ENGLISH LITERATURE

The Human Body Representations in Gulliver’s Travels and Robinson Crusoe

 

The body is represented in an assortment of ways and forms, mediums, and in the same way into all aspects or disciplines. Two of the oldest masterpieces of English literature, Gulliver’s Travels and Robinson Crusoe reflect narrative themes that extend beyond its figurative interpretations of the human body. On this case, both novels critically analyse the human body representation as directly or indirectly figured in the whole novels’ sequence of events. In the Gulliver’s Travels, it examines the human body by looking in the physicality of people – the real and touchable – as key features. The physical descriptions of human body regardless of the given examples or character are provided. On the other case, Robinson Crusoe looks on the perspective of human body in relation to morality particularly on the issue of cannibalism. The moral responsibility of every person in protecting the physical body is exemplified.

 

Gulliver’s Travels: on human body and physicality

            Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels was first published in 1726 and further amended in 1735 for purposes of improvements. It is considered as among the assortment of classics in the English literature as the novel is categorically characterised as satire or parody on human nature and travellers’ tales as sub-genre in literature. Since it is a parody of human nature, it is expected that the human body and physical being is subject for descriptive illustrations so as to form mental pictures on the perspectives of various readers. The travel adventures of Gulliver in the remotest nations of the world somewhat presented the disparity among human races. These differences are defined by the descriptions – both physical and behavioural in form and nature present in the four (4) parts of the novel. The novel is sub-divided into the following parts: I) A Voyage To Lilliputian; II) A Voyage to Brobdingnag; III) A Voyage to Lepta, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg and Japan; and IV) A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms.

In Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels,  (2004) argues that man discovers his animal nature. This is illustrative to the outrageous adventures of Gulliver to different places as he meets eccentric individuals. For instance, the first part of the travel adventure after his shipwreck focuses on the Lilliput and its population of tiny inhabitants that captured him. The physical appearance of the Lilliputians is a blatant description of their physical body. Gulliver knows that these individuals are different from his appearance. It could be supposed that the concept of size is promoted as a figurative description of power and measurement of ability. Relating to the biblical anecdote of David and Goliath, David as the small and Goliath as big, Gulliver is big and the Lilliputians are small. It follows with the idea that size equates to power and strength as defined by size. The threat of Gulliver as the bigger person somewhat created an impulse to the Lilliputians to make him as prisoner to do no further damage. This instance illustrates the connotation of size or height of people as physical attribute that differ or determine their ability from the opposite appearance if being small. In the novel, the height or size of the Lilliputians is similarly reflected to the current situation of discrimination on the cases of employment, for instance. The image of the human body in terms of the size or height of the Lilliputians defines the ability of every person, what he/she can do, or anything that reflects might or power in reference to physical size.

Human body is characterised by diversity and individuality. Though Gulliver stays unchanged in his size, he is incongruous and disproportionate –extremely large or too minuscule – when compared to the population of the people he visits on his strange voyages. He could be a Brobdingnagian in Lilliput and a Lilliputian in Brobdingnag. The physical manifestation of size somewhat affects the reputation of Gulliver. Among the Lilliputians, he was revered after his promise of appropriate and good behaviour making him the favourite of the Court of LiIlipput. With the concept of power and might alongside with size or height, Gulliver assisted the Lilliputians against their rivals – the Blefuscu and its Blefuscudians because of the illusion rather than the actual manifestation of power and might. The way in which the human body appeared in these instances is physical yet it transcends beyond the image and interpretation of anyone who reads the novel.

For the case of Swift and his novel,  believes that he is disgusted with the human body. This is particularly apparent on the case of the Brobdingnag as well as the Yahoos. The giants in Brobdingnag are as tall as steeples and everything about them is in proportion. Their physical defects are overstated and present symbolic recognition of the horrific aspect of human skin. Women are ugly particularly the colour of the nipples and breast of the nurses who took care of Gulliver. As described, the nurse’s nipple and breast “was so verified with spots, pimples and freckles, that nothing could appear more nauseous” (). Other attendants who assisted Gulliver to lie in their bosom are disgusting because of their offensive smell that comes from their skins (). On the fourth part, Swift illustrates the country of Houyhnhnms as horse endowed with the ability to think and maintain a rational, clean, and simple society together with their counterparts – the Yahoos, who are beasts in human shape and live in filthiness and brutality. The Yahoo prostitutes, in particular, are hairy, disgusting and abominable and infected with syphilis. According to the text, they have “acquired a certain malady, which bred rottenness in the bones of those, who fall into their embraces” (). The human body is represented as a subject of diseases. These diseases are caused by the natural as well as circumstantial aspects of life evidently shown by the daily activities of people. On the case of the characters described above, their physicality somewhat appear as diseases.

One interesting concept on the situation of the human body is seen on women of Brobdingnag and Houyhnhnms is the issue of discrimination of the female gender.  (1990) argues that Swift mainly focuses on the corruption and decay of the female body, particularly on excrement and disease. The feminist point of view considers these literary images of the human body, especially the women, as form of oppression. Aside from the images of women as prostitutes, ugly individuals, and other characterisations, there are other parts of the novel’s narrative that caters on oppression of the female gender through their physicality like “when Gulliver stops his nose with rue to avoid the nauseous scent of his wife at the end of Book IV” ( 1990, ). The disgusting vision of the female body presented by Swift (one need only remember the grotesque description of a Brobdingnagian breast) is subverted by the celebration of Mrs Gulliver’s flesh ( 2005, ). Looking to the fourth book, we can see all these qualities again embodied in the Yahoos: their offensive smell, their naked corporeality, their connection with disease, and their uncontrolled sexuality are, as we have seen, the essential attributes of the female figure. Further, Gulliver actually does take the place of the female figure at more than one prominent point in the novel. In the relativist comparison between Gulliver’s own form as a giant in Lilliput and his encounter with the giants of Brobdingnag, he repeatedly occupies the position of a woman ( 1990, ). The representation of human body particularly of woman in the novel is quite discriminatory. This is attributed to the fact that women during the publication of the novel are considered as the subordinate gender. In such manner, they are presented as someone who is seemingly different to the current situation of women today. Again, the human body is subjected to diseases and other conditions that are influenced by individuality and diversity.

The human body is exemplified by diversity and uniqueness. Gulliver and the characters that he encountered in his journey prove this representation of the human body. The human body in its physicality consist the image of a person, for instance on the case of Lilluputians and Brobdingnag where size and height equates with power and might; the Brobdingnag and Houyhnhnms women with disgusting bodies as well as the Yahoos as they represent body as subject of diseases and sexuality. Looking on Gulliver’s human body, it could be summarized that his physicality was used in generating images and representations of the rest of the novel’s characters. Gulliver is a ‘perfect’ man himself yet he appeared ‘imperfect’ to the worlds of the people he encountered. Gulliver is continuously (re)categorizing and (re)inventing himself on the subject of the different ‘natives’ he meets during his travels ( 1992). The comparison of his physicality determines the diversity and individuality of human beings. In application, the human body in the Gulliver’s Travels is an epitome of diversity and individuality, that man and woman in various localities constitute characteristics that defines their identity, culture, race, and others as it symbolizes life’s adventures.

 

Robinson Crusoe: on human body and morality

Written by  and first published in 1719, Robinson Crusoe is possibly the first English novel that narrates the life and adventures of an English castaway. In Robinson Crusoe,  presents a hero who primes his body and mind into a finely tuned mercantile instrument that, in its intense engagement with living improvements, is invulnerable to sexual stirrings ( 1996, ). The representation of the human body on this novel extends to the idea of philosophy and religion as bounded by individual principles and morality. Looking on the instance where Crusoe contemplated on the ideals of Christianity, religion, its lessons and practices comes to abound. In here, he is against the primal practices of cannibalism as bounded by religious teachings particularly that of Christianity.

The human body is a symbol of a moral being. This is exemplified by Crusoe himself. Crusoe, on his castaway years, enthusiastically applies himself to making bread and breeding goats; to crafting furniture, wicker-baskets, earthenware pots, and eventually a tobacco-pipe; to erecting his various abodes; to bounding between island locales for the culinary goods of grapes and turtles in order to survive. He chooses to harm no one and live with the standards of civilized society. On the moment that he was shipwrecked for the second time and discovered native cannibals, he struggled so hard to understand the repugnant practice. Despite the hardships that Crusoe is encountering, his physical body as directed by his moral principles believe in the absolute standard of morality ( 1971), in which such abhorrent practice is considered Unchristian-like. He condemns cannibalism to the extent that he disallowed Friday, his servant form practicing it. Looking on philosophical perspective, the prohibition of Crusoe explicates his constant recognition on the sanctity of the human body. The human body is created by God on its biblical reference and only through God’s ways and means that the human body should be destroyed. Cannibalism as apparent to the cultural practices of the natives is relative ( 1988) yet Crusoe showed superior morality as he deserted himself to such practice, including Friday ( 1985). Friday is like a “child” () who is grateful, honest, happy, and affectionate. This outward contradiction – that an otherwise innocent and benevolent people could be reduced to acts of cannibalism – to a certain extent is explained when Crusoe questions Friday about his religious beliefs.

Crusoe is a symbol of conversion, repentance, backsliding, and growth ( 2003, ). The human body as seen on Crusoe is subjected to spirituality, in which the key events of his life indicate the providence of God and serve to develop the individual’s life as a Christian. According to  (1961, ), “Crusoe was a paradigm of natural man not only because he lacked the luxuries of civilization but also because almost all contemporary discussions of the primeval state of man commenced with the concept of an isolated being, abstracted from society and religion”. A natural man comprises a physical body in its natural state that only language and religion may validate.  concluded that the natural man was “a plain coarse Piece of Work,” and that without some kind of learning a knowledge of language or religion would be impossible ( 1961, ).

Crusoe’s attacks on the cannibals are justified on “higher” moral grounds such as “self-preservation” and to save the life of a “poor Christian” (). The human body should be preserved, taken cared of, and be saved. Practically, Crusoe’s reaction on the issue of cannibalism reflects the high judgment that he possess as a result of Christian teachings and beliefs. Crusoe is a symbol of religious freedom and colonialism ( 2003). As a wandering being in a place in which he does not consider his own society, Crusoe is guided with his moral standards as a product of his physical body and its recognition of the concept of good and wrong through mental assumptions. Generally, Crusoe was a man of the middle-class who is the genius of the born commander. He knew how to organize carefully all his enterprises and carried hem through with authority. He can fully do this through his superior moral upbringing. In sum, Crusoe and the human body representation as moral being is exemplified by the experiences of Crusoe himself based on the ideals of Christianity, absolute standards of morality, and the acknowledgement of the importance of the physical body.

 

References

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