good, and does not want to end evil, or God is good but not powerful enough to end evil. Chesterton may have believed that he could arrive at a definitive answer through the writing process, but the conclusion betrays him. He does not offer a clear answer because he cannot offer a clear answer. The novel's end can be interpreted in many equally plausible and equally contradictory ways. During the events of the last chapter, the novel loses its moorings. The allegory breaks down, and Chesterton chases down the numerous strands of philosophical possibility in an attempt to hold the narrative together.
The novel, in fact, deconstructs itself in the conclusion. The in
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