Swift as Misanthropist

Swift as Misanthropist

Jonathan Swift is undoubtedly is a great artist. He had to face unreasonable and prejudiced criticism in the hands of his contemporaries, because he had unveiled the brutality of man which was hidden under the mask of humanism.

Swift’s age was full of vices of corruption but still the people were satisfied. Swift gives us a true picture of the man of that age in “Gulliver’s Travels”. In the last voyage, his satire becomes very bitter when he presents horses more reasonable than man. Swift is notorious for being misanthropist in the last part of the “Gulliver’s Travels”.

 Swift has to face the allegation of being misanthropist for during whole of his life. It is because the critics attributed Gulliver’s blunders to Swift. But, he makes his aim in “Gulliver’s Travels” clear in his letter to Alexander Pope. He says, “The chief end of all my labour is to vex the world, rather than divert it”. Secondly, he declares that “He has ever hated all the nations, professions and communities and all his love for individuals.”

He hates men but loves man. He hates the animal like vices in man; the crown of creation. He was shocked to see the follies of men of his age and didn’t consider this reasonable. But, this does not mean that he hates mankind, as he writes to Pope, “I tell you after all that I don’t hate mankind; it is you others, who hate them, because you would have them reasonable animals and are angry or disappointed because they are not reasonable.”

This means he does not hate mankind but considers them unreasonable and wants to reform them by his condemnation. The central meaning of this statement by Swift is that he is not a misanthropist.

Gulliver, in the last voyage, became a misanthropist is undeniable and indisputable. In the fourth voyage, Gulliver reaches a country of animals, ruled by animals. There were two categories of animals living there in; ugly and repulsive brutes Yahoos and intelligent and rational Houyhnhnms. The former appears to him nasty and obnoxious, so the feelings of disliking develop in his heart for them. On the other hand, his meeting with Houyhnhnms proves a nice experience. They secure him against Yahoos, treated him kindly and took him to their state. Naturally, this kind of behavior created a sort of fondness in Gulliver’s heart for them and their way of life. Up to that time nothing was objectionable, but his fault began, when he is so bewitched of Houyhnhnms that he also started hating men. As Houyhnhnms hate Yahoos and Gulliver equating Yahoos with men also began hating men. He developed a general hatred against all men. All the subsequent incidents, his hatred against the captain and his family, etc. reflect his misanthropy.

The blunder committed by Gulliver is that he over idealized Houyhnhnms. Actually, he was fed up of man’s corruption and could not bear it. He found Yahoos slave of emotions, sensuality and sentimentality. But, he found Houyhnhnms in comparatively better condition than Yahoos. They lack all types of corruption that yahoos had. In fact, the Houyhnhnms lack any kind of emotions and have pure intellect that’s why he also started thinking that remedy of all the vices of man is to get rid of his emotions. In the result, when he was forced to return to his native country, it was natural for him to hate his fellowmen. But, finding no other way, he slowly reconciled himself to this world.

Shakespeare’s character “King Lear” also started hating all human beings. But, he learns a lot from experience and when his daughter nurses him much, he changes his views. So we cannot accuse Shakespeare of being Misanthropist. So, if Gulliver during the course of the book changes and grows mad, it doesn’t mean that creator too changes with his creation and grows mad.

In fact, part 4 has been completely misunderstood. Misidentifying Gulliver with Swift, we think as if Swift in the form of Gulliver had started hating Yahoos. But, this is wrong. In fact, part 4 has complex meaning and is full of irony. However, it is a fact that Gulliver became misanthropist. But can we assign Gulliver’s misanthropy to Swift?

 Gulliver may have close resemblance with Swift in the first three voyages. He preaches his ideas. But in last voyage, he does not speak for Swift but for himself. Contrary to previous voyages, here, he too becomes a victim of Swift’s satire. Gulliver should have rejected both the

Houyhnhnms and Yahoos as both were short of being man. But, somehow he is amazed by the rationality of Houyhnhnms and started loving and obeying them. As, Yahoos were opposite to Houyhnhnms he started hating them. The more he loved Houyhnhnms more he went away from man. Swift never approved his choice and gave him sever psychological punishment. In fact, Swift condemns his wrong choice. Swift never asks us to follow the way of life either Houyhnhnms or Yahoos. Since, Gulliver too is severely punished by Swift; we cannot attach his fault with Swift. Gulliver in the end committed another fault of pride. Following Houyhnhnms way of life, he actually degraded himself from the level of human beings. But, opposite to it he fell a victim of pride and started hating man, and therefore, became victim of 

Swift’s irony, Gulliver speaks purely for himself in part 4 and not for Swift.

In short, “Gulliver’s Travels” is a complicated book symbolically stands for the mystery of human nature. Gulliver may be a misanthrope, but we can’t equate him with Swift, who throughout remained a philanthropist. He condemned Gulliver’s attitude in the fourth voyage. His “Gulliver’s Travels” gives a definite message to us. He advises us to keep a balance between rationality and sensuality. As if we choose anyone of them, we will be either a Yahoo or a Houyhnhnm and not a man.