Paper 4

Assignment Paper: - 4

Topic                     : - Gulliver’s Travels as an allegory

Student’s name     : - Makwana Jayshri D.

Roll  no                 :- 26

URL                      :-makwanajayshri261011.blogspot.com

Semester               :- 1

Batch                    :- 2010-11

                                             Submitted to,

Ruchira  Dudhrejiya                                                  Department  of  English

                                             Bhavnagar University.

 Introduction:-

          Jonathan swift is the greatest writer of the classical age by the force of his genius.

                   He was born in Dublin on the 30^th November 1667. At Trinity College, Dublin, swift was often at war with the authorities, and he was not of a very studious turn of mind, but he succeed in getting his degree in (1685) and he became one of the Canons of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and wrote articles and letters for the English Whigs. His words owe an exceptionally broad scope to the freedom and penetration of its thought.

The principal works of swift are,

·       Major satirical works

·       Correspondence

·       Pamphlets and Articles on English politics

·       Pamphlets on church questions

·       Pamphlets relating to Ireland

·       Poems

·       Major satirical works

o      A Tale of a tub(1704)

o      The Battle of the Books(1704)

o      Gulliver’s Travels (1726)

“Gulliver’s Travels” is considered the masterpiece of swift and it is undouabtly placed among the world classics. It is identified as a political satire or political allegory by the critics. At the outset, it creates the impression of a children’s story but it carries double meaning. They are the literal and the surface meaning and the hidden or the deep meaning.

 What is an Allegory:-

An allegory is a narrative in which the agents and action, and sometimes the setting as well are contrived not only to make sense in themselves, but also to signify a second, correlated order of persons, thing, concepts, or events. There are two main types:-

1. Historical and political allegorical in which the characters and the action represent, or “allegorize”, historical personages and events, so in Dryden’s “Absalom and Achitophel” 1681).

Absalom represents his natural son the Duke of Monmouth and the biblical plot allegorizes a political crisis in contemporary England.

2.    The allegory of ideas:-

In which the characters represent abstruct concepts and the plot serves to communicate a doctrine or thesis.

Both types of allegory may either be sustained throughout a work, as in Absalom and Achitophel and Bunyan’s. the pilgrim’s progress (1678), or exist merely as in episode in a non allegorical work one example of episodic allegory is the encounter of Satan with his daughter sin, as well as with Death – the son born of their incestuous relationship in paradise lost (Book-II).

 Gulliver’s Travels as an allegory:-

“Gulliver’s Travels” is an allegorical work. His allegory has been divided into four sections refering to four voyages of the protagonist Gulliver. Gulliver gives the detailed account of his visits to four different islands and tells about the various experiences he had undergone during the visits. He meets different people on different islands and studies their lifestyles. In other words, everything in it cannot be taken literally except by children. The mature reader will understand that swift has a serious moral purpose in writing those accounts of the voyages of Gulliver to different lands. An allegory conveys its meaning in a vield and hidden manner not in an obvious manner. The real meaning, in an allegory does not lie on the surface but is hidden below the surface which we must probe swift is here mocking at the way human things behave. We find in the book a merciless exposure of different categories and classes of people – kings, queens, politicians, lawyers, physicians, scientists, and others. There is hardly any institution in the civilized life of the European countries that escapes the scrutiny and the scathing criticism of swift much of the condemnation of human society and human institutions is expressed in comic terms, but much of it is offensive and corrosive.

 England in the Disguise of Liliput in part-1 of the Book:-

The voyage to Liliput in part-1 of the book contains the story of Gulliver’s shipwreck and his early adventures among the pigmies. In this part, as soon as swift turns to describe the politics of Liliput, that country ceases to be a kind of utopia and becomes the England of swift’s time. A Lilliputian lord tells Gulliver

 “We labor under two mighty evils – a violent faction at home and the danger of an invasion by a most potent enemy from abroad”.

 The Lilliputian lord goes on to refer to the two struggling parties one party distinguished by it’s high -  heeled shoes and the other by its low - heeled shoes. The reference obviously is to the High church and Low Church parties, or the Tories and the Whigs. The potent enemy from abroad is the island of Blefuscu which stands for France with whom England had been engaged in an obstinate struggle for a whole generation. Thus, the story of Gulliver’s first voyage becomes a kind of political allegory. The Emperor of Liliput would in that case be a portrayal of Gearge-1 who is a supporter of the Whigs by his determination to make use of only low-heels in the administration to the government and himself wearing heels lower than any member of his court. The parallel is emphasized by making the heir to the throne show an inclination towards high-heels, as the Prince of Wales did to the Tories of the Time.

 The conflict between Big-Endians and Little–Endians :-

The country was faced with two dangers

            Firstly there was an opposition party in the country itself

            Secondly there was the danger of an invasion by a foreign power Redresal explained that the country was divided into two parties,

·       The Emperor’s party

·       The opposition party.

The reason for the conflict between the two parties was that while the Emperor believed in boiled eggs being broken at the smaller end the opponents insisted on breaking the eggs at the big end. The two parties were therefore known as Bing Endians and Little – Endians.

 The allegorical meaning of the Empress’s annoyance with Gulliver:-

The incident of Gulliver’s extinguishing a fire in the apartment of the Lilliputian Empress relates to the circumstances in swift’s won life. The Lilliputian Empress was filled with resentment at Gulliver’s action in extinguishing the fire by urinating upon it. And she decided never again to make use of that apartment. This incident is an allegorical representation of the fact that Queen Anne was so disgusted with swift’s ‘A Tale of Tub’ that in spite of swift’s political services, she could never be prevailed upon to promote swift to a higher office in the church. Swift also believed that Queen Anne was “a royal prude” and that her opposition to his promotion was due to the efforts of his enemies.

The Emperor of Liliput feeling greatly annoyed at Gulliver’s escape from his clutches sends an envoy to Blefuscu demanding that Gulliver be sent back to Liliput. The Emperor of Blefuscu, however, shows a good deal of consideration for Gulliver, and refuses to comply with this demand. The demand of the Emperor of Lilliputian has allegorically been interpreted to mean the English government’s protest to the French government of the time against he latter’s support to the pretender. The relief of the Emperor of Blefuscu at Gulliver’s departure also has a hidden meaning.

 The voyage to Brobdingnag:-

In the voyage to Brobdingnag, swift turns the opposite end of the telescope, and shows us in what manner a people of immense stature, and gifted with a sound and cool judgment, look at the principals and politics of Europe In this part of the books the satire is of a more general nature, there are few particular references to political events, and no circumstances are mentioned which are not applicable to all places. While Liliput was a land inhabited by pigmies or dwarfs, Brobdingnag is the land of gaints or of persons of an immense stature.

              There are no references to actual contemporary persons, while the allusion to contemporary politics are only general some of the institution and customs of Brobdingnag are briefly described and praised; for instance, the brevity of laws, the cultivation of useful knowledge rather than speculative philosophy or abstract science, and the simplicity of the literary style in fashion. The method adopted throughout is not to hold up ideal institution for invitation as in the case of Liliput, but to describe existing institution so as to show their defects. In five interviews Gulliver explains to the king then constitution and government of English and than the king, by doubts, queries and objections, forces him to reveal the difference between the practice and the theory of the institutions described. Gulliver has to admit that the working of the parliamentary government is vitiated by the method of selecting peers, bishops, and members of the House of Commons, so that, as the king points out, the original idea of the institution is “blurred and blotted by corruption”

 Allusion to political personalities and events:-

                            Swift’s philosophy forms only one part of Gulliver’s Travels. The book is stuffed with personal literary and political allusion. On every page there are more or less abstract references which had a special meaning for the reader of swift’s own time for instance, in part-1, Liliput and its diminutive people represent England, Blefuscu is France, Flimnap, the treasurer is Swift’s old enemy, Sir Robert Walpole where as Gulliver, for the most part is Swift’s old friend, Bolinbroke, who made the peace of Utrecht with the French and then was shamefully exiled by an ungrateful nation. The well- known scene where Gulliver puts out the fire in the imperial palace by urinating an it was once thought to potray. Swift’s service to the English church   when he wrote “A Tale of Tub”.

             

 The political  allegory in part-III

                  The allegory of part-I seems to have been curried forward in part-III into the reign of George I and to shadow forth the lamentable state of affairs brought to pass by the Whigs.

 An allusion to the relationship between England and Ireland :-

The flying island does undoubtedly signify England, Or at least the power of the state and the tyrannical exercise of such power that the king of Laputa does not have any direct contact with the subject country below on the earth. In the case of a rebellion below, the king can destroy life and property by flinging huge stones from above on the rebellious city or town. As a last resort, he can crush everything below by lowering the island down upon earth. However the minister would oppose such a step because they own property below on the earth. All this seems to be a satire on the English system of administration especially with regard to the Ireland of the time. The English government ruled Ireland from a long distance, and was thus not in direct touch with the Irish subjects. In other words, the English government was cut off from the Irish people, though some of the English politicians held property in Ireland.

                      The story of the rebellion in Lindalino or Dublin and the manner in which it defended itself against the king and island hovering overhead refer no doubt to the wood affair and Ireland’s successful resistance to the parent. The referance to the “hovering” of the island has been interpreted as a veiled attack on the repressive

“laws in restraint of trade which England had enacted to keep Ireland in subjection.”

                 The character of Munodi was probably with Oxford in mind, and the abandoned mill on his estate is very likely a symbol of the south sea enterprise, established under Oxford but going down to ruin under the Whigs in 1720. The man called Munodi has been identified with viscount Middleton who was Lord Chancellar of Ireland at that time and who, although a whigh, was opposed to William Wood’s half – pence. But it is also possible that, in portraying Munodi, swift had Bolinbroke in mind. Another possibility is that Harley served as a model for the portrayal of Munodi.

                                 There are recognizable elements of political allegory presents in both parts-1 and 3, the allusions being to people and events in the England of Queen Anne and king George – 1. The scientific projects described in part-3 show Swift’s acquaintance with a large variety of current projects and experiments while the flying island owes something both to Gilbert’s theories of magnetism and the  contemporary discussion arising in connection with Halley’s Comet.     

 An Allegorical  picture of man’s dual nature:-

         It is Swift’s own hints as to the meaning of his book are taken into consideration the main thesis of the book would seem to be hidden in the contrast between the ‘Yahoos’ and the ‘Houyhnhnms’. Gulliver, occupying a position between the two, part beast, part reason, is Swift’s allegorical picture of dual nature of man. He is not Houyhnhnm or animal rationale, nor is he a Yahoo. He is rationis capax we could apply to Gulliver’s Travels a passage from the writings of the ancient Roman thinker Cicero:-

                              “Nature has been to man not a mother but a stepmother sending him into the world necked, frail and infirm, tailing under a burden of care, fearful, slothful, and given over to lust, but not without a spark of divine reason.”   

             

           In the last voyage of Gulliver’s Travels, we find that, knowingly or unknowingly,            Swift has instituted a contrast between the political theories of Hobbes and Locke with regard to the state of nature as defined by Hobbes are like Swift’s Yahoos, and are in that condition which is called and such a war, as is of every man against every man, with no arts, no letters, no society and which, is worst of all, continual fear of violent danger and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short and the corresponding. Similarity between Locke and Swift is also noteworthy. Men in the state of nature, defined by Locke, are like the Houyhnhnms, they are rational creatures

        “Living together according to reason, without a common superior”    

in a state of liberty without license, everyone administering the laws of nature for himself, laws of temperance and mutual benevolence. On the whole, Swift stands nearer to Hobbes. In Gulliver’s Travels, however, Swift is clearly neither Hobbes nor Locke. Gulliver is neither Yahoo nor Houyhnhnms. He cannot attain to the rational bliss of the Houyhnhnms nor has he sunk to the level of the Yahoos. He lacks the strength of a healthy animal, and his possession of a certain degree of rationality has unhappily burdened him with the responsibility of a conscience.

 Conclusion:-

‘Gulliver’s Travels’ As ‘An Allegorical Satire’

This means that does not attack personalities and institutions directly but in a veiled manner for instance, in part -1 the portrayal of Flimnap, the Treassurer in Liliput, is a satirical sketch of Sir Robert Walpole who was the prime minister of England from 1715 to 1716 and then again from 1721 to 1742. Dancing on a tight rope here symbolizes Walpole’s skill in parliamentary tactics and political intrigues. Similarly, Redresal represents Lord Carteret who was appointed by Walpole to the office of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Again, the phrase,

                      “One of the King’s Cashions”

refers to one of king George’s mistresses who helped to restore Walpole to favour after his fall in 1717.

The conflict between the high heels and the low heels symbolizes the conflict between the two major political parties in England at that time. The dispute between the Big – Endians and the Little – Endians symbolizes the quarrels between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. The reaction of the Empress of Liliput to Gulliver’s extinguishing a fire in her apartment is a satirical way of describing Queen Anne’s annoyance with Swift for having written a Tale of a Tub in which had been misinterpreted by the Queen as an attack on religion itself. The Pigmies of Liliput and the giants of Brobdingnag symbolizes human beings, first reduced to a small scale, as if seen through the wrong end of a telescope, and then enlarged to a huge scale  as if seen through a magnifying glass. In part IV, Swift gives us animal symbolism. Here the Yahoos represent human beings with all their good qualities completely left out, while the Houyhnhnms represent human being with their good qualities carried to perfection and their bad qualities completely eliminated.

        “Gulliver’s Travels” is a political allegory in which the text contains symbolic references to actual people and events in 18^th century England. Allegory and Satire are closely intertwined, one for serving the others.