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Chapter 3

A study of a book by GK Chesterton.

Chapter 3

Postby The Bigsleep J » February 2nd, 2006, 1:50 pm

When we last left Syme and Gregory both were on a boat-trip to the Moulin Rouge, both armed with a large basket of cottage cheese and port… Just kidding.

Syme had in the previous chapter revealed that he was a policeman and now Gregory wanted to kill him or turn him over but his reminded that both of them are in the same boat “and jolly seasick” too. Syme might die, but Gregory might at least be discredited as a reliable anarchist. But Syme can’t tell the police about all this either because of his oath, so both are snookered – both are in a situation where they have equal chances of loosing and winning. Syme (through clever talk) gets a seat at the meeting and soon the election is underway.

When Gregory delivers his speech is turns out to be a humanistic and kind speech, but many of the other anarchists don’t approve of the speech. It strikes them as being too kind, but they don’t really voice their disappointed. Syme however senses this and begins to impose himself on the anarchists with a speech so fiery and passionate that they elect him as Thursday despite the pleas of Gregory.

The chapter ends with Syme and Gregory speaking final words to each other. Syme says that Gregory is a gentlemen who has kept his word while the other only manages to call him a devil. Syme has the final word and went down to the dock, off to meet Sunday.

*****
And now some Disorganized thoughts

There is stark contrast between the Syme of the first two chapters and the Syme of chapter three and the rest of the book. In the first part Syme acts slightly like an idiot – a book learned fool who happens to stumble into a strange situation. In this chapter we learn that he is clever and quick-witted, the way he steers the anarchists to elect him as Thursday. Obviously the Syme of the first two chapters were only a mask, of Obviously the Syme of the first two chapters were only a mask, a clever deception to gain access to the Anarchists. But Syme did not plan being elected to Thursday at the beginning of the evening so he is literally willing to die for the cause where others would not have.

This chapter also has a lot of black humour, like Buttons saying that the attempts to bomb Brighton pier would have killed more people “under happier circumstances”. The last Thursday ironically also died “through his faith in a hygienic mixture of chalk and water as a substitute for milk, which beverage he regarded as barbaric, and as involving cruelty to the cow. Cruelty, or anything approaching to cruelty, revolted him always.” This ironic on many levels, seeing that he seems to care more for the cow than the people he’s blowing up. It reminds me of an incident where the director PETA sent a letter to Yasser Arafat complaining about a donkey being used in a suicide-bombing by Palestinians. The letter did not complain about the killing of innocent people but just about “leaving the animals out of this conflict.” She later commented on it stating “It is not my business to inject myself into human wars.” I wonder if this is not Chesterton poking his friend George Bernard Shaw, a vegetarian, in the ribs. Shaw, I heard, supported the Boer War (for instance) yet considered farming with animals cruel.

I think to some degree Gregory’s speech is a bit of an inconsistency. His speech doesn’t seem to reflect his rebellious spirit that came through so much in the two chapters and which comes forward in the last chapter as well. Its more like a pacifistic anarchist’s speech, not the insane sociopath who congregate underground in the book, nor those who meet at the Council of Days in Chapter 5 & 6 who speak of unspeakable horrors. In short, it does not really feel right.
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Re: Chapter 3

Postby Tuirgin » February 2nd, 2006, 6:36 pm

To read only children's books, treasure / Only childish thoughts, throw / Grown-up things away / And rise from deep sorrows.
-- Osip Mandelshtam, 1908
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re: Chapter 3

Postby magpie » February 3rd, 2006, 10:39 pm

"Love is the will to extend one's self in order to nurture one's own or another's spiritual growth."
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Gilbert and Chesterton

Postby Kanakaberaka » February 9th, 2006, 6:53 am

The thing which struck me most about this chapter is how both Syme and Gregory held true to a sense of honor. This reminded me of some of the opereta plots from Gilbert and Sullivan. For example, in The Pirates of Penzance Freddy remains loyal to the pirate captain he is apprenticed to even though he intends to fight against them after completing his training. Much to his chagrin, Freddy's birthday of February 29 complicates matters since he is required to remain an apprentice untill his 21st birthday rather than his 21st year!
Chesterton has set up a chess game between an anarchist and an undercover police officer in such a way that neither can give away his true identity. Holding true to one's honor under circumstances seems to be a uniquely British virtue. It seems to me that most other people would find a way to neutralize an opponent in spite of any promises given him. I could imagine Gregory pointing to Syme and telling his fellow anarchists that he had captured the policeman by trickery. And I would assume that such would be alllowed under such a situation in real life. Yet here we have an anarchist who has compromised his organization and a secret policeman who has blown his own cover. Could it be that Gabriel Syme was taking a deliberate chance by revealing his true identity to Gregory? Could Syme have intended the reaction he got from Gregory - the half hearted apologetic speach given to sooth Syme's suspicions about the anarchist? Gregory's speach was a blunder because it affected the other anarchists more than Syme. I am sure that Syme already had his mind made up about Gregory by this time. Syme seeing this opportunity exploited it by filling the room with the sort of fiery speech the anarchists have come to expect. By fulfilling their expectations he is given their trust. And Gregory is honor bound not to warn them of Syme's deception.
I love the punch line at the end of this chapter. When Syme compliments Gregory for keeping his word down to "a small particular". This sets Gregory off to ask in his confusion, "What did I promise you?". To which Syme replies "A very entertaining evening". And so it was for both Syme and us readers.
so it goes...
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Re: Chapter 3

Postby The Bigsleep J » February 9th, 2006, 7:15 am

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Re: re: Chapter 3

Postby The Bigsleep J » February 9th, 2006, 7:16 am

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Re: Gilbert and Chesterton

Postby The Bigsleep J » February 9th, 2006, 7:23 am

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Syme's Gambit

Postby Kanakaberaka » February 9th, 2006, 9:25 am

so it goes...
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re: Chapter 3

Postby Genie » February 9th, 2006, 10:01 am

Totus tuus

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Re: re: Chapter 3

Postby The Pfifltrigg » February 21st, 2006, 3:42 am

False ideas may be refuted indeed by argument, but by true ideas alone are they expelled. — Apologia Pro Vita Sua: Cardinal Newman
Freedom lost and then regained bites with deeper fangs than freedom never in danger. — Cicero
You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. — Ray Bradbury
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Malacandran Welcome

Postby Kanakaberaka » February 22nd, 2006, 12:33 am

Welcome aboard fellow hnau. And don't worry about any mis-spelling. I do it all the time myself. Is it on purpose though?
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re: Chapter 3

Postby The Pfifltrigg » February 24th, 2006, 9:03 pm

No, it's not: I just hadn't a copy of Silent Planet handy when I signed up, and it's been a couple of years since I read it. But as a lit-geek, I hate misspelling things. :lol: I suppose it helps to keep me brought down a peg. (Bigsleep J might recognize my avatar-pic: praise God for DVD screen-captures! ;) Strongbad rocks!)
False ideas may be refuted indeed by argument, but by true ideas alone are they expelled. — Apologia Pro Vita Sua: Cardinal Newman
Freedom lost and then regained bites with deeper fangs than freedom never in danger. — Cicero
You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. — Ray Bradbury
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