Is the glass half full or half empty? Was half empty to start with, or is it possible that humanity’s virtues somehow evaporated over time? If so, how? Jonathan Swift poses these philosophical questions in his satirical novel Gulliver’s Travels by journaling the adventures of Lemuel Gulliver on his voyages to bizarre and magical islands. Each represents an extreme path mankind could have taken or may take in the future, its consequences, and the observations of a modern observer. His allegory of governmental styles to midgets and giants is nothing new; Swift closely imitated the format of Rabelais and de Bergerac's comical satires (Wells 164). Although he rarely strays from the middle of the political spectrum, the “follies” of the dominant
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Similarly, the virtuous Houyhnhnm who hosts Gulliver cannot fathom how “a creature pretending to reason could be capable of such enormities, he dreaded lest the corruption of that faculty might be worse than the brutality itself” (Swift 88). Thus, the true horror in human warfare is their lack of justifiable motivation. They commit atrocious acts to their own species for nominal gain, a clear reflection of Swift’s attitude on the war with France. During the War of Spanish Succession, hundreds of thousands of Europeans died for a crown that they would never wear. Even with neighboring kinsmen, geographical separation bred distrust. In Drapier’s Letters, Swift protests against the conflict in Ireland over coinage. In a deleted section of Book Three, he depicts the rebellion of Lindalino, “an allegory of the resistance by Dublin against the government in London” (Barry 42). In the story, the Laputans threaten to drop the island on the town, which clearly warns against the dangers of an authoritarian central government. Swift detests any threats to one’s own kind, for whatever petty reasons rulers may conjure …show more content…
Even with Lilliput’s progressive social institutions and just laws, a class system still exists in the form of education: “preparing children for such a condition of life as befits the rank of their parents” (Swift 19). As in England in the eighteenth century, upward social movement was rare and institutions were hostile to changes in the status quo. Despite opposition, Gulliver, too, attempts to ascend the social ladder as “a ‘titled’ nobleman, a Nardac, a ‘cortier’ with ‘connections’ at court” (Clark 3263). Gulliver identifies with the majority of the middle class, “who sees no farther than his own predilections and preconceptions and who imitates all the manners that he sees around him” (Clark 3263). Since the middle class would not fully emerge for another century, they remain isolated: trapped between two classes that they could never identify with. Swift references other arbitrary means of social stratification in England in Lilliput: “continual war with their nearest neighbour (Blefuscu, or France), … a political opposition that mixes sectarian differences (big endians and little endians, or Protestants and Catholics) with party factions (High Heels and Low Heels, or Tories and Whigs)” (Barry 39). The absurd feud and illogical traditions of the Lilliputian do not faze Gulliver, who hails from a
Similarly, the virtuous Houyhnhnm who hosts Gulliver cannot fathom how “a creature pretending to reason could be capable of such enormities, he dreaded lest the corruption of that faculty might be worse than the brutality itself” (Swift 88). Thus, the true horror in human warfare is their lack of justifiable motivation. They commit atrocious acts to their own species for nominal gain, a clear reflection of Swift’s attitude on the war with France. During the War of Spanish Succession, hundreds of thousands of Europeans died for a crown that they would never wear. Even with neighboring kinsmen, geographical separation bred distrust. In Drapier’s Letters, Swift protests against the conflict in Ireland over coinage. In a deleted section of Book Three, he depicts the rebellion of Lindalino, “an allegory of the resistance by Dublin against the government in London” (Barry 42). In the story, the Laputans threaten to drop the island on the town, which clearly warns against the dangers of an authoritarian central government. Swift detests any threats to one’s own kind, for whatever petty reasons rulers may conjure …show more content…
Even with Lilliput’s progressive social institutions and just laws, a class system still exists in the form of education: “preparing children for such a condition of life as befits the rank of their parents” (Swift 19). As in England in the eighteenth century, upward social movement was rare and institutions were hostile to changes in the status quo. Despite opposition, Gulliver, too, attempts to ascend the social ladder as “a ‘titled’ nobleman, a Nardac, a ‘cortier’ with ‘connections’ at court” (Clark 3263). Gulliver identifies with the majority of the middle class, “who sees no farther than his own predilections and preconceptions and who imitates all the manners that he sees around him” (Clark 3263). Since the middle class would not fully emerge for another century, they remain isolated: trapped between two classes that they could never identify with. Swift references other arbitrary means of social stratification in England in Lilliput: “continual war with their nearest neighbour (Blefuscu, or France), … a political opposition that mixes sectarian differences (big endians and little endians, or Protestants and Catholics) with party factions (High Heels and Low Heels, or Tories and Whigs)” (Barry 39). The absurd feud and illogical traditions of the Lilliputian do not faze Gulliver, who hails from a