The motif of the road in the pilgrim's progress, robinson crusoe and gulliver research paper sample

Introduction

The life of a human being has been considered as an adventure that seeks to reveal and unveil the person. Finding meaning and purpose for one’s life is the most important thing that will keep a man focused and content. Most of the people who take shortcuts and most probably rely on other people’s experiences end up being frustrated. This is simply because each person has been designed with unique capabilities that will enable them overcome the challenges that come with their lives. Moving through life, a person is usually surrounded by people who play different roles in shaping their destinies. It however reaches a time when a person has to move away from the crowd and simply discover whom they are. This is not always an easy decision as it implies leaving a comfort zone just to find meaning in life. The Pilgrims progress, Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver’s travels take us through the life of characters and the journeys they went through just to find meaning in life. In this paper, we shall be focusing on the pilgrimage trips of the characters and how each stage revealed their person and purpose.
– First supporting idea: Robinson’s journey of discovery
There is usually the need for our parents to protect and shield us from harm yet it is rather obvious that they will never fill up the void within us that urges us to take such a root. The fact that it may be a totally different and unique root also makes an individual fearful yet they risk for the sake of filling up the void. The pilgrimage journey of Robinson was coupled with a lot of loneliness and frustrations (Holland 118). Learning things a fresh and being in a totally different environment made him feel that he had disobeyed his parents. There are many times he felt like he should go back and most probably receive the blessings of his father. However, the thought of never being able to continue with the journey that he had taken gave him the courage to go on. Knowing that it was also a decision that he undertook without pressure from outside also assured him that it was a personal risk which he will have to face the consequences. The main determinants of the decisions we take are the internal and external pressures we face in the journey.

B. Second supporting idea: Gulliver’s journey

Gulliver has displayed lacking the character of a team player that is vital to survive especially with strangers. He is not willing to support his group fully and tries to find recognition by betraying them. This is a form of insecurity where by a person feels insufficient and hence looking for consolation somewhere else. The fact is that a person who cannot stand strong on his or her own principles will never find satisfaction in a group setting. Before a person survives in a group setting, they need to be governed by strong personal principles that will guide them through. Knowing who you are will also play a vital role in choosing the people to relate with as well as the necessary steps to take. Gulliver may be considered immature in his thinking and unable to make stable decisions (Rogers 94). He is seeking for recognition and appreciation yet he is not able to offer the same to his team members. This is definitely an example of an individual who is still to mature up in his pilgrimage journey. After having such numerous issues with people, it will be necessary for him to go through a quite soul searching moment where he needs to rediscover himself and evaluate his relationship with the people around. Learning to embrace other people’s opinions and having strong principles will ultimately make him realise his faults. The journey has a lot of significance in his life;
C. Third supporting idea: Christian journey
D. Fourth supporting idea: analysis of the stories
With all the determination and different experiences that the three characters had, they came back home with knowledge and inspiration. This was not just enough as Robinson and Christian achieved more than what Gulliver had. Robinson was not only a great king of an island but also gained a lot of respect and appreciation from people who tool up leadership even in his absence. He mentored them well and was able to trust them with the responsibility of taking care of what he had worked hard for. He trusted strangers who ultimately trusted him back. Gulliver may have learned a lot but came with so little to show for his pilgrim journey. He was not quick enough to accept and appreciate the changes that happened around him (Lock 83). It was most probably too late for him to learn that he would have been humble enough towards people he met and appreciate them rather than moving around and about looking for people that would understand him. The attitude displayed through the journey earned each one of them a fortune, whether small or big;

Conclusion

Life journey is inevitable and some of the experiences come to us whether we are willing or not. Life also has specific lessons for is to learn and the faster we learn the better for us. Unless we learn the vital lessons of life, we will keep going through similar tests until when we grow wise. However those who are wise and not escaping any of such challenges have higher capabilities of learning and ultimately growing. The more we resist grasping the lesson being taught at every stage, the more we delay the level of our maturity, since time never waits for anyone, the quick learners end up succeeding more than the slow learners or the escapists. It should always be noted that the difference between those who are successful and those who are not is not necessarily exposure but rather the ability to learn. Having strong principles, daring to try and always knowing that people are an important part of our success will make life easier for any person. Above all, the greatest lesson a person can learn in life is the belief in a supreme creature. Knowing that there is a God who controls all the vents of life will enable one to accept and appreciate all events of life as well as learning to treat people with caution. Spiritual reconnection enables us to know that people are in our life for a purpose and reason.

Works cited

Bunyan, John. The Pilgrim’s Progress: From this World to that which is to Come Mass. Harvard: Sabbath School Society, 1834.
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. London: The Folio Society, 1972. Print.
Green, Martin. The Robinson Crusoe Story. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1990.
Holland, Norman. The Dynamics of Literary Response. New York: Oxford UP, 1968. Print.
Lock, Frederick P. The politics of Gulliver’s travels. Clarendon Press, 1980.
Patey, Douglas Lane. ” Swift’s satire on” science” and the structure of Gulliver’s Travels.” ELH 58. 4 (1991): 809-839.
Rogers, Pat. Robinson Crusoe. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1979. Print.
Seidel, Michael. Robinson Crusoe: island myths and the novel. Boston, MA: Twayne, 1991.
Swift, Jonathon. Gulliver’s Travels. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1999. 2391-449. Print.
Watt, Ian. ” Robinson Crusoe as a Myth.” Essays in Criticism 1. 2 (1951): 95-119.
Wedel, T. O. ” On the Philosophical Background of” Gulliver’s Travels”.” Studies in Philology (1926): 434-450.