Mr Pearce takes a look at the wonder and awe with which GKC viewed the world.
By Joseph Pearce
He doesn’t merely see trees, or
clouds or sky; he sees glorious creatures charged with what Gerard
Manley Hopkins called the grandeur of God. He sees that seeing is itself
a miracle. “Give me miraculous eyes to see my eyes,” he writes. “Those
rolling mirrors made alive in me, terrible crystals more incredible,
than all the things they see.”
For Chesterton, man is a miraculous
creature living in a miraculous cosmos. We don’t live in the best of all
possible worlds, he insists, but the best of all impossible
worlds. The most unbelievable fairy story imaginable is far less
fabulous or fantastic than the real world of wonders in which we find
ourselves. Whereas the most astonishing stories ever told were imaginable because someone had actually imagined them, the world in which we live is unimaginable
because no human mind could have imagined the menagerie of multifarious
creatures which inhabit the miracle of space and time which we also
inhabit. To see as we are meant to see is to see ourselves as characters
in the most wonderful story ever told; a story which is still being
told and will be told forever. To see things in this way is to see as
Chesterton sees; it is to be more astonished when we walk through the
wardrobe from Narnia into our own world than when we had gone through
the wardrobe in the other direction. It’s not a question of believing in
miracles but believing that we are ourselves miracles in a miraculous
work of art.
This way of seeing things was at the
very heart of everything that Chesterton wrote. Not only did he see
things in this way, he wanted his readers to see things in this way
also. He wanted us to open our eyes to the world of wonders which
surrounds us. In order to bring about this awakening, he employed the
art of paradox to shock us into seeing things. Thus, for instance, the
character of Innocent Smith in Chesterton’s novel Manalive
shows us the deep wisdom inherent in true innocence, or what might be
called the childlike qualities necessary for the attainment of the
Kingdom of Heaven. This intrinsic wisdom of innocence is contrasted with
the willful naïveté of cynicism. The symbolically named Innocent Smith
is misunderstood because his innocence is inaccessible to those around
him. He is so innocent that they think he must be guilty and so honest
that they believe he must be lying. The novel is, therefore, a
meditation on the nature and supernature of sanctity and serves as an
exposition of the reasons that saints are misunderstood by sinners and
are indeed often martyred by them.
This paradoxical juxtaposition of wisdom
and innocence was at the heart of Chesterton’s characterization of
Father Brown, the priest detective who solves crimes because he sees
with the humility which opens the eyes to reality, as distinct from
those who fail to see because their eyes are blinded by the pride which
leads to prejudice. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the first
volume of Father Brown stories was entitled The Innocence of Father Brown, nor that a later volume was entitled The Wisdom of Father Brown.
There is, however, another aspect of
Chesterton’s legacy which should not be overlooked. His eyes, opened in
wonder with a sense of gratitude which is the fruit of deep humility,
were also open to the rational proofs for God’s existence. He insisted
at all times on the indissoluble marriage of faith and reason,
endeavouring to show how reason leads us to an understanding of the
Divine presence in the cosmos. He does so with wit and wisdom, and with
clarity and charity, in a manner which is charming and disarming,
showing us in his life and work the synonymous nature of sanity and
sanctity. His omnivorous approach to truth-telling leads us to God
whether we are reading one of his novels or poems, or one of his essays
or biographies. Chesterton can start with a piece of chalk and lead us
to God. He can be running after his hat and find that he is running
after God. He can discuss Dickens and find God, or write history as
though it’s His Story. This is the real wonder of G.K. Chesterton. He is
a man alive because he is alive with the Life that gives life to man.
He is full of that joy which is the life of God in man, which
theologians call grace. He is full of the good news that allows him to
see the world as God sees it and to see that it is good.
Republished with gracious permission from the St. Austin Review (July/August 2019).
Editor’s Note: The featured image is a caricature of G.K. Chesterton, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
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