Taking a new perspective

“Bad is so bad that we cannot but think good an accident; good is so good that we feel certain evil cannot be explained.” (Pg 102)

The detectives’ impression of their President Sunday changes dramatically through out the course of the book. Syme comes to the realization that he has only been looking at him from his back, and not seeing him for what he truly is-by his face. When they see Sunday only for his back, in his great monstrous form, it is assumed that his face will be just as horrid. This is Chesterton’s optimistic view of the whole universe summed up into one fictional character. He is suggesting we are not seeing the world for what it truly is, and all the mysteries can be answered by taking this new perspective. We are only seeing the evil, and not looking any further. By taking this new perspective Chesterton believes we will see the good side, and see that it is no accident but a purposeful pattern. The Man Who Was Thursday challenges anarchist views that the world was ruled by chaos and any good is an exception. Through each member represented by a different day of the week, Chesterton proves his argument that there is an order in which we live our lives.