Gulliver
Jonathan Swift, a great satirist of his time, uses tools such as satire, caricature, exaggeration even parody and burlesque to openly and intentionally criticize the society he lived in. This is cleverly done through the account of 4 voyages made by his hero and narrator Lemuel Gulliver. Gulliver's Travels became popular posthumously and was almost disregarded during the 19th century. It is nowadays studied in literature classes as it is a great example of satire as well as a representation of Utopia. Swift defended moral values, which were not those of philosophers and scientists in the Enlightenment period. We will attempt to clarify what may have been Swift's intentions in writing Gulliver's Travels, simply a representation of his experience and philosophy or a description of Utopia, in reaction to the world he lived in. Gulliver's travels is a retrospective visit into 18th century society in England, during the reign of Queen Anne and during the reign of the Hanover dynasty. The four books each deal with four different topics: Lilliput, Broddingnag written from 1721 to 1725 aim at criticizing social and political life in England, the pettiness then the grotesque features of man. Laputa and the land of Yahoos and Houhnh
The utmost offend for Swift is finally pictured in the "trampling of the Crucifix"(p 208), this symbolizes the denial of religion and theology for mankind. ymns written later on are a deeper insight into human nature with a reflexion over the abuse and misuse of science and reason. His ingratitude towards the Emperor of Lilliput is a crime and being accused by Flimnap, Gulliver is punished. Houyhnhnms are ideally virtuous, they are perfections of nature, they are dispassionate, innocent, not subject to temptation, they do not lie and most importantly they have never fallen, in the Biblical sense. He unmercifully satirizes Europe opposing it with the government in Broddingnag, which principles rely on common sense, mercy and justice (chapter 7,book II). Here again Swift satirizes justice, its inequality and corruption. He again makes a reference to Robert Walpole, England's Prime Minister, through the character of Flimnap, the traitor (book I, chapter 7). They naturally identify themselves with Gulliver, as he is one of their kinds. Swift further explores the absurdity of modern science: in Luggnagg, philology and scholarship are condemned, in Balnibarbi, scientists lack pragmatism and in Struldbruggs, all experiments are vain, as they do not serve the common interest. In the 18th century Enlightenment period, reason and science were overly praised and gave the world a different perspective. However his reason perverts his judgement and he can only see a Yahoo in the person of Pedro de Mendez. When Gulliver is accused of treason, we see how unfair justice can sometimes be. Big-Endians represent Catholics and Small-Endians, Protestants. Swift was at first a member of the Whig party but soon turned to the Tories, which better suited his opinions and his social background. The progression is finely led with many hidden meanings and allusions meant to describe Utopia, an ideal world for an ideal man, certainly not concretely achievable yet abstractly conceivable.
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