Paper-2 Gulliver’s Travels Characterizations

Paper II: The Neo – Classical Age 






Topic:Write a note on: Gulliver’s Travels Characterizations

Name: Sagarkumar G. Ladhva

Roll No: 28

Enrollment No: 14101022

Semester: I

Year: 2014-16

Department: M.A. English department

Submitted To: Heenaben Zala




                

 Gulliver’s Travels Characterizations 

Introduction:

                   Jonathan Swift is one of the Extraordinary work of English Literature Jonathan swift was born in Dublin in 30 November 1667. His Father , jonathan swift ,senior ,An English lawyer, Died father before swift was born. “Gulliver’s Travels” is a beautiful novel by Jonathan Swift. He was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, poet and critic. He is very famous by his some amazing works like –

·        “The Battle of the Books”

·        “Gulliver’s Travels”

·        “A Modern proposal”

·        “A Journal to Stella”

Swift’s First Major Works:

                                              It was also here that he began his first major work, ‘A Tale of a Tub,’ And completed ‘The Battle of The Books’, - a satire about whether ancient or modern authors were to be favored, Which was the continuation of a Debate begun by Temple in his  Essay upon Ancient and Modern Learning of 1692. It is publishes namelessly 1704.

                                           He is great work of in “Gulliver’s Travels” is a satirical fiction. It was first publish in 1726. This novel is Swift’s hunter-like satire upon society, religion, politics etc. This novel is divided into four parts, they are:

 1.      A Voyage to Liliput

2.    A Voyage to Brobdingnag

3.    A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarb, Luggnag,Glubbdubdrib and Japan.

4.    A Voyage to the country of Houyhnhnms.

              Lemuel Gulliver is here a protagonist and narrator also. With these four voyages Gulliver’s identity is also changing. We do not find the same Gulliver at the end, which we saw in the beginning. Here Gulliver constantly searches his identity and his belongingness.

           In real life also, no one can live with one identity. With time a person’s identity defiantly changes. In Gulliver’s case his identity goes in the hand of the land in which he lives. By this Swift wants to show that A person’s identity is ruled by society.

           There are novel swift extremely use of Imagination of the satirical of the human nature and some other things. In this novel, with these four voyages, not only his psychological identity but his physical identity also changes. His psychological identity goes from optimism to pessimism, symbolically his physical identity also. Here is characterization of Lemuel Gulliver in this novel.

·      Gulliver’s as a Gaint :

                                             Starting this novel first part of Vogue in Lilliput . When he wakes up, he finds himself surrounded by tiny people. They are people of six inches. Gulliver is too giant for them. And for Gulliver, they are too small that Gulliver cannot even hear them. They ties Gulliver by their ropes. For them he is God-like figure. So, after some time all Liliputians come under Gulliver’s influence. In this world of pygmies Gulliver’s identity is as a powerful and unique person. Here he enjoys his existence. The originality of Gulliver is lost here. He is not a person of the sophisticated society of London. Here he is mighty person and full of confidence, while in his society he was only a common man. No one gave such consideration to him in his society. His physical size and strength give him unique position and identity. He feels proud on himself. And now Gulliver also identifies himself by the eyes of Liliputians.

                                      The second thing is the point of language. Language is the only source for Gulliver to remember his earlier identity. But Liliputians speaks different language. And they arrange a teacher for Gulliver to teach their language. So, Gulliver loses his this identity also. So, this is the first game that Swift plays with Gulliver’s Individual Person.

                 
            

·      Gulliver’s as a Tiny:

                                                     After Ten months after his return from Lilliput and Blefuscu, Gulliverreturns to the sea in a ship named Adventure. The journey begins very smoothly, the only delay being caused by an illness contracted by the captain. Gulliver’s second voyage is in Brobdingnag. We find totally changed Gulliver here. Here Gulliver is a tiny person and this is the land of Giants. Here people are of 70 feet. Even grass is too giant for Gulliver. This is his second changed identity which stands in contrast with the first changed identity. Here swift is very most vivid picture draw of Gulliver. It is colorful culture strong intention of Gulliver’s journey.His How do you feel when your identity is constantly losing and you are gaining new character totally different?

                               Here in the land of Giants he is merely a creature or rather insect. A sudden and huge change in his identity! He becomes almost voiceless, while in Liliput he is given powerful voice. He is too small for Giants that he is spaced between two fingers of Giants.

                                          Here also he is given more consideration than his own society. But the different is here he is not enjoying his identity and existence. On the contrary he fears. As Liliputians, for Giants also Gulliver is unique but perspectives change! Here also Gulliver is given consideration, but situations changes!

                 

                               In Liliput, he can be identified as ‘a big fish in a small pond’ while here he is like ‘a frog in ocean’. Here he becomes a thing for entertainment and exhibition. A farmer makes money from Gulliver. No one considers him as a living human being. In Liliput he was ‘a God-like figure’, while in Brobdingnag he is ‘a slave-like creature’. Here as a thing he is bought and sold. People make money from him. Here he almost loses his identity because identity is made when people consider you as a human being. Another thing is with identity Gulliver’s attitude towards his original society and nation also changes.

                              Gulliver, who enjoyed his identity in Liliput, now hates his living in Brobdingnag. His two voyages show the importance of physical size and power in one’s Personality of Characteristics.

·      Gulliver’s as  Laputa :  

                       After ten day Gulliver has visited the ship captain who invite to voyage on the two months. Gulliver convinces his wife that this is a good opportunity and sets off, again working as the surgeon. After they sail for three days, a storm arises, driving the ship to the north-northeast, where they are attacked by pirates. Gulliver insults the captain of the pirate ship and as punishment is set adrift in "a small Canoe, with Paddles and a Sail, and four Days Provisions."   
   

         

                           After fifth day Gulliver sailing  the boat and reach a small island. Here he rest night and sleep. When he early morning wake up he noticed that what he thought was a cloud floating above the island is actually a floating island.Gulliver calls up to the people he sees moving about the island. They lower down a system of pulleys that can pull Gulliver up.

                         

                         This is his third voyage. Here he finds very surprising world. This is a floating island. Here Gulliver finds himself in dim and gloomy atmosphere because absurdity is more powerful here. Nothing is clear and understandable here. So, Gulliver has to do struggle for making his identity.

                          Laputa is floating island. It doesn’t remain joined with earth . It is quite symbolic with Gulliver’s identity. Here Gulliver’s identity is also gone in absurdity. A person’s identity is joined by something. Here with whom, with which thing he can join himself? Everything is baseless here. Gulliver sees himself surrounded by complexity. With changing identity his mental state also changes. He feels neglected in Laputa. Here his identity is in danger because without base nothing can be possible.

 

                      The best part, I think, is the flappers. And I don’t mean women in the twenties wearing dresses with an inordinate amount of fringe. I mean people who tail you and wait until someone comes along and wants to speak with you. When such a person comes along, they slap your mouth and ear with a bladder full of tiny rocks to get your attention because you’re constantly wrapped up in your thoughts about the meaning of the universe.

                           In Lilliput he enjoys, in Brobdingnag he fears while in Laputa he becomes frustrated. These all feelings come from his changing identity. Here, in Laputa he is like ‘a man in sky’, who cannot fly but have to fly for existence. Here ‘sky’ is in a negative meaning. It is attractive, yet not useful. For us, ‘reality is earth, sky is merely an illusion’. Here Gulliver can’t find himself within. This is third and higher level of game Swift plays with Gulliver’s individuality.

                                         The World had been misled by prostitute Writers, to ascribe the greatest Exploits in War to Cowards, the wisest Counsel to Fools, Sincerity to Flatterers, Roman Virtue to Betrayers of their Country, Piety to Atheists, Chastity to Sodomites, Truth to Informers.” – Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels

·      Gulliver’s as a Un-Civilization Man :

                        Swift this part describing to Reality our society relationship Man and Animal. Here he deeply explains that Human nature is very different than animal behavior. he Master Horse is confused because he feels doubt, but he is also completely unfamiliar with the idea of lying Gulliver tells the Master Horse about the poor treatment horses often receive as work animals in his home country.The Master Horse is completely shocked to hear that Yahoos ride Houyhnhnms where Gulliver comes from. How dare they, when Houynhnhnms are so much stronger than Yahoos? Gulliver talks about the process of breaking horses. Here The Master Horse continues to be furious . He admits that, if horses in Gulliver's country are stupid, then it make sense that the Yahoos win out, because reason beats strength every time.

                        This is his forth voyage. Here the biggest change comes in Gulliver’s self. This is the land of horses not of humans. So, here Gulliver is identified not as a human, but as an animal. This is the greatest transformation of Gulliver from human to animal.

                       Here horses are rational and intellectual, while humans are like animals- ugly, dumb and wild. Horses are the ruler of the humans. The interesting thing is here for Gulliver horses are animal, and for horses Gulliver is an animal. Horses can think, speak and rule like human beings. They are called ‘Yahoos’. So, now Gulliver is also coming in yahoo’s category. Swift very rudely twists Gulliver’s of any other character. 


                                          Only one thing remains same with his identity, throughout his journey. That is “in all four lands, he remains like alien for the people of that land.”  They people decide Gulliver’s identity.

                How swiftly Swift changes Gulliver’s Character! Gulliver’s identity is a progress from optimism to pessimism, transformation from human to an animal. This is the changing identity of Gulliver. He was great opportunity of any other writer them creativity of characteristics work of literature and good performance that how can image proved to individual person every part swift awesome picture of Gulliver and all novel character.

                Gulliver disgust England and it’s government extends to the entire human race and it in part IV that the reader is convinced that Gulliver is Swift’s mouthpiece. This is evident in the in the way he derides and satirizes English society and it’s institutions. Gulliver is fed, and house by the horse –like Houyhnhnms who become his master .He is full of admiration for this superior race which is intelligent and orderly, as well as rational. 

Conclusion:

                  At the end of ‘Gulliver Travels ‘ it is difficult to say if Gulliver is an eighteenth century allegorical figure or a rounded and complex character. His growth and development in the course of the narrative is restricted to the change in his attitude towards    his follow human being although he arrives some kind of self –awareness towards the end of the text , the awareness being that he is Yahoo! Critics have also doubted the reliability of Gulliver’s narrative – it is satirical from beginning to end , or does Gulliver himself become the object of satire in swift’s hands? Like Christian in Bunyan’s ‘pilgrim’s progress’  ,Gulliver might be an allegorical representation of human in general.