"I see Canada as a country torn between a very northern, rather extraordinary, mystical spirit which it fears and its desire to present itself to the world as a Scotch banker"

Robertson Davies’ observation addresses a fundamental tension within Canadian identity. On one side stands a vast, wild, and sometimes overwhelming land, a landscape shaped by northern climates, long winters, isolated stretches, and profound natural beauty. This environment has fostered a certain mystical or mythic quality in the Canadian psyche, something elusive, raw, and slightly mysterious. The “northern, rather extraordinary, mystical spirit” refers not only to geography but also to what that geography does to imagination and culture. It evokes folk tales, indigenous legends, the loneliness of the wild, and a spiritual connection to the land that shapes one’s view of life.

Yet alongside this mystical core, Davies sees a distinct urge in Canada to present itself as measured, controlled, and orderly. The image of a “Scotch banker” conjures associations of sobriety, thrift, pragmatism, and trustworthiness. Scotland’s historical association with finance adds a sense of calculated respectability. To the world, Canada craves the appearance of a reliable economic partner, rational in its dealings and conservative in its practices. This aspect seeks to suppress the unpredictable or untamed in favour of predictability and professionalism.

The resulting dynamic is a quiet cultural anxiety. The “northern spirit” is, as Davies notes, something Canada “fears”, perhaps because it threatens rational order, or perhaps because it presents a self-image too alien or intense to market internationally. Thus, there is a pull between embracing a unique, sometimes wild national character and conforming to an image that feels safer for international relations and economic reputation.

Davies encapsulates a persistent paradox in Canadian life: the push and pull between authenticity and acceptability, wilderness and civility, deep-rooted mysticism and outward respectability. This duality shapes not only Canadian art and literature but also everyday attitudes, permeating how Canadians negotiate their place on the world stage and within their own borders.