On Ben Johnson's Rasselas

A detailed Summary of On Ben Johnson's Rasselas

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia is very much a book about philosophy. With all the various chapters, each dealing with some moral or another, it would appear at first to be a book primarily concerned with that aspect of philosophy known as ethics. However, what we find repeatedly are actions by moral teaching characters that undermine the very things they teach. In that sense it doesn't seem to be a very moralistic book at all for no conclusion seems to be ever drawn. The undermining of the morals, coupled with the understanding that Samuel Johnson himself was a moralist in every sense of the word only confounds the inconsistencies to be found in it. With all these inconsistencies, there is still one thread that keeps this a tightly woven philosophical book nonetheless. That thread is Rasselas' journey. The journey in Rasselas is not only a physical journey through an exotic country, it is also an intellectually progressive journey. It is a journey of experience and learning. Thus, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia a story about an epistemological journey, one that ends in the realization that the journey in search of happiness is in itself the very core of what of he is looking for.

Two elements in the novel reveal how Imlac and the Astronomer both succeed where Rasselas fails. The first element is revealed in the metaphorical power of the Astronomer. The Astronomer is like Imlac in so far as that they are both very learned men. They have spent their lives actively pursuing their curiosity's, each with no other reason if for the sake of experiencing as much as they can. They, both being older than Rasselas have a fuller understanding of things and are content with who they have become as the result of this experience. The Astronomer is described to us as one who has "possessed for five years the regulation of weather, and the distribution of the seasons" (129). The Astronomer's power over the elements conveys a sense of godliness. It elevates him and extends an understanding of forces that elude accurate prediction even today. His ability appears to be the highest of sciences and all learning for that matter. This is the metaphorical reward for his success. Metaphorically speaking, his power is a power that transcends common understanding. His knowledge is superior to others because his quest for it endless. Thus, the Astronomer is portrayed as having the highest of learning so as to convey the greatest value in his grasping of the benefits of experience. His knowledge of the elements is a secret that can only be trusted to someone who has also embraced the concept that the path to happiness is also the destination. Imlac is such a person.

Since the beginning of the novel we have seen how Rasselas' unhappiness has been relative to his inexperience. Reversibly, his happiness should therefore be relative to experience. However, one point does remain unclear; that is, does the experience have to be first hand, or can one learn, and consequently find happiness through someone else's experience? I believe that Johnson may be arguing that happiness is best encountered with the fusion of both types, rather than the separation of them. For instance, when Rasselas meets Imlac he is suddenly intrigued by his experience and the way he is able to convey that experience in his poetry. For the first time since the story begins we see that Rasselas is actually happy and looks forward to the coming days: "he thought himself happy in having found a man who knew the world so well and could so skillfully paint the scenes of life...[he] regretted the necessity of sleep, and longed till the morning should renew his pleasure." (54). Thus, Rasselas is still experiencing life though the experience is being conveyed to him by the poet Imlac. Nonetheless, it is satisfying, at least to some degree, the curiosity that his mind is hungry for. You can see, how this may have a negative effect if in fact the poet is wrong and the information that Rasselas gets is only exaggerated fiction. Therefore, the experiential journey is still necessary to augment the conveyed one. However, experience alone will not suffice if the experience lacks variety. This necessity is shown metaphorically in the novel.

sselas appears to have all that is needed in his valley kingdom of Abyssinia. So perfect is the location, inhabitants, wealth and shelter of Abyssinia that it is described by Johnson, almost as a Garden of Eden. Here in the valley there are no enemies, nor "beasts of prey" (40). In keeping with the biblical metaphor the narrator goes on to say "[a]ll the diversities of the world were brought together, the blessings of the nature were collected and its evils extracted and excluded," almost alluding to the final destination of Noah's Ark. While the biblical allusions convey a sense of paradise, things aren't always as they seem. Rasselas is restless and is no longer able to tolerate his condition. He has come to know everything there is to know about his small and isolated internal world. His knowing that an outside world exist,

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Approximate Word count = 2592
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English