Swift reveals irony through the fragility of the human condition. Gulliver is heavily influenced by the Houyhnhnms and he begins to admire them far too much. In fact, it is safe to say that he idolized them. Their opinions "opened my eyes and enlarged my understanding, that I began to view the actions and passions of man in a very different light" (250). He worships them and slowly begins to despise anything that is not of the Houyhnhnms, including his very own kind. Gulliver wants to fit into the Houyhnhnm circle and simply forget everything else. The Yahoos are the "most unteachable of all brutes" (227). To say such a thing not only insults others but also insults oneself but Gulliver is so drunk with adoration, he cannot think straight. He believes he can change his behavior and fit into the Houyhnhnm society. Upon returning home, he can barely "tolerate the sight of Yahoos" (284). Here we see irony as Gulliver is placed back within his society; he is where he belongs and he still thinks he is superior to his people. He can hardly bring himself to even think of touching a Yahoo and he confesses he cannot "endure my wife or
He would rather spend his time with horses and so this is exactly what he does. The sad irony is that Gulliver hates himself and is too stupid to realize it.
"The Rape of the Lock" and Gulliver's Travels represent irony that is mean not only to entertain but to makes us think. These authors wanted to show us a bit of mankind's ugliness through irony. Irony works in the same way humor does in that for it to be successful, there needs to be an element of truth attached to it and Pope and Swift use common characteristics of humanity to unveil their truths. Belinda is completely superficial and has no need for anything like religion. She is no hero but she becomes a goddess through her own self-worship. Everything about her that is of value is based upon how she looks. Pope clearly identifies the problem with mankind in one simple character. Similarly, in Gulliver's Travels, Swift points out the very weakness of man in Gulliver. Both men demonstrate how easy it is for man to become distracted by the things he wants. Both men make us wonder how humanity has managed to survive any length of time without complete annihilation of the species one selfish act at a time.
Works Cited
Pope, Alexander. "The Rape of the Lock." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York W.W. Norton and Company. 1986.
Swift, Jonathon. Gulliver's Travels. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1948.
