I just finished
The Man Who Was Thursday by Chesterton. It was wild, wooly, and wonderful. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life reading and rereading Chesterton.
"Then, and again and always," went on Syme like a man talking to himself, "that has been for me the mystery of Sunday, and it is also the mystery of the world. When I see the horrible back, I am sure the noble face is but a mask. When I see the face but for an instant, I know the back is only a jest. Bad is so bad that we cannot but think good an accident; good is so good that we feel certain that evil could be explained....
"Listen to me," cried Syme with extraordinary emphasis. "Shall I tell you the secret of the whole world? It is that we have only known the back of the world. We see everything from behind, and it looks brutal. That is not a tree, but the back of a tree. That is not a cloud, but the back of a cloud. Cannot you see that everything is stooping and hiding a face? If we could only get round in front--"
When God is hidden behind the mask of a contrary appearance, faith is tested. One day we shall see face to face, and faith shall have its reward.
2 comments:
I read that book in January, Matt, and loved it...except I'm not sure I got everything at the end. Great story and cool idea, but I think I missed some of it.
The ending is strange, like many of Chesterton's novels. I don't get it all either. I guess I'll just have to take another crack at it next time.
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