Introduction: A Piece of Chalk
This essay “A Piece of Chalk”, exhibits much of the style and subject matter for which G. K. Chesterton became famous. His favoured mode of expressing ideas was through the use of paradox, what he described as truth standing on her head to attract our attention and in “A Piece of Chalk” we can find that very much in play. The tensions between being in nature and expressing the idea of it; of colour and the absence of colour; of landscape and object. He does it all with his characteristic brevity and humour, and the result is a piece that’s accessible to everyone even if they don’t happen to be sitting in the English countryside.
Summary of the Essay
The narrator begins by recalling one summer morning where he decided to obtain some brown paper and used his chalk to draw old and mystical pictures. He goes on to represent each colour of chalk as a legend or virtue. As he realizes that he forgot his white chalk, he shows why it is the most important colour and explains what it symbolizes.
In A Piece of Chalk by G. K. Chesterton, we have the theme of desire, prudence, resilience, happiness, independence and ingenuity and very early on in the essay, the reader realises that Chesterton may be exploring the theme of desire. Chesterton wishes to walk out on the fields and do some drawing. Not the typical drawing of the animals in the fields but more mystical creatures that he can draw up from his memory. The only problem is that Chesterton has no brown paper and he has to ask his landlady for the paper and she generously obliges Chesterton. Who in his own mind has a different type of landscape that he intends to draw. This could be significant as Chesterton by drawing or pulling from the mystic is highlighting his independence when it comes to what others might draw. He sees it pointless to draw the landscape and is much more interested in drawing other things. Things that he thinks are more valuable and are more realistic to his needs. Under no circumstances does Chesterton simply wish to draw the landscape as everybody else seems to do so.
Chesterton does encounter one slight problem and that is the fact that he has no white chalk with him. However, by using his own ingenuity he breaks off pieces of rock and begins to draw the sky in front of him on the little piece of brown paper. Though some critics might suggest that Chesterton is defeating the purpose of his plan to avoid painting the landscape. He is left with no other alternative. Which may be the point that Chesterton is attempting to make. He may be suggesting that at times a man can only do the best that they can with the tools at their disposal. If anything Chesterton is being prudent rather than going on a search for a piece of white chalk which he knows he will not find. Chesterton appears to be doing the best he can in a very difficult situation which may leave some readers to suggest that Chesterton is resilient. If anything Chesterton does not allow himself to be beaten by the fact that he has no white chalk.
What is also interesting about the story is how determined Chesterton is to not paint a landscape like the masters who have come before him. He wants his piece of art to be defining and original. A piece that some may look at and not necessarily see what is drawn. A precursor for many pieces of art. It takes a person a while to understand what has been drawn. In this way, Chesterton is showing his uniqueness. He is following his own lead and allowing himself to be independent of others. As to whether others will appreciate Chesterton’s drawing is another thing. Though the reader suspects that once Chesterton is happy that is all that matters. Chesterton really walks his own path; a path that is not influenced by others. Which would further suggest that Chesterton is independent of others. He does not necessarily rely on their opinion or what they might think. He is comfortable in his own skin. A point further noticeable by Chesterton’s desire to walk in the fields on his own.
The end of the story is also interesting as Chesterton may succumb to normality when he is using the pieces of white rock to draw the landscape. He needs to fill his page in order for the drawing to make sense. This may be significant as Chesterton may feel that a landscape after all is an important part of the imagery of a drawing. Without a landscape, the drawing may look no more like doodles and ever the perfection Chesterton draws the sky white by using the pieces of rock. He knows he has no choice but to do so but the abundance of the white rock around him in the field is ideal for his purposes. Giving his drawing the shape it needs and hopefully a fuller explanation to those who view the drawing. So happy is Chesterton after he finishes the drawing that he compares the white rock to the white chalk and sees no difference. He may have started out without a piece of white chalk but the end is different. Through his ingenuity and resilience, Chesterton has managed to finish his drawing. A drawing he himself is proud of and one expects that others will be proud of too. Chesterton has taken what could have been a tortuous day and turned it into a day of ingenuity and happiness.
General Meaning of the Piece of Chalk
It was a nice cheerful morning when the clear sky looked blue, and the sunshine lighted up everything in the surroundings. Mr Chesterton was on a summer holiday. He had nothing to do at his home. Perhaps, the urge to try to do something creative had gripped him. Wearing a hat and holding a walking stick, he set out on a long walk. Perhaps, he vaguely wanted to draw something. So, he picked up six bright-coloured chalks, kept them in his pocket and set out.
On the way winding through a village in Sussex, he realized that he had not brought any paper with him. There was a home nearby. He went inside and found a genial elderly woman busy in her kitchen. She appeared an ordinary person busy in her mundane duties. From her appearance, the author judged that the woman was rather plain, simple, and not quite interested in any type of intellectual pursuits. The author has used the words ‘square and sensible’ to express the initial impression the woman created in the author’s mind. He asked her if she had a piece or two of brown paper. The woman was more than helpful. Assuming that the visitor wanted the paper for packaging some items, she gave a nice lecture about the tenacity and strength of the paper she was offering. The author politely said that he wanted to draw something on it, and so, the ability of the paper to hold the colour put on it was more important than its toughness.
The author proceeded to explain why he needed the paper. He said the paper ought to be something like the October woods or beer, or like the way, the earth must have looked when it was first created. Quite apparently, all these ideas didn’t quite register in the woman’s mind. She was too worldly and ordinary a person to understand the author. She just gave the paper and the author kept it in his pocket. By that time, he was lost in the thoughts of how important are the things people keep in their pockets, as the little pocket knife. He remembered how he had planned to write a poem about the possessions in his pocket, but abandoned the idea because the poem would have been too long for modern-day readers.
With the piece of paper and the chalks in his pocket, he started his walk. He walked o and on over long distances. Then he looked around for a place to sit down and draw. He never knew the urge to draw Nature would come to him. Instead, he toyed with the idea of drawing some random things like devils, ghosts, saints in their robes, or some such mythical characters. The author was thinking of things he could draw. He finally drew a cow, but it was so strange with seven horns. He wanted to draw the landscape, but the crayon he carried with him was not ideal to draw one. But, he was fascinated by the landscape around him. Wordsworth was a lover of Nature. He wrote many immortal poems based on Nature. Humans, in all ages, have loved Nature. So, to assume that Wordsworth was the first to discover the beauty of Nature is not correct.
The great old thinkers and intellectuals who lived in this world before Wordsworth preferred to write about myriad abstract things, from literature to philosophy to science. Possibly, they found writing on these subjects more stimulating than writing on Nature. However, the fact remains that they went to the hilltops to write about their ideas. The solitude of the place fascinated them. They were engrossed in Nature deeply but expressed their feelings about Nature much less. They used to stare at the falling white snow for great lengths of time, but they expressed it by just drawing a holy virgin in a white robe. In the same way, they used to look at the vast expanse of greenery all around them, but when it came to expressing their impression, they drew a Robin Hood in his green attire. They endlessly gaped at the vast blue skies, but it translated into a Virgin in her blue robes. Thus, Nature, like the rays of Sun (like the sunbeams) shrouded the thinkers, but the effect was spiritual (like the Apollo).
When the author found a rock to sit on and began to draw, he discovered that he had left the white chalk piece behind at home. The white-coloured chalk is indispensable for drawing. For painters and painting lovers, white is the colour to express a positive feeling, especially if the drawing was to be made on brown paper. So, its use is sp crucial for drawing on brown papers. Sadly, the author didn’t have it. White colour may appear to the layman as no colour, but it registers itself so conspicuously on brown paper. The use of white colour on the brown background has a powerful visual effect.
A red pencil is used to paint a red rose and a white pencil is used to draw stars. In religious practices white symbolizes purity. So, in religious congregations, the priests wear white robes. Virtue is not the absence of vice, it is much more than that. White implies purity and good moral conduct. In the same way, ‘mercy’ is not sparing someone from harsh punishment. It is something different. It can be a plain and positive thing like the Sun that one could or couldn’t have seen.
Chastity does not mean upright behaviour in sexual matters. Chastity exudes something radiant and pure, like the Joan of Arc. God has created this world using many subtle and subdued colours, but He has not used anything in gorgeous colours. This is why He uses the white colour in his creations. The intent is to not heighten any hue. The author argues that such liking for subtleness makes people today wear clothing with sober colours, avoiding gaudy ones. He further argues that if white would be the colour of negative or non-committal feelings, people would wear white robes for funerals, not black dresses.
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The author sat there a little perplexed. He hadn’t got the piece of white chalk. It was a remote place with virtually no human habitation nearby. So, the possibility of buying or borrowing a piece of white chalk was not there. The author felt restless thinking that the picture he was drawing was going to be incomplete. Thus, the ideas that stood behind the picture he did were to remain wrapped forever. It would be a tragedy, he thought. It would be akin to thinking of a world with no good man in it. He stood up thinking of some innovative ways to get around this problem of the absence of white chalk. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he erupted into ceaseless laughter and euphoria.
He realized he was in a situation similar to a man standing in the Sahara desert and worrying about not having a palm of sand for his hourglass, or a man in the midst of an ocean worrying about not having a little saltwater to conduct his experiment. He found he was standing on a landscape made out of white chalk. It was so foolish, therefore, to be so concerned about a piece of chalk when he stood on a virtual field of white chalk. He picked up a chunk of the white chalk piece from the ground and proceeded to complete his drawing using it to fill the places. He was overwhelmed with a sense f fulfilment. His drawing was now complete. His ideas and thoughts had found expression on the brown paper. He admiringly looked around and felt that Southern England was such a rich place. It was a piece of chalk!
Analysis of A Piece of Chalk
After reading this essay, many of us might conclude that this is a drab, worthless piece written by a witless, jobless old man who meanders in the countryside on a Sunday morning. This is natural because the essay conceals so much more than it exhibits. How can a piece of ordinary white chalk and a sheet of brown kitchen paper push a man to depths of reflective thought? This appears quite puzzling.
Chesterton was a thinking man — a man with a very creative mind. He understood philosophy as much as he relished writing about sleuths. In fact, during his time, he was acclaimed as the most versatile thinker and writer of English literature.
In this essay, the ordinary brown paper may be likened to an ordinary common man we come across every day in our life. He can be a plain and simple man with novices. But, is it enough to lift him to an exalted position in society? The answer, invariably, is negative. The absence of vice keeps a man from straying, being caught on the wrong side of the law, facing social disgrace, ending up in jail etc. But, to deserve accolades from fellow humans, his life must have something else in his life. What is this mysterious element? This is what many people look around for, and feel frustrated with when they don’t find it. This is the missing element. It can be a rare spark of literary or scientific talent, a gift of spirituality, some exemplary leadership quality, some entrepreneurial acumen etc. These are there in abundance all around us, but we, somehow, miss them in our lives. Through this failure, we miss a great chance to elevate ourselves before our peers and society, at large.
Chesterton alludes to this intriguing element through his white piece of chalk. In the countryside, the white limestone is to be found everywhere, but he was so crestfallen for not having brought it from his home. After some looking around, he finds to his great delight and amusement that he was standing there right on a large piece of white stone. He breaks a small lump of it and proceeds to complete his drawing on the brown paper. The painting gets completed. The morning’s work is accomplished.
While reading Chesterton’s essays, one must bear in mind that he was a true humanist. So, one should try to delve into his writings and discover the inner message he wants to convey. Only after one sees the inner meaning, the greatness of this essayist can be understood. For all English lovers, Chesterton is a role model for writing humorous, but fecund essays that hold relevance for all of us in our daily lives.
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