On Running After One’s Hat by G.K. Chesterton summary and analysis

 

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”- Oscar Wilde

 

it's quite natural that in our day today life we encounter many  favourable as well as unfavourable situations. Every unfavourable situation whether it’s big or trivial, irritates most of us, most of the time. The essay On Running After One’s Hat G.K Chesterton sheds light on our attitude towards silly things in our daily routine. We start losing patience and getting irritated even for least significant things. We unnecessarily stress ourselves very often. Instead of doing so if we take these least important things lightly, we can get rid of this irritation and distress. For a better mental health one should  find happiness in tiny things  and enjoy every moments.

 

While encountering routine inconveniences, many people curse the system, the people concerned, the time, and even their own destiny and so on, on the other hand some of us who are fun loving, enjoy these moments. G.K. Chesterton’s essay ‘On Running After One’s Hat’ is enriched with humour.

 

In the essay On Running After One’s Hat G.K Chesterton talks about the difficulties and troubles of human life and the attitude we have to generate to face it. At the outset of the essay Chesterton expresses his extreme regret as London was flooded when he was away from the countryside. His town Battersea, when flooded, would have resembled Venice (such a beautiful sight). The butcher and the greengrocer must have brought things riding in boats. As far as a true optimist is concerned the distresses caused by the flood could be an opportunity for enjoyment. Whereas the ordinary people always complain about such situations.

 

Similarly, there are people who complain for waiting for a long time in railway stations but the children shall never engage in such activities. Maybe because it’s a place of astonishment for them, the red light and the green light are like the sun and the moon. Here, the narrator was like a boy. He had spent his most joyful hours in such places, especially Clapham junction. He had been there in his various moods being involved in deep thoughts.

 

There are many people who feel that it is uncomfortable to run after one’s hat. He wonders why people should feel so when people run much faster in games and other sports. When people say its shame to run after one’s hat., in other words, they mean it is ridiculous.

 

According to Chesterton, man is a comic creature. Most of the things that he does are comic. For example, making love. A man running after a hat is not half ridiculous as a man running after a wife. To avoid the shame, one feels when running after a hat, he can think of himself as a huntsman pursuing a wild animal.

 

When the narrator saw a man running after his hat in Hyde Park, he told him that he should be happy because he is giving a lot of pleasure to the crowd. The same principle can be applied to every other domestic worry such as removing a fly from the milk or getting a cork out of the glass of wine etc. In such circumstances people should think about the patience of the anglers (fisherman).

 

Chesterton knew people who were distressed over silly things. A friend of him was so distressed that way because his drawer was so tight, and he couldn’t pull it out. In situations like this one has to imagine that he is fighting against some powerful enemy, or pulling a lifeboat out of the sea.

 

According to Chesterton, one can enjoy the floods if she or he has a right attitude despite the fact that they cause some inconvenience.  In short, On Running after One’s Hat is a skilful effort. The essay depicts the psychological situation and status of human being. Everything has its own faces, but it depends on us and how we take them because everyone has his own view point and attitude driven by the different circumstances.

 

In this essay, Chesterton tries to express his view through examples. The small things as running, driving to open any jammed drawer, to wait for a train are common but irritating events amongst people. However, it can be made simpler and enjoyable to keep ourselves cheerful and delighted. To chase a ball or to chase a hat is not a different sport we regard to chase a ball as a good sport, while we think to chase a hat is funniest game.

 

Writing style of Chesterton

However, London was surrounded by the water, yet writer was trying to enjoy that moment to keep himself calm and by this method he wants to say that peace of mind made our decision more effective rather than aggressive mind. The writer has not raised any single character in this essay. He has shown the full picture of the society. His language is very simple and leaves an impression on our mind and compel to think about the problems of the society. He raises a question and answers himself.

 

The theme of this essay deals with the social problem; connecting personal life of people. As the essay begins, we come to know that London is struggling with the problem of flood, but writer visualizes the whole scene in a poetical method and then throw light on the small problem with this example.

 

After every paragraph, he presents a new incident and connects it with main story after a short while by using simple and familiar examples of every common man. He has used figures of speeches too, to clarify his statements as: “red light and green light on the signal are like a new sun and a new moon.”

 

His humoristic style to dictate the event is appraisable; “Their meditations may be full of Rich and fruitful things. Many of the most purple hours (valuable times) of my life have been passed at Clapham Junction.”  He gives a psychological and moral support to deal with our problems. Every example gives a solution to face bravely our problems without losing our temper. 

Chesterton, through his comic essay ‘On Running After One’s Hat’ tries to convince the people the significance of optimistic, positive, and comic attitude. He finds an opportunity of enjoyment even in small activity like ‘running after one’s hat’. He finds it a comic exercise. He states that most of the activities of men are comic. Just as eating, love making, and running after one’s wife. Through this essay he strongly conveys the message that if an inconvenience is rightly considered, it becomes a source of enjoyment. The question of pleasure or pain, convenience or inconvenience is attitudinal. A small inconvenience may be pleasure some if it is taken as an opportunity of amusement. 

 

Answer the following questions in Two or three sentences.

1.How does Chesterton describe Battersea  during the flood?

2. Why the small boys do not complain of being trapped in a railway station?

3. "They also serve who only stand and wait for the two fifteen"- Explain?

4. Chesterton's philosophy about the inconveniences of daily life?

5. What was the attitude of the writer towards the flood?

Answer the following in a paragraph

6.What is the philosophical position taken y the writer about the typical nuisance of daily life?

7.Why does Chesterton say that hat hunting will be the sport of the upper class in the future?

8. Explain the central theme of the essay?

9.comment about the prose style of G.K Chesterton?