Chesterton’s Divergent Thinking through Characterization by Philip Lim
Fiction
has many essential elements that complement each other harmoniously such as the
plot, the setting the characters, and many more. Detective fiction however
involves the solving of a mystery. In many cases, divergent thinking is must
for the detective to solve the enigma. Divergent thinking is not only used by
detectives, it is a helpful quality to have in many fields. Gilbert Keith
Chesterton promotes divergent thinking through his characters. Indeed, the
otherness of Father Brown compared to other famous detectives, the contribution
of the characters to the unexpected denouement in both short stories, and the meaningful
illusion of the mirrors in The Man In The
Passage demonstrate that the use of the characters to show divergent
thinking is significant to Chesterton.
The otherness of Chesterton’s protagonist detective, Father Brown, shows the importance that Chesterton gives to divergent thinking through characterization. Compared to Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Poe’s Dupin, Father Brown stands out from the other detective. Sherlock Holmes affirms that the death of the murder does not ‘‘weigh very heavily up [his] conscience’’ (Doyle 12). His carelessness about the death shows that he does not have any empathy and he only cares about solving the crime. Furthermore, Holmes is a well-educated person as Watson affirms (c.f. Doyle 1). As for Dupin, he also seems to be a well-educated person since he is looking for a ‘‘very rare and very remarkable volume’’ (Poe 4). Additionally, he is part of the royalty since his title is ‘‘Chevalier’’ (Poe 4). Both Holmes and Dupin are seen as intellectual people ranked in the upper class of the society. Father Brown is however is described in Blue Cross as ‘‘a very short Roman Catholic priest’’ with a ‘‘face as round and dull as a Norfolk dumpling’’ (Chesterton 6). Beside Brown’s contrasting appearance, Brown is also different from the other detectives psychologically. He has empathy for the criminal and focuses much more on the people rather than on the solving of the mystery: he is more focused on the relationship between Parkinson and Aurora in The Man In The Passage than he is focused on the crime (c.f. Chesterton 13). Father Brown is then the most other character compared to Holmes and Dupin, famous detectives from other authors, since his personality differs from those of Holmes and Dupin, and his physical appearance does not reflect the one of a credible and ‘‘real’’ detective. Father Brown as a detective confirms that a detective is not only limited to be a highly intellectual person who is only interested in solving mystery. Chesterton’s choice to characterize Brown as an empathetic priest with an outstanding physical appearance shows that divergent thinking can be applied to one of the most important element of a detective fiction: the characterization of the protagonist detective. The otherness of Father Brown in Chesterton’s works therefore demonstrates that Chesterton promotes divergent thinking by the medium of his characters since Father Brown is a unique type of detective that does not share the same usual characteristics that other more common detectives have.
Chesterton also illustrates the importance of divergent thinking in the characters through the contribution of the characters to the denouement of Blue Cross and The Man In The Passage. Father Brown admits that he knew about Flambeau’s plan from the beginning of Blue Cross when Valentin is close from catching Flambeau (c.f. Chesterton 19). He also affirms that Parkinson is the murderer and explained the motive of the murder in The Man In The Passage at the end of the story (c.f. Chesterton 13). In both of Chesterton’s works, Father Brown only appears as an active character during the denouement of the short story. Before the denouement, famous and recognized characters are presented to the readers. Sir Wilson Seymour and Captain Cutler in The Man In The Passage are instances of characters that are described as ‘‘handsome, capable and popular’’. They are both ‘‘incomparable kind’’ (Chesterton 1). Valentin in Blue Cross is ‘‘the most famous investigator of the world’’ (Chesterton 4). The titles of the characters presented at the beginning of the story are all prestigious and impressive. The readers’ mind is then converged to think that the prestigious characters will solve the mystery since it is often someone who is highly ranked in the society or has a special kind of intelligence, Sherlock Holmes for instance, who solves the mystery. Father Brown however surprises the readers by solving the mystery in the denouement. Father Brown’s physical description and social class are inferior to the ones of the first characters in the stories. The unexpected appearance of Father Brown’s active role at such an advanced stage of the story makes the readers realise that their minds were converged in only one direction and that divergent thinking could have make them realise the importance of Father Brown before the denouement. The contrast between the characters of Father Brown and the prestigious characters, along with Chesterton’s trap leading to a surprising denouement therefore shows that Chesterton encourages divergent thinking through his characters.
The meaningful presence of the mirror in Chesterton’s The Man In The Passage confirms that Chesterton promotes divergent thinking by the use of characters. Sir Wilson Seymour in The Man In The Passage describes the murderer as someone who does not look like ‘‘a woman and yet [is] not quite a man’’ (Chesterton 11). Captain Cutler thinks the murderer looks more ‘‘like a chimpanzee’’ (Chesterton 11). Both men actually saw themselves in a mirror. They however did not recognize themselves, yet Father Brown did recognize himself (c.f. Chesterton 12). The descriptions of the two famous and handsome men are opposite to their description at the beginning of the story. Such situation reveals a message. Seymour and Cutler are used to be seen as handsome, powerful, intelligent, and famous. However, when surprised in a situation when they ignored that they are looking at a mirror, they see someone other than their built persona. The two men therefore do not think divergently since they are unable to see their true selves and are absorbed by the constructed persona that they have in the society. Contrastingly, Father Brown recognized himself. Father Brown is then able to see his true self, without any persona and hence, is able to think divergently. Father Brown is the hero of the story since he is the one who explains the mystery. The readers are then more likely to idolize Brown than Seymour and Cutler. Chesterton therefore promotes divergent thinking by the use of the mirrors along with the characters because the mirrors make the readers realise that it is better to think outside the box like Father Brown.
The importance of divergent thinking is reflected through the characters in Chesterton’s work. The singularity of Father Brown as a detective that reveals the divergent thinking process of Chesterton; the surprising denouements in which Father Brown, the most unexpected mystery solver, solves the crime; and the meaningful presence of the mirrors that affects the characters in The Man In The Passage convincing the readers to believe that it is better to think divergently, demonstrate that Chesterton uses his characters to promote divergent thinking.
Works Cited
Chesterton, G.K. ‘‘Blue Cross’’ The Innocence of Father Brown. The Pennsylvania State University, 2005, 4-22. Print
Chesterton, G.K. ‘‘The Man In The Passage’’ Read Book Online. N. p., n. d. Web 20 Sep. 2013.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. ‘‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band.’’ Sherlock Holmes Stories. N. p., n. d. Web. 20 Sep. 2013.
Poe, Edgar Allen. ‘‘The Murders In The Rue Morgue.’’ Pink Monkey. N. p., n. d. Web. 20 Sep. 2013.
The otherness of Chesterton’s protagonist detective, Father Brown, shows the importance that Chesterton gives to divergent thinking through characterization. Compared to Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Poe’s Dupin, Father Brown stands out from the other detective. Sherlock Holmes affirms that the death of the murder does not ‘‘weigh very heavily up [his] conscience’’ (Doyle 12). His carelessness about the death shows that he does not have any empathy and he only cares about solving the crime. Furthermore, Holmes is a well-educated person as Watson affirms (c.f. Doyle 1). As for Dupin, he also seems to be a well-educated person since he is looking for a ‘‘very rare and very remarkable volume’’ (Poe 4). Additionally, he is part of the royalty since his title is ‘‘Chevalier’’ (Poe 4). Both Holmes and Dupin are seen as intellectual people ranked in the upper class of the society. Father Brown is however is described in Blue Cross as ‘‘a very short Roman Catholic priest’’ with a ‘‘face as round and dull as a Norfolk dumpling’’ (Chesterton 6). Beside Brown’s contrasting appearance, Brown is also different from the other detectives psychologically. He has empathy for the criminal and focuses much more on the people rather than on the solving of the mystery: he is more focused on the relationship between Parkinson and Aurora in The Man In The Passage than he is focused on the crime (c.f. Chesterton 13). Father Brown is then the most other character compared to Holmes and Dupin, famous detectives from other authors, since his personality differs from those of Holmes and Dupin, and his physical appearance does not reflect the one of a credible and ‘‘real’’ detective. Father Brown as a detective confirms that a detective is not only limited to be a highly intellectual person who is only interested in solving mystery. Chesterton’s choice to characterize Brown as an empathetic priest with an outstanding physical appearance shows that divergent thinking can be applied to one of the most important element of a detective fiction: the characterization of the protagonist detective. The otherness of Father Brown in Chesterton’s works therefore demonstrates that Chesterton promotes divergent thinking by the medium of his characters since Father Brown is a unique type of detective that does not share the same usual characteristics that other more common detectives have.
Chesterton also illustrates the importance of divergent thinking in the characters through the contribution of the characters to the denouement of Blue Cross and The Man In The Passage. Father Brown admits that he knew about Flambeau’s plan from the beginning of Blue Cross when Valentin is close from catching Flambeau (c.f. Chesterton 19). He also affirms that Parkinson is the murderer and explained the motive of the murder in The Man In The Passage at the end of the story (c.f. Chesterton 13). In both of Chesterton’s works, Father Brown only appears as an active character during the denouement of the short story. Before the denouement, famous and recognized characters are presented to the readers. Sir Wilson Seymour and Captain Cutler in The Man In The Passage are instances of characters that are described as ‘‘handsome, capable and popular’’. They are both ‘‘incomparable kind’’ (Chesterton 1). Valentin in Blue Cross is ‘‘the most famous investigator of the world’’ (Chesterton 4). The titles of the characters presented at the beginning of the story are all prestigious and impressive. The readers’ mind is then converged to think that the prestigious characters will solve the mystery since it is often someone who is highly ranked in the society or has a special kind of intelligence, Sherlock Holmes for instance, who solves the mystery. Father Brown however surprises the readers by solving the mystery in the denouement. Father Brown’s physical description and social class are inferior to the ones of the first characters in the stories. The unexpected appearance of Father Brown’s active role at such an advanced stage of the story makes the readers realise that their minds were converged in only one direction and that divergent thinking could have make them realise the importance of Father Brown before the denouement. The contrast between the characters of Father Brown and the prestigious characters, along with Chesterton’s trap leading to a surprising denouement therefore shows that Chesterton encourages divergent thinking through his characters.
The meaningful presence of the mirror in Chesterton’s The Man In The Passage confirms that Chesterton promotes divergent thinking by the use of characters. Sir Wilson Seymour in The Man In The Passage describes the murderer as someone who does not look like ‘‘a woman and yet [is] not quite a man’’ (Chesterton 11). Captain Cutler thinks the murderer looks more ‘‘like a chimpanzee’’ (Chesterton 11). Both men actually saw themselves in a mirror. They however did not recognize themselves, yet Father Brown did recognize himself (c.f. Chesterton 12). The descriptions of the two famous and handsome men are opposite to their description at the beginning of the story. Such situation reveals a message. Seymour and Cutler are used to be seen as handsome, powerful, intelligent, and famous. However, when surprised in a situation when they ignored that they are looking at a mirror, they see someone other than their built persona. The two men therefore do not think divergently since they are unable to see their true selves and are absorbed by the constructed persona that they have in the society. Contrastingly, Father Brown recognized himself. Father Brown is then able to see his true self, without any persona and hence, is able to think divergently. Father Brown is the hero of the story since he is the one who explains the mystery. The readers are then more likely to idolize Brown than Seymour and Cutler. Chesterton therefore promotes divergent thinking by the use of the mirrors along with the characters because the mirrors make the readers realise that it is better to think outside the box like Father Brown.
The importance of divergent thinking is reflected through the characters in Chesterton’s work. The singularity of Father Brown as a detective that reveals the divergent thinking process of Chesterton; the surprising denouements in which Father Brown, the most unexpected mystery solver, solves the crime; and the meaningful presence of the mirrors that affects the characters in The Man In The Passage convincing the readers to believe that it is better to think divergently, demonstrate that Chesterton uses his characters to promote divergent thinking.
Works Cited
Chesterton, G.K. ‘‘Blue Cross’’ The Innocence of Father Brown. The Pennsylvania State University, 2005, 4-22. Print
Chesterton, G.K. ‘‘The Man In The Passage’’ Read Book Online. N. p., n. d. Web 20 Sep. 2013.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. ‘‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band.’’ Sherlock Holmes Stories. N. p., n. d. Web. 20 Sep. 2013.
Poe, Edgar Allen. ‘‘The Murders In The Rue Morgue.’’ Pink Monkey. N. p., n. d. Web. 20 Sep. 2013.