Irony, Ambiguity, Symbols, and Symbolism in Gullivers Travels Essay

Use of Irony, ambiguity and Symbolism, in Gullivers Travels Although it appears simple and straightforward on the surface, a mere travelog intended solely for the amusement of children, Gullivers Travels, by Jonathan Swift, proves, upon closer examination, to be a critical and insightful work satirizing the political and social systems of eighteenth-century England. Through customary and successful employment of irony, ambiguity and symbolism, Swift makes comments addressing such specific topics as current political controversies as well as such customary concerns as the moral degeneration of man. While he incorporates them subtly advance(prenominal) in the novel, these observations and criticisms eventually progress to a point where they may gust or offend even the most unsuspecting reader. In browse to witness this evolution of presentation, one need only observe the ontogenesis of the works central character, Captain Lemuel Gulliver, as Swift has designed his nove l in such a way that, as his aspersions harshen and intensify, so do Gullivers actions and attitudes. For instance, in book one, A Voyage to Lilliput, when Gulliver finds himself lost in a world one-twelfth the size of his own, he proves himself to be quite naive and impressionable. Although he is simply too large to perceive them in detail, Gulliver judges the countrys inhabitants he meets to be as perfect and innocent as their toylike appearances. He refers to the small-minded emperor, a macrocosm not even six inches high, as His purplish Majesty and blindly agrees to per variant any demanded service, even though he could easily overpower the tiny natio... ...throughout the story in the form of irony and satire, Gulliver himself offers a solution to his situation at the close of the novel. He realizes that there is little he can do about being human he simply must get hold of to live with himself. To contact this, he suggests looking in a mirror as much as pos sible, not only so that he might learn to bear the sight of his own person but also so that he may be constantly reminded of those shortcomings he seeks so urgently to overcome. Works Cited and Consulted Backscheider, Paula R. A Being More Intense A select of the Prose Works of Buynan, Swift, and Defoe. New York AMS Press, 1984. Carnochan, W. B. Lemuel Gullivers Mirror for Man. Berkley University of California Press, 1968. Swift, Jonathan. Gullivers Travels. Oxford Oxford University Press, 1998.