Essay Questions

Bring out the ironic nature of the title The Unfortunate Traveler that Thomas Nashe uses for the novel.

While the novel title, to some extent, brings to light the troubles that the narrator and protagonist Jack encounters throughout his escapades and adventures, Thomas Nashe also uses it as a backdrop to present the narrator’s luck. In this line, it can be argued that, to some extent, the novel’s title is quite ironic with regard to how the narrator seems to be fortunate. In almost every misfortune that almost befalls him. For instance, the unfortunate traveler who is also the protagonist Jack is presented as being rather fortunate with regards to the fact that he witnessed most of the historical events that he explains in the novel. While in the novel, his existence seems to susceptible in virtually every vignette, he comes out alive every time. For example, when he witnesses the massacre of the Baptists, he comes out alive.

Jack is an unreliable narrator. Is this assertion correct? How does the author bring to light his unreliability?

In his presentation of ideas, the narrator employs a certain lack of unity, a situation that clearly depicts his unreliability and the mind of the novel’s writer. For instance, Jack says: “Well, Tendit ad sydera virtus, there’s great virtue belongs (I can tell you) to a cup of cider.” This quote also adds to the correctness of the assertion. The Latin employed as the quote begins can be translated into English. Whereas the narrator infers a certain connection with ciders, this has been translated quite differently, a situation that shows just how unreliable the narrator is in his presentation of ideas. Also, concerning the writer’s mind, the chaotic presentation serves the purpose of showing how Nashe had a substantially diverse mind, as seen by the diverse narrative that he produces.

Show how religious hypocrisy is brought out in Thomas Nashe’s The Unfortunate Traveller.

The theme of religious hypocrisy is quite well brought out in this novel. For instance, when Jack Wilton is saved from the hands of the Jewish Zadok as well as the pope’s physician by the name, Zachary, a height of religious hypocrisy is presented when the reader learns that the person who saves Jack Whilton is actually the pope’s mistress. Even though pope’s are supposed to be celibate, we learn that here the pope has a mistress. This is one instance of hypocrisy among more instances presented in the novel.