unny manage his money to make a fair amount of income. Having Boy handling his income, Dunny would also be able to survive in the course of the depression. The depression was a point in the novel where Boy had been at one of his low points. Boys’ relationship with Leola was already having problems two years before the stock market crash, but as the depression arrived, Boy spent more time making money than investing his time in something more valuable, Leola. If the stock market crash were to never occur then Boy would not have been able to make a considerable amount of money, which in turn, would not allow Dunny to travel through Europe in search of his fool saint, Mrs. Dempster.Dunnys’ encounter of the Madonna at a point in World War I offset his interest in religion and saints. While at battle, Dunny was severely wounded and had managed to barely escape. As Dunny struggled for survival he came across a statue that appeared to look exactly like Mrs. Dempster. In Dunnys’ mind, he had always regarded Mrs. Dempster as a saint for her miracles and this had sparked his interests in religion and saints. If not for the war, a significant amount of events would not have occurred such as Willie dying at St. Eloi Craters and Dunny losing his leg in the 3rd Battle of Ypres. After Dunny had awoken from the battle, he had found himself in the hospital and met his savior Diana. Diana in a way had given Dunny a second chance at life, reincarnation in a way. His view of the world had radically changed after the war. Dunny was no longer a child who had secret fantasies about Mrs. Dempster but was a man, Dunstan. World War I was a turning point in the novel in which Dunnys’ character was reborn. It is significant that he goes to fight in the war. During the war, Dunny loses all of his family. Willie dies in battle and his parents pass away in an influenza epidemic. At that instant Dunny was completely alone, the o...
