Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift - Essay Example

Jerry Ciacho April 30, Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift “Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships,” much more known basically as “Gullivers Travels” is an 18th century novel by Anglo-Irish author and cleric Jonathan Swift, also referred to as Dean Swift. This novel is both a satirical work about the nature of humans and a parody of the "tales of explorers" literary sub-category. It is also one of, if not Jonathan Swifts most well known complete work, and has been a staple classic of English literature. The book immediately became widespread as soon as it was printed out. Since that time, it has never been out of print. In the Victorian Web, it summarizes well the very purpose and theme of the book declaring, “Gullivers Travels is a misanthropic anatomy of human nature; a sardonic looking-glass. It asks its readers to refute it, to deny that it has not adequately characterized human nature and society. Each of the four books has a different theme, but all are attempts to deflate human pride.” The story starts off with a short introduction in which the central character, Lemuel Gulliver, provides a concise summary of his life and the past he experienced previously before his voyages. He take pleasure in travelling, though it is that very penchant of travelling that brings about his downfall. In his first journey, Gulliver is carried on shore after their ship is destroyed and realizes that he has become a captive of a nation of miniature people who are residents of the island nation referred to as Lilliput. He later assures the people that he is harmless and is of good moral behavior. Soon enough, he gains the minute race their trust and confidence. Thus, they later provided a dwelling in Lilliput and eventually, Gulliver turns out to become a favorite of the court. Gulliver helps the Lilliputians out to appease their neighbors, which are called the Blefuscudians, by robbing their group of ships. Nonetheless, he was unwilling to downgrade the island state of Blefuscu to a mere province of Lilliput. This greatly upsets and displeases both the King and the court of law. Gulliver is then accused with treason and they sentence to blind him. With the help and aid of a good friend, Gulliver successfully makes an escape to Blefuscu. There, he finds and recovers an discarded boat and goes out to sea. A passing ship then rescues Gulliver, bringing him safely back to his home. When the seafaring ship called Adventure steers adrift because of the raging storms, they are left with no choice but to go in to land for the need of fresh water. Unfortunately, his companions desert and leave Gulliver behind. A farmer, who is approximately seventy-two feet tall, in contrast to the minute size of the Lilliputians, finds him. He decides to bring Gulliver home and the farmer’s daughter takes care of Gulliver. The farmer thinks of him as an oddity and displays Gulliver for profit. The word gets out reaching the Queen of Brobdingnag who desires to see this show. She comes to watch and immediately loves Gulliver. She brings him with her and is kept as among the favorites at court. In the middle of minor adventures, he discourses the state of Europe with the King. The King does not like Gullivers descriptions of Europe to him, particularly upon learning of their usage of weapons and cannons. During a trip to the coastal area, an enormous eagle snatches his “travelling box”, the little box that was his dwelling in Brobdingnag. The eagle then lets Gulliver and his travelling box go right into the ocean where several sailors take him up and out and return him back to England once more. Yet after pirates unexpectedly attack Gulliver’s ship, he is stranded nearby an uninhabited rock-strewn island, neighboring India. Luckily, the hovering island of Laputa rescues him, a kingdom dedicated to mathematics and the art of music. However, they are not able to use them for worthwhile purposes. While there, he explores the country as the visitor of a subordinate courtier. He observes the devastation brought about by unsighted pursuit of science without any practical outcomes. Gulliver is then goes to Balnibarbi to anticipate a dealer who can bring him to Japan. As he is waiting for the voyage, Gulliver makes a decision to take a small side-trip to Glubbdubdrib, a nearby island. After arriving in Japan, Gulliver then travels to Amsterdam and finally returns home, decided to remain there for the rest of his life. In spite of his previous intention of just staying at home, Gulliver decides to return out to the sea again, this time as the captain of a merchantman because he is tired and uninterested with his occupation as a surgeon. During this expedition, Gulliver is left with no choice but to look for new additions to his crew. They turn out to be pirates who persuade the other crewmembers to rebellion. He, yet another time, is abandoned and encounters first upon a group of gruesome distorted and violent hominoid beings to which he regards a violent detestation for. Soon afterward, he encounters a horse and finds out that these horses call themselves the Houyhnhnms. He also discovers that they are the leaders, whereas the malformed beings referred to as Yahoos are human individuals in their squalid form. Gulliver becomes a part of the horses household, and develops a great admiration for them. He tries to imitate the Houyhnhnms and their way of living, discarding his fellow human beings as simply Yahoos. However, an Assembly of the Houyhnhnms decides Gulliver as a dangerous threat to their civilization, and banishes him. He is thenceforward saved, against his will, by a ship, and is astonished to realize that a Yahoo is a prudent, well-mannered and big-hearted person. He returns back to his home in England, and turns into an outsider, staying in his house, generally evading his family and his wife, and devoting numerous hours a day communicating with the horses in his stables. This novel uses unrefined metaphors to depict and portray human dishonesty and corruption, and the Houyhnhms symbolize not only perfected character but also with it, the emotional emptiness. Gulliver, throughout the story, greatly reflects on many different aspects of society, on politics, and of the attitude of humans compared to the characters he meets in the book. In one part he says, "This made me reflect how vain an attempt it is for a man to endeavor doing himself honor among those who are out of all degree of equality or comparison with him. And yet I have seen the moral of my own behavior very frequent in England since my return, where a little contemptible varlet, without the least title to birth, person, wit, or common sense, shall presume to look with importance, and put himself upon a foot with the greatest persons of the kingdom." (Part Two. Chapter 5. Swift) These reflections and strong opinions have caused quite a lot of controversy. By highlighting the six-inch stature of the Lilliputians, he vividly belittles the standing of politicians and certainly the importance of all human nature. Swifts cunning way of expressing this was exceedingly a great success. His book was extremely popular to audiences of all ages because it was both a persuasive and captivating adventure story and a conundrum. The book’s readers were keen to ascertain the numerous characters and discourse their findings, and, consequently, many saw politics and political figures from a fresh new viewpoint. Within the broad scheme of Gullivers Travels, Gulliver seems to be an average man in eighteenth-century England. He is concerned with family and with his job, yet the pigmies that politics and political theorizing make of people confront him. Gulliver is utterly incapable of the stupidity of the Lilliputian politicians, which greatly contrasts us. We are always aware of the difference between the imperfect moral life of Gulliver, and the petty and stupid political life of emperors, prime ministers, and informers. Swifts argument is strong and solid: Such standardizing is an expression of arrogant rationalism. The Laputans reflect so theoretically that they have drifted hold of their own common sense. They are so engrossed in their concepts and ideas that they even serve food in musical and mathematical shapes. In contrast, The Houyhnhnms are extremely sensible. They have all the qualities that the Deists and stoics supported. They are very fluent; they act honorably, and have unpretentious laws. They do not squabble since all know what is right and true. Although they are very reasonable and judicious, they have no emotion or feeling. They are undisturbed by politics, lust, or greed. They act from indistinguishable kindness. Gullivers Travels was very unique and inimitable during its day. It was not written and published to persuade or amuse. Instead, it was an accusation, and it was most prevalent among those who were accused in the book and those are the politicians, philosophers, scientists, and the people from England in general. Gullivers Travels was a great piece of literary work written by someone who had been writing satires, using them as his channel for more than twenty-five years. His life was one of incessant dissatisfaction and frustration, and satire was his grievance and his shield against his adversaries and against humanity. Works Cited "Gullivers Travels: An Introduction." The Victorian Web. n.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2012. Swift, Jonathan, Donald Lemke, Benny Fuentes, and Cynthia Martin. Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels. Minneapolis: Stone Arch Books, 2008. Print. Brady, Frank. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Gullivers Travels; A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1968. Print. Dickinson, H. T.. Politics and Literature in the Eighteenth Century. London: N.J. Rowman and Littlefield, 1974. Print. Firth, C. H.. The Political Significance of Gullivers Travels. London: Oxford University Press, 1919. Print. Higgins, Ian. Swifts Politics: A Study in Disaffection. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print. Knowles, Ronald. Gullivers Travels: The Politics of Satire. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1996. Print. Phelps, Phil Reagan. Politics, Government, and Man in Swifts 1710-1714 Writings and Gullivers Travels. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms, 1976. Print. Smith, Frederick N.. The Genres of Gullivers Travels. Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1990. Print. Vogel, Malvina, and Jonathan Swift. Gullivers Travels. New York: Baronet Bks., 1995. Print. Read More