Introduction:
The fourth book of Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift, provides a role reversal of humans and animals, opening the way for the viewer to engage in a critical self-reflection on human nature. The society Gulliver stumbles upon has several key similarities and differences between the type of European society that existed in the eighteenth century. Despite the rationality and efficiency of the Houyhnhnms, their society is still a dystopia, because not all members of their society are equally happy or safe. The Houyhnhnm society is an improvement from European hierarchy, but still is a dystopia. Dystopia literally translates to “bad place,” and usually means any society which contains suffering, inequality, and oppression, all three of …show more content…
o As the only narrator of the story, Gulliver provides the point of view of a person from the highly poor and hierarchical 18th century England. o “my Master, who daily convinced me of a thousand Faults in myself, whereof I had not the least Perception before” (218). This is proof that Gulliver is entirely in shock at the new society he inhabits. Gulliver is so accustomed to his hellish European society that Houyhnhnmland appears to be a utopia. o Houyhnhnmland’s inhabitants are much less cruel to each other than the peoples of Europe. However, Houyhnhnmland is far from a utopia, because it contains the same issues as Europe, just on a less dramatic scale. o “He made me observe, that among the Houyhnhnms, the white, the sorrel, and the iron-gray, were not so exactly shaped as the bay, the dapple-gray, and the black; nor born with equal talents of mind” (216). Here, we see that even within their own societies, Houyhnhnms are racist. o Since the racism amongst Houyhnhnms is not as severe as amongst humans in 18th century Europe, Gulliver still finds Houyhnhnmland desirable.
The fourth book of Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift, provides a role reversal of humans and animals, opening the way for the viewer to engage in a critical self-reflection on human nature. The society Gulliver stumbles upon has several key similarities and differences between the type of European society that existed in the eighteenth century. Despite the rationality and efficiency of the Houyhnhnms, their society is still a dystopia, because not all members of their society are equally happy or safe. The Houyhnhnm society is an improvement from European hierarchy, but still is a dystopia. Dystopia literally translates to “bad place,” and usually means any society which contains suffering, inequality, and oppression, all three of …show more content…
o As the only narrator of the story, Gulliver provides the point of view of a person from the highly poor and hierarchical 18th century England. o “my Master, who daily convinced me of a thousand Faults in myself, whereof I had not the least Perception before” (218). This is proof that Gulliver is entirely in shock at the new society he inhabits. Gulliver is so accustomed to his hellish European society that Houyhnhnmland appears to be a utopia. o Houyhnhnmland’s inhabitants are much less cruel to each other than the peoples of Europe. However, Houyhnhnmland is far from a utopia, because it contains the same issues as Europe, just on a less dramatic scale. o “He made me observe, that among the Houyhnhnms, the white, the sorrel, and the iron-gray, were not so exactly shaped as the bay, the dapple-gray, and the black; nor born with equal talents of mind” (216). Here, we see that even within their own societies, Houyhnhnms are racist. o Since the racism amongst Houyhnhnms is not as severe as amongst humans in 18th century Europe, Gulliver still finds Houyhnhnmland desirable.