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<title> The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing, theme and setting </title>
I have read The Fifth Child by the British author Doris Lessing. It is a thrilling novel about a young couple starting a new family from a very idealistic point of view and how their relationship change when they get their fifth child. I could not stop reading the book until the end because of the dramatic and captivating story. In a close reading from the pages 28 to 31 I want to discuss as I see the main theme and the setting of the novel, and the importance of the setting for the main theme.

The main team of the novel can be seen through Harriet's and David's intentions to create a perfect world of their own, and a happy family with many children. They felt that they deserved it and they were very stubborn in insisting their right to have one. Their first three children were born very quickly one after the other. Outside their world of happiness we have the realty; the little town they live in, with brutality and crime expanding during the years they have lived there. Rejecting the other society "the greedy and selfish sixties" they tried to stay a part from this and preserv old-fashioned values. The Lovatt's wanted to withdraw themselves from the insecure world but they made themselves read papers and watch TV. In their attempt to make their dreams come true they used their relatives in a selfish way. The Christmas and Easter parties became a cover for getting help managing the family when Harriet was pregnant. They were also affected of the bad times when "David's firm had been struck and he had not been given the promotion he expected; but others had lost their jobs and he was lucky". But they were still happy if they compared themselves with Harriet's sister Sarah. Her husband was unemployed and the worse thing according to Harriet was their mongol child. Harriet blamed the mongol child on Sarah's and William's matrimonial problems. David disagreed with her, and beneth the perfect surface of a happy family there were tensions between Harriet and David, "There was an ugly edge on events: more and more it seemed that two peoples lived in England, not one - enimies, hating each other, who could not hear what the other said." this could refer to Harriet's and David's own matrimony. In spite of what they insisted on, their happy little world had really not existed. They were part of both sides of the society and when Ben, their fifth child, was born they became full part members. (p 60-61) The main theme of the novel is that we cannot reject any part of our society, we must deal with the bad sides too. It affects all classes and we all have to take our responsibility and as a civic duty create a secure society together without excluding people.

The most importent setting of the novel is the "large Victorian house in an overgrown garden" (p.13) with its many bedrooms, a large kitchen and a big attic which could harbour Harriet's and David's dream of a big happy family. It is "their fortress, their kingdom in which three precious children were nutred and where so many people came to immerse themselves in safety, comfort, kindness." This is most important for the theme, they wanted to be secure and rejected the other world outside. The house was also David's way to dissociete from his own upper-class background with different values. David's parents were divorced and he had had an unhappy childhood. (p.12) We learn this from David's answer when it is questioned why not the children always slept together. It's important, said David, fierce; everyone should have a room." And his mother Molly trying to hide her mixed feelings when she said, "Everyone in the world! Everybody! She had intended to sound humorous". Harriet had been growing up in a middle-class family with more old-fashioned values. "Harriet's parents had taken it for granted that family life was the basis for a happy family." (p.12) For her the house was more a secure place from a violent and deprived society. The world outside their fortress changed and they tried to exclude themselves from the violence and vandalism in the little town, but it was coming closer into the enviroment and the authorities have given up restoring order, this is also importent setting for the theme. Harriet and David became enemies when they had diffrent opinions of Ben's destiny and their happy family dream was shattering. Harriet was left in the big house with Ben and Paul, when rest of the family had fled. (p129) 

The fifth child is a novel that reflects our changing society and peoples lack of commitment. The Lovett's think they are different than other people of the time. The house they live in, is from a time thats mirrors their oldfashioned values of a family life and it becomes a symbol for happiness. But they cannot escape from the reality when they get their fifth child, who is growing up as the destroyer of the family happiness and becomes a member of criminal gang of youths. Their family became like the society, divided.
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