Explain the significance of Gulliver’s fourth voyage in Gulliver’s Travels.

Explain the significance of Gulliver’s fourth voyage in Gulliver’s Travels.

In the fourth book of Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift demonstrates the essentially destructive pursuit of reason in human society. Swift’s protagonist, Gulliver, believes perfect reason could solve the many problems of humanity, yet his emotional responses to what he considers to be a purely rational society casts doubt on his glorification of reason. By establishing Gulliver as an unreliable narrator subject to irrational emotions, Swift demonstrates that perfect reason can never be truly realized in human society and the pursuit of such reason can only lead to societal and psychological stagnation.

Before Gulliver elaborates his tale of this final adventure, he states that man can be “A little too positive in his own opinions, which [is] the cause of his destruction” (Swift 2418). This sets up an important frame from which to view Gulliver’s experiences. Although he is rightfully frustrated with humanity, the excessive regard he will later bestow on the Houyhnhnms and their pure reason is cast in a deprecating light. Similarly, his utter disdain for the Yahoos works as an indicator of his personal beliefs rather than their true nature.

Gulliver’s egregious encounter with the Yahoo’s comes immediately after a mutiny from his shipmates whom he calls rogues: “These rogues…formed a conspiracy” (Swift 2419). Through this detestation, Swift establishes Gulliver as a victim of human avaricious intent. “In this desolate condition I advanced forward” (Swift 2419). By wanting to advance forward from this bad experience, he is metaphorically seeking a repose from the pitfalls of humanity. ................TO GET COMPLETE STUDY MATERIAL JOIN NSOU ENGLISH COACHING

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