Jessie LaFree
Honors Utopia Colloq
Hartman
February 2, 2011
Thomas More’s Utopia: the Statement that Wasn’t a Statement
In as much as the word “utopia” is a satire, Thomas More’s work Utopia is also a
satire. Carefully written and cleverly disguised, the ideas in Utopia are meant to be a
criticism of and not a solution to the current events of Thomas More’s Europe. Today the
book must read with at least a basic understanding of its context to understand More’s
real opinions and the techniques he used to express them.
The setting in which Thomas More wrote Utopia was one of building European
unrest. Upheavals in politics and religion were turning Europeans into a suppressed and
persecuted people. While Thomas More was certainly a respected man amongst the elite
of England, he was, like so many others (common and noble), unable to freely speak his
mind without facing certain punishment. As King Henry VII’s advisor, More might have
been more aware of problems in England but even less able to speak his mind about
them. Under these restrictions More had to create a way to voice his opinions about the
political and social shortfalls of his Europe; he found this outlet in Utopia’s Raphael
Hythloday.
In Utopia Thomas More discusses blatantly heretical and treasonous opinions
through the mythological character, Hythloday. As a character, Raphael Hythloday is
shallow and mysterious; a character entirely fabricated by More and the perfect bearer for
More’s controversial statements. Over the course of the novel, Hythloday discusses the
many “perfections” of Utopian society. He discusses the sharing of food amongst the
people and the disregard for material goods. He describes a whole people who are
interested in education and tolerant of religions. Marriage is sacred to the Utopians but
politicians and lawyers receive no more respect than any other. Wars are only begun with
sure purpose and the people as a whole hold power over their leaders. In identifying these
ideals through Hythloday, More silently identifies their counterparts in European Society:
maltreatment, ostentation, ignorance, intolerance, adultery, misuse of power, and
corruption among others.
By inadvertently bringing up such topics through Hythloday's stories More,
in a sense, "saves himself" from persecution, religious or political. This tactic is
compounded by his ambiguous closing comments where he claims to like and
dislike certain aspects of Utopia without disclosing what they are. More says what
he needs to say through a fictional character but excludes writing his own opinion
on the matters at hand concretely. In no way is More recommending the Utopian
way of life through Utopia; nor is he attempting to offer solutions to the problems
present in Europe during his time. Instead, More is bringing attention to those
problems. Utopia creates a fictional world upon which readers (in More's time)
were meant to compare and reflect on in relation to their own society and through
their own means.
Comments
Jessie,
You have a strong and clearly stated thesis in this essay, that the book should be
read as social criticism and not as a proposal. Your discussion of the reasons for More’s
ambiguity suggests why he had to disguise his intent with fiction. I’m not sure, though,
why you think the book should not be read as proposing solutions. You state this very
strongly:
In no way is More recommending the Utopian way of life through
Utopia; nor is he attempting to offer solutions to the problems
present in Europe during his time.
Do you ever say why he is not offering solutions? Or am I just missing it?