The concept of the natural state of man is discussed in detail by both Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe in their books Gulliver’s Travels and Robinson Crusoe respectively. While Swift takes the reader through his opinion of the natural state of man by describing the journey of Gulliver, Defoe does this through an evaluation of the life of Crusoe. However, despite appearing to focus on the same topic, the two hold divergent views on the same. Defoe appears to make a more compelling argument as compared to Swift in Gulliver’s travel because he appears to be more realistic as opposed to the highly imaginative Swift.
Both authors give an illustration of their main characters traveling in far-off lands in a bid to attain freedom, which leads Gulliver to Lilliput and numerous inhospitable environments for Crusoe before arriving in Brazil. The two are then left to rediscover themselves and in the process, the essence of humanity in their natural worlds. One of the primary themes in both books is individualism versus the society (Oztekin, 3). The nature of man is generally regarded as self-centered, an issue that has been alluded to by philosophers such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes.
At the beginning of the book, Robinson Crusoe is within the context of family. His individualistic nature is illustrated when he says, “I should certainly run away from my master before my time was out, and go to sea” (Defoe, 3). Gulliver also illustrates individualism though he is not as rebellious as Crusoe.
The use of the first person character in the texts is a testament to individualism being inherent to human beings. What gives Defoe a better argument over Swift despite having a common theme is Crusoe’s ability to portray human emotions during his travels. This is unlike Gulliver who is impassioned and in most parts illustrates a lack of drive. This can be attributed to his isolation from the rest of humanity for sixteen years, which in any case is not common to a majority of the people and as such, Swift’s view on the natural state of man (Swift, 3), as exemplified by Gulliver, does not appear to represent a majority.
Gulliver’s lack of emotions also makes it difficult to determine whether or not his adventurous nature is heroic or not. His impassioned view of life does not give the reader the opportunity to experience any of his heroic acts. This is despite having undergone some unnerving experiences such as his encounter with a giant rat and being held captive by pirates (Bloom, 33). In all these instances, he appears to survive merely by luck and the mercy of the author rather than as a result of any conscious acts of greatness. However, the nature of man as individualistic lends him to view heroism and the sentiment associated with it as a primary element in his life.
On the other hand, Defoe is able to bring out the aspect of heroism in Robinson Crusoe by portraying the utilitarian view of the natural environment, which has the effect of endearing him to the readers. His utilitarianism is illustrated by the statement:
I bethought myself however, that perhaps the Skin of him might one way or other be of some Value to us; and I resolved to take off hers Skin if I could. So Xury and I went to work with him; but Xury was much the better Workman at it, for I knew very ill how to do it. Indeed it took us up both the whole Day, but at last we got off the Hide of him, and spreading it on the top of our Cabbin, the Sun effectually dried it in two Days time, and it afterwards serv'd me to lye upon. (Defoe, 26)
It is the simple actions that Crusoe undertakes that portray his heroism, ambition, and perseverance unlike the emotionless and impassioned Gulliver.
Some of the actions undertaken by Crusoe include spending long periods making a canoe and perfecting his art in pottery. Once in Brazil, Crusoe is resourceful and even engages in commercial activities such as goat keeping, farming of grapes, and the dairy business. All the ventures that he undertakes are from virtually nothing which serves as an illustration of his ambition which is inherent in human beings (Novak, 6). Crusoe also builds a home. In the modern context, home ownership (which creates a sense of belonging) is a basic attribute of man in his natural state which Crusoe aptly exemplifies. On the other hand, the motivation for Gulliver to venture out into the world is not innate as compared to that of Crusoe. Gulliver is only forced to venture out for the lack of a sizeable estate that he could inherent. It is therefore the case that had he been the first born son in the family he would not have the motivation to seek his adventure in utopia. Consequently, Swift’s attempt to portray the natural state of man through Gulliver’s travels appears more coincidental rather than by design.
Gulliver also appears to be disinterested in all aspects that would appear to give a sense of fulfillment to a man’s life. That aspect is illustrated by his lack of remorse in leaving his wife Mary Burton Gulliver. Gulliver’s lack of interest in his wife shows that despite his superior knowledge in other issues, he lacked a basic understanding of his inner self and the important role that social interactions play in the life of human beings. On the other hand, despite seeking freedom from the government and other people around him, Crusoe appears to have mastered the art of social interactions as illustrated in his business initiatives (Oztekin, 7). Crusoe also agonizes at the lack of family during his first sojourn in the island during which he says:
It would have made a stoic smile, to have seen me and my little family sit down to dinner (Defoe, 113).
Man is inherently a social being, which is demonstrated by the fact that both came from a family set up before their journeys in such of freedom. Therefore, Swift’s failure to recognize man as a social being does not seem to lend credence to his view of the natural state of man when compared to that of Defoe.
It is inevitable that man’s inherent nature as ambitious would lead to some form of competition and hence conflict. This is described by philosophers as economic individualism. It is for this reason that Crusoe decides to move to his island, which he bequeaths himself. He does this to avoid competition with the government and other people. In the island, he seeks to be self-sufficient in order to reduce his reliance on others, which is a reflection of the modern society in which people tend to create walls around themselves as a form of self-sufficiency. The aspect of self-sufficiency has continued to dominate many people’s lives, especially in this era of capitalism. It is this attribute that Swift fails to portray in Gulliver who appears to move around with no specific rationale. The incompatibility of Swift’s portrayal of the natural state of man with the realistic view is illustrated by the eventual mental breakdown that Gulliver undergoes towards the conclusion of the book.
In conclusion, both authors agree on the basic nature of the man as self-centered. However, it is their portrayal of the two characters, Gulliver and Crusoe, which serves as an illustration of the divergence of their opinions. While Defoe appears to focus on reality as exemplified by the human-to-human interactions in his book, Gulliver appears to focus more on imagination. Swift’s imagination is shown through the journeys that Gulliver takes in Lilliput, a utopian space. It is also Defoe’s ability to paint Crusoe as having emotions that enables him to create a picture of a true human. This is unlike the emotionless picture that Swift portrays of Gulliver, which has an impact of denying credence to his view on the natural state of man who is inherently an emotional being. Ultimately, Defoe’s narrative appears more credible as compared to Gulliver’s given its realistic portrayal of the nature of man.
Works Cited
Bloom, Allan. Giants and Dwarfs: An Outline of Gulliver's Travels. New York: Simon and
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Internet resource.
Novak, Maximillian. Defoe And The Nature Of Man. London, Oxford University Press. Online
Öztekin, Sercan. An Analysis of Individualism and Human Nature In
Robinson Crusoe. International Journal of Humanities, Art and Social Studies (IJHAS), Vol. 1, No.1, 2015. Web. June 21, 2016.
Schuster. 1990. Print
Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s travels. Woodbury, N.Y: Barron's, 1984. Internet Resource.
