Question

comment on the philosophy of life in the novel "Three Men in a Boat"

Answer 1

The novel gives many philosophical messages to the readers. One of them is the narrator's wise and practical advice concerning packing for the voyage of life. According to him, we the men and women load up our boats with too much of useless lumber thinking it will make our voyage pleasurable and comfortable. Men and women pile the poor little craft mast-high with fine clothes and big houses; with useless servants, and a host of swell friends that do not care twopence for them, and that they do not care even a bit for; with expensive entertainments that nobody enjoys, with formalities and fashions, with pretence and ostentation, and with oh, heaviest, maddest lumber of all! the dread of what will my neighbour think, with luxuries that only cloy, with pleasures that bore, with empty show that, like the criminals iron crown of yore, makes to bleed and swoon the aching head that wears it! The narrator advises men and women to keep their boat of life light with only the things that are needed. Then it will be easier to pull the boat and enjoy the voyage.