Father Brown is a fictional detective character created by G. K. Chesterton which gained a lot of appreciation from its readers. G. K. Chesterton is well known for writing various short stories and for creating the character Father Brown; he was inspired by a parish priest named Father John O’Connor.
Father Brown was a stumpy priest in Essex who started working in London in later years of his life. The series featuring Father Brown as detective has exposed him as a character wearing baggy clothes holding an umbrella with a supernatural way of seeing the darker side of the people.
Introduction
The first ever appearance of Father Brown as a private detective was in the novel ‘The Blue Cross’ which continued till five volumes and was highly cherished by readers. All the volumes have depicted a clear image of Father Brown who deals with crimes in an unusual manner. He reflects upon each and every detail of the case that can link him to the actual criminal and help him to prove innocence of the suspect. As a priest and a confessor, Father Brown becomes very sharp in judging people and his experience of years helps him to solve even the most complicated and mysterious cases.
Many readers also feel that abilities of Father Brown as an investigator have been shaped up right because of his immense experience as a priest and closeness to god. In novel ‘The Blue Cross’, father Brown says that he has been listening to the real sins of people which makes him quite aware of the evil inside a human. Father Brown constantly devotes time in investigating cases so as to find out the real criminal. Most of the cases that he solves clearly reflect his emphasizes on rationality that is, considering all the evidences and proofs in a systematic manner so that finding the actual offender becomes quite clear.
Father Brown as an Individual
Father Brown is a very modest character, both as a priest and as an investigator who remains quiet most of the times. He is not in a habit of discussing the case with people around, but when he speaks something regarding the case, it is always thoughtful and has a deep meaning. He handles the crime cases very steadily and is capable enough of solving the case, no matter how complex it may be. Apart from solving mysteries, Father Brown also describes Chesterton’s view in his own words in most of the books which is an interesting part. He also keeps his point of view in a very unique manner which enhances the interest of the reader in the story.
The philosophies and spiritual aspect of Father Brown always facilitates him to solve the difficult mysteries as well and this was something which made his character very popular among people. Chesterton was greatly inspired by Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and this has been clearly depicted by his character Father Brown. The increasing popularity of Father Brown led the character to commence with movies, as well like ‘Father Brown Detective’ and ‘The Adventures of Father Brown’ to name a few.
