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Unit 24: Alexander Pope: The Rape of the Lock

Although the fourth epistle provides a successful conclusion to Pope’s ambitious philosophical Notes
project, this section is not without its problems. Perhaps most distressing is Pope’s argument in
Section IV, which dismisses man’s concern that too often virtue appears to be punished while vice
is rewarded. While this is addressed to an extent in Pope’s discussion of material goods, Pope also
asserts that God acts by general and not specific laws which apply to the whole, not individual
parts. This suggests that all men are treated exactly equally by God. Experience obviously contradicts
this assertion, but so does Pope himself. He declares that to satisfy God’s hierarchical order as well
as man’s social order, there must be differences of wealth and rank. He claims that equality of
wealth is opposed to God’s ways because it would breed discontent among those who deserve
greater wealth and status. Though Pope qualifies this by suggesting redress in Heaven, this disparity
of wealth and rank—a part of reality—undermine Pope’s thesis.

24.3 The Use of Supernatural Machinery in the Rape of the Lock

The Rape of the Lock is Pope’s best expression of poetic and satirical genius. The 1st version of The
Rape of the Lock was in two cantos, in which pope tried to reconcile two families about a quarrel.
But the immense popularity of the poem inspired Pope to enlarge it in five cantos, in which he used
supernatural machinery extensively.
The supernatural machinery of the poem is derived from the Rosicrucian doctrine as formulated by
Le Comte in Germany in the 17th Century. According to this theory, four elements fire, water, earth
and air, were inhabited by four kinds of spirits-Salamanders, Nymphs, Gnomes and sylphs. In this
poem Pope does not put all these spirits to function but simply Sylphs and an evil spirit Umbrid are
put in action. The sylphs are presented as tiny good spirit with wings. They can change their shape
and sex can see the future can inspect the heart of the human being. They are airy and invisible to
the human eyes. These good spirits try to protect Belinda. Their head sylph is Ariel.
In the 1st canto the sylph causes a dream to Belinda, the heroine of the poem. The sylph appears in
the form of a handsome young man in her dream at the noon time. The guardian sylph addresses
Belinda as ‘Fairest of mortals’ and she is told that she is protected by thousands of spirits who
wanders in airy regions. The sylph has caused sleep and dream to Belinda with a special purpose as
he wants to convey certain secret truths. The sylph says the Belinda should not consider herself as a
common girl but she is someone special. Certain secrets are not revealed to them who are intellectual
and skeptics. The secret truths are revealed to women and children who by nature are very innocent.
Thousands of sylphs are protecting Belinda so she should feel proud. The first truth the sylph reveals
is about the next birth of women. All sylphs before their present existence were beautiful women.
When a woman dies, it is only her physical death. Her vanities interest, taste remain the same. Even
after their death the interest to play the game of card, to move in decorated chariot, survive as they
accompany the beautiful lady for the purpose of protecting her. The sylph further says that basically
there are four kinds of women.
1. The women who are quarrelsome after their death, their soul goes to fire and such women
become Salamander.
2. Those women who are polite submissive, after their death their soul returns to water and
they become Nymphs.
3. Those women who are proud, serious minded, their soul go to Earth and they become
Gnome.
4. Those women who are flirt and coquette, after their death, their soul go to air and they
become Sylphs.
The second truth is that a woman should not reject the proposal of a man because a time comes
when she falls in love with the sylph as the sylph can assume any shape. The third secret truth
which the sylph reveals is that women are tempted on some occasions to part with their chastity.

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