THE USE OF IRONY IN “GULLIVER’S TRAVELS”

Irony is one of the most important instrument of satire. Irony arises from a contrast, a contrast between
appearance and reality, between what a character or the author says and what he really means to convey,
between what a character thinks himself to be and what he really is, between what a character believes
and what the reader knows to be actually the case, between what a character thinks what he will do or
achieve and what he really in run does or achieves, and so on. It may also be pointed out that, apart from
irony inwords, irony may exist in situation. A situation is ironical when the reader knows all the factsof
the case while the characters, either all of them or some of them are ignorant of some of the facts of the case.
Furthermore, irony may produce a comic effect or a tragic effect, depending upon the circumstances of the case. This
means that the use of irony by an author may amuse the reader or may sadden him all the more

A Destructive Irony at Work in “Gulliver’s Travels”:

Swift is a comic and satirical writer, and therefore his use of irony in his writings adds to the comic effect at which he
aims. In “Gulliver’s Travels” we find a plentiful use of irony. As Cazamian points out, “Gulliver’s
Travels” throws the light of a superior and destructive irony upon the smallness of the means, the vanity
of the motives, the illusions of the catch words, through which kings retained thrones and magistrates
their offices in those days. It is not only the English political life of his time which Swift thus dissects. To
serve the needs of his allegory, swift carries us from the country of the dwarfs to that of the giants, and in
the end to the country of the yahoos and of the noble horses. Mankind cuts a sorry figure in all these strange countries.
Irony and allegory are, in this book, fused in one. Swift is, indeed, a master of irony.
The Irony of Situation in all the Four Parts of “Gulliver’s Travels”
The irony of situation is to be found in all the four divisions of “Gulliver’s Travels”. In Lilliput, Gulliver
finds himself in the midst of people who are no more than six inches in height. In Brobdingnag, Gulliver
finds himself in the midst of people of a giant size by comparison with whom he himself is a pigmy. In
Laputa and in Balnibarbi he finds himself among people who are queer in one way or another. Finally, he
finds himself in the midst of the Yahoos and the Houyhnhnms, the former bearing a close physical
resemblance to human beings and the latter being horses in their physical shape and appearance but
having an intelligence much superior to that of human beings. In all these cases, Gulliver thinks
himself to be literally among pigmies, giants, or horses as the case may be; but we realize that in each
case Swift is giving us a portrayal of human beings themselves though the description of the various kinds
of inhabitants of the different countries as determined by the requirements of the satirical intentions of the
author.

Verbal Irony in the Portrayal of the Emperor and the Customs of Lilliput:
In addition to the irony of situation, we have in this book plenty of verbal irony which arises largely from
the contrast between what is said and what is really intended. Early in the book we have an example of
this kind of irony when Swift describes the Emperor of Lilliput. As the Emperor is taller by the breadth of
Gulliver’s nail than any member of his court, his appearance is enough to strike awe into the beholders.
The Emperor’s features are strong and masculine with an Austrian lip and arched nose, his countenance
erect, his body and limbs well proportioned, all his motions graceful, and his conduct majestic. Now this
description of the Emperor is clearly ironical because a person, who is just six inches or a little more than
in height, cannot be regarded as awful.
Irony in Part IV of the Book:
It is believed by some that in part IV of the book swift’s portrayal of the Houyhnhnms is also ironical and
that Swift did not really mean to hold up the Houyhnhnms as representing a utopian ideal. This however,
is not relevant point. But about Swift’s use of irony in describing Gulliver’s mentality and outlook in the
two or three closing chapters, we can have no doubt. Swift certainly does not approve of the complete and
absolute misanthropy which Gulliver has developed by the end of his final voyage. Swift, therefore, gives
us an ironic description Gulliver’s whole behavior at this stage. In other words, Gulliver himself now
becomes a target of Swift’s irony and satire.

WRITTEN & COMPOSED BY:PROF. A.R. SOMROO M.A. ENGLISH,