The overall tone of The Man Who Was Thursday is witty, light, and philosophical. The book's depiction of Thursday and the other bumbling detectives is humorous, even as it supports their fight against anarchism. Take, for example, the passage below from the novel's opening, in which the narrator paints the portrait of life in an orderly, unassuming neighborhood:
That young man with the long, auburn hair and the impudent face—that young man was not really a poet; but surely he was a poem. That old gentleman with the wild, white beard and the wild, white hat—that venerable humbug was not really a philosopher; but at least he was the cause of philosophy in others.
This depiction of ordinary people living their daily lives outlines, with a humorous touch, the stakes at the heart of the novel’s central conflict between order and chaos, civilization and anarchy. This is the world—and these are the people—that Syme seeks to protect.
As Syme and the other detectives find themselves further embroiled in their wild goose chase against the anarchists, the novel grows more absurd. Likewise, the tone takes on an even more meandering and theoretical quality, as during Syme’s deliberately nonsensical attack on the Marquis in Chapter 10. By the end of the novel, however, Chesterton reveals the entire story to be a fantasy enacted so that Syme may reckon with anarchism and his faith in a higher power. Syme’s renewed faith in goodness results in a final, lightened shift in the novel’s tone:
But Syme could only feel an unnatural buoyancy in his body and a crystal simplicity in his mind that seemed to be superior to everything that he said or did. He felt he was in possession of some impossible good news, which made every other thing a triviality, but an adorable triviality.
With this final reveal at the end of Chapter 15, the tone softens with the satisfaction that Syme is finally secured on the side of good and of God.
The overall tone of The Man Who Was Thursday is witty, light, and philosophical. The book's depiction of Thursday and the other bumbling detectives is humorous, even as it supports their fight against anarchism. Take, for example, the passage below from the novel's opening, in which the narrator paints the portrait of life in an orderly, unassuming neighborhood:
That young man with the long, auburn hair and the impudent face—that young man was not really a poet; but surely he was a poem. That old gentleman with the wild, white beard and the wild, white hat—that venerable humbug was not really a philosopher; but at least he was the cause of philosophy in others.
This depiction of ordinary people living their daily lives outlines, with a humorous touch, the stakes at the heart of the novel’s central conflict between order and chaos, civilization and anarchy. This is the world—and these are the people—that Syme seeks to protect.
As Syme and the other detectives find themselves further embroiled in their wild goose chase against the anarchists, the novel grows more absurd. Likewise, the tone takes on an even more meandering and theoretical quality, as during Syme’s deliberately nonsensical attack on the Marquis in Chapter 10. By the end of the novel, however, Chesterton reveals the entire story to be a fantasy enacted so that Syme may reckon with anarchism and his faith in a higher power. Syme’s renewed faith in goodness results in a final, lightened shift in the novel’s tone:
But Syme could only feel an unnatural buoyancy in his body and a crystal simplicity in his mind that seemed to be superior to everything that he said or did. He felt he was in possession of some impossible good news, which made every other thing a triviality, but an adorable triviality.
With this final reveal at the end of Chapter 15, the tone softens with the satisfaction that Syme is finally secured on the side of good and of God.
