and magic stemmed from the human need for awe. Humanity relies on this catharsis with wonder to accept the universe and man's place in the world.