A Critical Exposure of Fictional Illusion in Gulliver's Travels

NAME                      :        GOHIL HETALBA I.

ROLL NO.              :        12

M.A. SEM – I

SUB                          :        THE NEO-CLASSICAL LITERATURE

TOPIC                     :        A CRITICAL EXPOSURE OF

                                           FICTIONAL ILLUSION IN

                                           GULLERVER'S TRAVELS

SUBMITTED TO    :        Department of English

                                           Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji University

GUIDED BY            :        Dr. DILIP BARAD

                                           HEENABA ZALA

Ø    Introduction

Swift came from of an English family which had settled in Dublin of Ireland. He was born in Dublin on the 30^th November, 1667. He was let in the care of an uncle of his by his mother who returned to England. His uncle gave him the best education available in Ireland. At college, swift was often at war with the authorities, and he was not of a very studious turn of mind; but he got success in getting his degree in 1685. He was dominated by permission. He is the master of the concrete world; he knows how to witilize the concrete world. The concrete facts of experience, as well as he ideas, the sentiments, and the shades of meaning find expression in the most simple vigorous and straight – forward prose. A great variety of tone is achieved. The language is flexible to the most famous of all the works of swift. The full little of Swift’s famous work is Travels into several remote of the world in four parts, by lemuel Gulliver, first a surgeon and, then a captain of several ships.

Ø    Four Voyages in Brief

                   The book is divided into four parts which describes Gulliver’s voyage to different countries.

                   Part 1 describes Gulliver’s voyage to a country known as Lilliput and his experiences in that country. Part 2 describes his voyage to Brobdingnag and his experience. Part 3 deals with his voyage to some countries like Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg, and Japan. Part 4 tells about his voyage to the country of houghnhnms and the yahoos.

Ø   The Voyage to Lilliput in Part 1

                   In this part, religious and political division are humorously mingled. The foolishness of political and religious fantasy is exposed with the help of quarrels between the High – Hells and Low – Hells and between the Big – Endians and the Little – Endians where blood of thousands of people has been shed. When the emperor’s heels are described as lower than those of anybody else at the court, the reference is to the preference shown by King George. I to the Whigs. Many other allusions may also be traced. In addition to all this, some of Gulliver’s remarks, on the institutions of Lilliput serve as useful comments upon the legal policy of his own country, England: for instance when he mentions that the Lilliputians treated fraud as a great crime then stealing, and alludes to their policy in rewarding merits as well as punishing vice.

Ø   The Voyage to Brobdingnag in Part 2

                   In this Part of the novel, Swift shows as the people of immense stature. These people are gifted with a sound and cool judgment, look at the principle and politics of Europe. Here satire has general nature. Some particular references to political events; and no circumstances are mentioned which are not applicable to all place. While Lilliput was a land inhabited by pigmies or dwarfs, Brobdingnag is the land of giants or of persons of an immense stature.

Ø   The Voyage to Laputa in Part 3

                   In this Part, the abuses of science are the aim of satire. Swift’s target here are the projectors who, leaving their common sense behind them, wander into the vast regions of speculative philosophy. It is noticeable here that the satire is not aimed at true science but its hazards.

Ø   The Voyage to the Land of the Houyhnhnms and the yahoos in Part 4

                   In this Part the satire is intense. This Voyage represents mankind in a light too degraded for contemplation, and the satire is too exaggerated. The author succeeded in portraying the disgusting yahoos. The houyhnhnms, are devoid of all those tender passions and affections without which life become a burden. The houyhnhnms do not appeal to us as models of perfection.

                   Every satirist is a reformer, as satire always aims at correcting human to lies and human vices, Swift had focused attention upon the follies and vices of all mankind and not merely the English society of his time. Being pessimist Gulliver could not bear the vices in mankind. With the help of fictional illusion he decided to expose the vices of mankind without leaving a single vice untouched. He presents almost all the vices prevailing in the mankind satirically. Gulliver Travels is a great satirical masterpiece up to today.

                   Gulliver’s Travels is one of the greatest work of satire which is in the form of Travel book. One on hand it’s just a comic book or travelogue for children but on the other hand it satirizes human vices. In those days this book became very popular. People enjoyed his adventurous journey to different lands.

                   Swift’s real purpose, however, in writing the novel seems to rebuke mankind for its follies, absurdities and evil ways.

Ø   Swift a master of Satire

                   A Satire may roughly and briefly be destined as a humorous or witty exposure. A Satire can be defined as a means by which the author can expose the reality of individuals, communities, or all mankind by employing irony, monkey, ridicule, sarcasm, and even invective as the weapons of attack. Swift uses all the above means to succeed in satirizing. He uses irony in double way. He is a master of corrosive satire is serious and capable of becoming. In this way one can say that the author’s object in writing the book is to make people realize their irrationality and to encourage them to develop their rational faculty and guide by it. Thus it can be said that swift had a moral or ethical aim in writing this fiction.

Ø   The Satire full of Allegories

                   In an allegory a person or institution is not attacked directly but they are attacked indirectly. ‘ Animal farm ’ of George or well is one of the best examples of effective writing. In this book in Part 1 the Treasurer in Lilliput, is a satirical portrayal of Sir Robber creates hatred. This corrosive type of satire is fully developed in book 5 of Gulliver’s Travels. The first Part is rich in comic fictional illusion.

Ø   Satire used for Moral Purpose

                   Satire of all types always aims to reform. Swift aims at amending and correcting his readers but he is doubtful whether he could reach his goal or not. Swift in his letter to Alexander Pope wrote that his purpose in writing the book was ‘to vex the world rather than divert it !’ Actually he desired to shock his readers into a realization of their faults his readers into a realization of their faults and failings. According to Swift ‘man is not a rational animal’ though man is certainly Walpole who was the Prime minister of England from 1715 to 1716 and again from 1721 to 1742. Dancing on a tightly tied rope allegorized Walpole’s skill in parliamentary tactics and political intrigues same way, Reldresal represents Lord Carteret who was appointed by Walpole to the office of Lord carters who was appointed by Walpole to the office of Lord lieutenant of Ireland. Further one of the king’s cushion’s talks about of King George’s mistresses who helped to restore warped to favor after his fall in 1717. The conflict between High – Heels and Low – Heels represents the contict between the two main parties of England i.e. Whig and Tory. The quarrel between Big – Endians and the Little – Endians symbolizes the quarrels between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. The incident of extinguishing a fire in queen’s apartment and the queens reaction is an example of queen Anne’s description of annoyance with swift for writing ‘A tale of a Tube’ another boot which attracted religious abuses but the queen misinterpreted it as an attack on religion. The pigmies of Lilliput and the giants of Brobdingnag depicts human beings first reduced to a small scale, as it seen through a magnifying glass. Symbols of animals are given in Part 4. In this Part yahoos symbolizes mankind without any good quality, while the houyhnhnms (the horses) shows human beings with their good qualities. They were perfect and have no bad qualities at all.

Ø   The Scope of Satire in this Illusionary Novel

                   In the first Part, English Politics is satirized. The Politicians monarchs, religious disputes of the contemporary England are satirized. Here the Satire is somewhat personal as minister like Walpole and queen Anne as well King George are satirized. Swift had grudge in mind for them. Swift also satirizes on the people of his own country. In Part 2 Swift Satire country in general. He covers his entire country and the inhabitants of his motherland. He gives the whole account of all the ongoing of his country. He gives the account of people, the history of his land, the institutions to the King of brobdingnag. The King is annoyed hearing all the fuss and hypocrisy of his countrymen (The making) The king makes a general comment of critical and condemnatory nature on all the natives of England. In part 3 Swift’s Satire is on particular class of the country. Swift satirizes on the philosophers, scientists, academics, planners, intellectuals etc. His Satire is on all people having theoretical approach to words the life that become useless when they have to be practical. The academy of projectors in Lagado is a parody of the royal society as it was functioning in the age of the writer. Swift’s makes general satire on a particular group of people when Gulliver sees the miserable condition of the illusion of the desire to live long. There he sees immortals who are in worst condition. Here, theoreticians, historians and critics are also satirized by Swift. In this Part Gulliver interviews some of the famous dead and learns how historians and critics distort the history and misinterpreted authors like Homer Aristotle etc. In part 4, Swift’s Satire becomes universal. He targets on the whole mankind. In first three Parts his aim is only England and Europeans but here in this Part the whole man-kind is satirized. The yahoos are the symbols of the whole mankind. The evils found by the master houyhnhnhm has been discovered in yahoos are made universal. They are the vices found in human beings. Everywhere on the earth. The master houyhnhnms accuses the yahoos of being, brutal, beastly, cunning lustful, lead, gluttonerls and posses the strongest possible disposition to mischief. When Gulliver gives to his master (horse) an analysis of war and describes the chaos brought by wars, the whole account has a universal validity, same way. Gulliver’s condemnation of lawyers, judges. Physicians and government minister also goes beyond all the country boundaries, because persons belonging to these professions are all largely corrupt everywhere in the world. The houyhnhnms are the glorification and idealization of the virtuous of human beings. They are described especially of human beings. They are described especially of human reason and the human reason and the human qualities vicious and virtuous human nature are revealed by Jonathan Swift here. His scope vice of the mankind.

Ø   Comic and corrosive Satire of Swift

                   The description in first two Parts of Gulliver’s Voyages i.e. the voyage to Lilliput and the voyage to brobdingnag contains lots of comic satire. The incidents of High – Heels and Low – Heels, the incident of Big-endian and the little – Endians are really comic we are surprised at the insistence on breaking the eggs at insistence on breaking the eggs at the Big end by Lilliputians and that other insisting to break them at the little end. Secondly it makes us laugh when in Part 1 Gulliver defends the reputation of the Lilliputians lady whose name is linked in scandal. In Part many comic sense are found. The animals and insects, men and women trees and grass are of huge size of cats, dogs, monkeys, flies and wasps. Even the apples and hailstones are of huge size. The behavior of the maids at brobdingnag towards Gulliver amuses us. Part three has many factious stories. We laugh at most of the scientific projects. The project of extracting drumbeats out cumber, converting human excrement into its original food, building houses from the roof downwards to the foundation the cobwebs giving silk, production of books by using machine without using brains seen ridiculous Part 4 has almost magicable comical elements. This Part is the most pessimistic extract of the novel. It is very serious and has somber and grain elements. Here, we generally have corrosive, fierce and offensive satire. The evil side of human nature is exposed with skillful efforts of Swift. The evil side of human is exaggerated in the character of yahoos. Gulliver condemns  various classes of mankind. Gulliver makes severe satire on mankind by giving the example of his country people. He also condemns the people doing malpractices, he is extreme on the drunkards, murderer and thieves. He also takes about the vices like whoring, gambling forgery, poisoning etc.

Ø   Satire in the illusion based on the reality

                   The Satire in Part 4 is so scornful, incisive and devastating that some people cannot be convinced. Swift takes the help of exaggeration to create the true impression of the satire on the reader’s mind. One can agree with the statement that vice are more and virtues are less in human beings in the invective Part 4 the incidents are based on the facts. We cannot pretend that there is less evil and more goodness in human beings. It we consider buyers physicians bureaucrats, some private educational institutes, industrialists businessmen this can be proved easily even today.

Ø   Pride as a Satire

                   Gulliver’s Travels is also a moral tale. We find pettiness, greed pride, meanness in the novel. In the end Gulliver starts hating mankind and even his own family. Here, Swift cannot be identified with him. He points out the fatality of being extreme misanthropy. Gulliver’s attitude of complete isolation from mankind and his aversion to his own family members is not extremist misanthrope.

                   Swift does posses his view of human nature that is full of low, mean, proud, and having many evils. He through this fictional novel truly succeeded in satirizing mankind showing them mirror of their absurdities. He has exposed human nature with all types of vices leaving not a single one aside without a touch. Gulliver’s Travels is a Satire on the human vices, politics and society. It’s divided into four journeys. On first hand it seems to be a comic book but it’s grain reality of mankind.