GULLIVER’S TRAVELS
Published 1726
I ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland, on November 30, 1667, of Anglo-Irish parents.
He was educated in Ireland and graduated only with difficulty from Trinity College, Dublin,
because of his refusal to study logic. His education at Kilkenny School and Trinity was
financed by a generous uncle, casting Swift, who was a proud man, in the uncomfortable role
of dependent.
In 1688, following James II's abdication and the subsequent invasion of Ireland, Swift, along
with other Anglo-Irish citizens, found it necessary to move to England. At Moor Park, Surrey,
he became secretary to Sir William Temple, an urbane, retired diplomat who was also a
distant relative. Here, Swift made the acquaintance of important political figures, including
King William. In 1694 Swift was somewhat reluctantly ordained as an Anglican priest and
served in a remote Irish parish for a year before returning to Moor Park, where he remained
until Temple's death. It was at Moor Park that Swift met Esther Johnson (possibly an
illegitimate daughter of Sir William Temple) when she was little more than a child. He
tutored her, shaped her character, and she became the great love of his life. Later, Esther
moved to Dublin at Swift's suggestion, where the two saw each other almost daily, but always
in the presence of others. Whether or not they married (which seems unlikely), this
unorthodox relationship appeared to satisfy both their needs.
While at Moor Park, Swift wrote his first important prose works, A Tale of a Tub and The
Battle of the Books, both of which were published in 1704. In these two works, Swift sided
vehemently with the Ancients in their supposed quarrels with the Moderns and exhibited a
remarkable talent for satire by which he exposed corruption in religion, education, politics,
and human nature in general.
Swift was an outspoken supporter of the Anglican Church and became involved in the
political turmoil between England and Ireland. He abandoned the Whig party because of its
indifference to the welfare of the Anglican Church in Ireland and its tolerance of Roman
Catholics and Dissenters. The Tories welcomed him with open arms, and he became their
most brilliant political journalist, editing and writing articles in The Examiner for the
government of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford, and Henry St John Bolingbroke. In 1713, as a
reward for his services, Swift was appointed Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, a
financially rewarding position. In 1714, however, Queen Anne died and the Tories fell from
power, dashing Swift's political aspirations with the party.
Drawing again upon his writing skills, Swift began to champion the cause of Irish resistance
against English oppression. Under the pseudonym “M. B. Drapier” he wrote letters that
aroused the Irish to reject a debased currency coined in England. Even though his authorship
was widely known in Dublin, no one came forward to collect the £300 reward offered by the
English for the identity of “M. B.”. Swift's literary support for the oppressed Irish culminated
in A Modest Proposal (1729), a beautifully written satirical essay that remains popular even
today, and he is still venerated as an Irish national hero.
For much of his life, Swift was afflicted by Meniere's syndrome, a disease of the inner ear that
causes dizziness, nausea, and deafness. This disease, worsened by age, accelerated the decay
of his mental faculties until his death on October 19, 1745.
Swift saw a wide disparity between his ideal of human nature and the people he saw around
him. He called himself a misanthrope, saying that he loved individuals but hated humankind
in general. He saw humans as animals capable of reason, but not as rational animals. He
certainly did not share the optimistic view that human nature is basically good, regarding it
rather as somehow permanently flawed. Nevertheless, he had a great urge to improve
humanity, the government, the clergy, and the world. He also worked to improve the English
language by establishing an English Academy, presenting the idea first in “A Proposal for
Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue”, later in “Letter to a Young
Clergyman”, and finally in his masterful satire on trite diction in his “Complete Collection of
Genteel and Ingenious Conversation”.
For Swift, reason was the key—if humanity relied on reason and common sense it could
improve despite moral and intellectual deficiencies—and he made his argument by dazzling
the reader with humour, wit, and satire.
II OVERVIEW
Gulliver's Travels relates the adventures of Lemuel Gulliver, an English surgeon, who, in the
first quarter of the 18th century, embarks on four voyages to unknown parts of the world. In
each case, events beyond his control interrupt his progress: a storm at sea, the cowardice of
his shipmates, the cruelty of pirates, and the treachery of his own sailors. He is stranded in
Lilliput, a land of very small people; in Brobdingnag, a land of giants; in Laputa, Balninarbi,
Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg, and Japan, lands of scientific speculation and magic; and finally in
the land of the Houyhnhnms, where degenerate humans serve as beasts of burden for a master
race of horses.
Natural curiosity, courage, and linguistic proficiency allow Gulliver to master the customs of
these various countries. As he observes closely the people and societies he visits, he minutely
describes their appearance, size, and habits like an early anthropologist. Swift designed these
exotic lands and strange characters to reflect the England of his day, but, at the same time, his
satire strikes so close to human nature that it is as relevant today.
III SETTING
During Gulliver's stay in Lilliput, the work's most popular section, Swift depicts a common
children's fantasy—a miniature world inhabited by tiny people, the tallest being only about six
inches. In Lilliput, a place reminiscent of the dolls and toy soldiers of childhood, Gulliver
plays the role of benevolent giant to a race of little people who have exaggerated ideas about
their importance. In contrast, when Gulliver reaches the land of Brobdingnag he finds himself
surrounded by giants, making him feel like a Lilliputian. In both worlds, Gulliver finds that he
must use his wits to survive. Not only does he manage to feed, clothe, and shelter himself—all
of which, considering the circumstances, require ingenuity and courage—but he also learns
their languages and customs, and turns them to his advantage.
Gulliver's last two journeys are less easily understood and more disturbing than their
antecedents. During these excursions, Swift is more critical of human nature, and Gulliver
becomes less an anchor of reason. Swift's imagination and wit make reading the journeys
fascinating and thought-provoking. For example, in the land of the Houyhnhnms, humans are
subjugated by horses, a concept that turns 18th-century reality on its head.
Through Gulliver's descriptions of these societies, Swift provides examples of a range of
human traits from the contemptible to the admirable. He first presents these traits at a
distance, enabling the reader to feel detached and laugh at the foibles of the Lilliputians or
Brobdingnagians. Gradually, the reader comes to see that many of the contemptible traits of
these strange races are human traits as well. Although Swift specifically satirizes 18th-century
English society, his sweep is universal. A reader who understands the political history of
England in the 1700s will certainly enjoy a rich experience reading Gulliver's Travels, while
an intelligent more general reader will understand what Swift is saying about human nature
while enjoying the fantasy world he has created.
IV THEMES AND CHARACTERS
In many ways Lemuel Gulliver is an average human being with a profession (surgeon), a
family, and a desire to be comfortable and secure. He is moderately well off with no special
ambitions to separate him from his contemporaries. In many ways he is an ordinary person
who we would hardly expect to experience the adventures described. In other respects,
Gulliver is not so typical. His acute curiosity leads him to discover much more about the
societies he encounters than most travellers surely would. He measures, weighs, scrutinizes,
and compares, giving the reader an accurate picture of all that he sees. He enjoys sitting for
hours learning the customs and practices of other cultures, and he is just as willing to describe
his own society to anyone curious enough to listen.
Gulliver is quickly able to communicate with his hosts thanks to his facility for languages,
even to the point of learning the sophisticated language spoken by horses in the book. He
reports on the strangeness he encounters with a blend of curiosity and matter-of-fact
pragmatism. Gulliver's obsession with detail is fortunate, but he often does not recognize the
significance of what he observes and reports, showing an obtuseness that eventually causes
the reader to doubt his reliability as a moral guide.
Gulliver is also extremely resourceful and courageous. He always manages to feed, clothe,
and shelter himself. In the land of the Houyhnhnms, where no creature is clothed or eats any
food that Gulliver can stomach, he manages to make himself comfortable for the five years he
spends there. In Brobdingnag he successfully defends himself with his coat hanger against
rats the size of mastiffs and seems only slightly affected by the encounter. Almost every
living creature in the country is a threat, and Gulliver is constantly in danger of being
squeezed, stepped on, or dropped by the giants who surround him. However, he simply goes
about his business as if these dangers were only minor inconveniences.
Gulliver is not always Swift's spokesman in the story, but often becomes an object of ridicule
as well. Swift depicts Gulliver as a typical 18th-century Englishman who is blind to his own
flaws and the flaws of those around him. When Gulliver proudly offers the Brobdingnagian
king the formula for gunpowder, Swift is satirizing both man's desire to conquer and destroy,
and Gulliver's blindness to the peaceful nature of the Brobdingnagians. At the end of his
travels, when Gulliver has come to despise the entire human race, his unreasonable reaction to
his fellow humans is as much the target of Swift's anger as are the faults he finds despicable.
By the end it is safe to assume that Swift does not entirely approve of Gulliver's attitudes and
reactions.
Don Pedro de Mendez is the Portuguese captain who returns Gulliver to his home after he is
expelled by the Houyhnhnms. Don Pedro's generosity and his concern for a fellow human
serve as an example to counter Gulliver's opinion that all humans are despicable. In the face
of Gulliver's obvious indifference and even revulsion to him and the sailors, Don Pedro is
kind and considerate as he cares for Gulliver until he can be reunited with his family. Don
Pedro has neither the cold reason of the Houyhnhnms nor the vulgar passion of the Yahoos.
He is an admirable human being, but Gulliver's obtuseness and lack of judgement prevent him
from recognizing Don Pedro's qualities. Gulliver's wife serves a similar purpose; she
continues to shower him with love and concern even when he mistreats her.
In terms of actual people and events, Swift attacks Robert Walpole and the Whig party
(Flimnap and the Slamecksan) and reduces the controversy between the Roman Catholics and
Protestants to the animosity between Big-Endians and Little-Endians in Lilliput and Blefescu.
In Gulliver's description of the Royal Academy of Lagado, Swift ridicules many of the
popular experiments of the Royal Society as well as the contemporary fascination with
impractical experimentation based purely on theory.
Throughout, Swift's view of humankind is a pessimistic one. Only a few admirable examples
of humanity are presented in Gulliver's Travels, and these characters do not receive any kind
of recognition or praise from Gulliver. The Brobdingnagian king is kind and sensible, but
Gulliver scorns his understanding. The people of Laputa and Balnibarbi, and especially
Gulliver's host in Lagado, are friendly, kind, and generous, but Gulliver seems unaware that
they are acting in an admirable manner. Don Pedro de Mendez, the kindest and most generous
of all the characters, at best is tolerated by Gulliver. The Houyhnhnms, whom he admires,
seem lifeless, ruled only by cold reason. Gulliver himself turns away from his fellow man.
Swift was fascinated by bodily functions, odours, and anatomical parts. Gulliver graphically
describes his own problems related to answering the call of nature when he becomes the target
of another creature's excrement. Swift felt that the functions of the body belong to our lower
natures and he uses these functions as a means of expressing the disgust he felt towards
humanity.
In Gulliver's Travels Swift satirizes the petty, envious, selfish, foolish, and cruel traits of
humanity and its corrupt institutions, especially government. In most cases we can by means
of Gulliver's descriptions pinpoint the flaw that Swift is exposing. At times, however, Swift's
purpose seems more obscure. For example, most of Lilliputian society is ridiculous and
irrational, but their system of education appears quite reasonable. The Brobdingnagians are
for the most part benevolent and sensible, but they can also be cruel, vulgar, and insensitive.
If such ambiguities make gaining a complete understanding of Swift's intentions difficult,
what is clear is that he wanted to improve humanity and society, and hoped to change people's
attitudes and behaviour by holding them up for ridicule.
V LITERARY TECHNIQUE
Swift's masterful use of satire is what has made Gulliver's Travels the delightfully enduring
work that it is. Satire has the advantage of allowing readers to feel that the ridicule is aimed at
everyone but themselves. What could be tedious and uncomfortable as a lesson can be
enjoyable and satisfying as satire. This is not to say that Gulliver's Travels is a completely
easy read; readers will most likely be disturbed when they see their own flaws subject to
ridicule. Swift's use of the literary genre of the travelogue is well suited to his satirical
observations. Travel accounts were especially popular during the 18th century when parts of
the world were still unexplored and could conceivably be inhabited by the exotic creatures
and cultures that Gulliver encounters. Thus, Swift was free to intermingle reality, fantasy, and
satire as he chose.
The first two books of Gulliver's Travels are tightly structured, as Gulliver first looks through
the wrong end of a telescope at humanity and then finds himself the subject of microscopic
scrutiny. The third book is more discursive and episodic, and is obscure in its relationship to
the other three. Even though Gulliver is among his own race in this book, he is more the
observer and less of a participant than in the other three books. The fourth book, the most
disturbing, follows the pattern of the first two in that Gulliver must adapt to and live within a
strange culture.
The conclusion of Gulliver's Travels is contradictory. Gulliver returns from his first three
voyages and resumes his life with no apparent effects from what he has experienced.
However, after returning from the land of the Houyhnhnms, he is a changed man and refuses
to acknowledge his connection with the human race. It is at this point that he sits down to
write of his travels—after he has come to despise all humans as despicable Yahoos. The
warm, personable Gulliver who describes the Lilliputians, Brobdingnagians, and the people of
Laputa is not consistent with the misanthropic Gulliver who ends the book spurning all
contact with humanity.
VI TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
What characteristics of the Lilliputians and their society does Swift present for ridicule?
In what ways does Gulliver act as a benevolent giant when he is among the Lilliputians?
Although Gulliver makes very few judgements, what parts of Lilliputian society can we
assume Swift views as admirable?
Comment on the inappropriateness and irony of Gulliver's fastidiousness in Brobdingnag and
the lack of it in Lilliput.
In what ways does Gulliver become the observed in Brobdingnag, instead of the observer as
he was in Lilliput?
Gulliver claims to be a strong proponent of England and English ways. Either defend or refute
this claim, based on what he tells the Brobdingnagian king.
What characteristics of the Brobdingnagians and their society does Swift present for the
reader's admiration?
Point out the ways in which Gulliver's role in book three is different from his role in the other
three books.
How does Swift continue to promote the Ancients over the Moderns in book three?
Explain which characteristics of the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos could be combined to form
an admirable, well-rounded person.
Although Gulliver tries to become a Houyhnhnm after he returns to England, he has adopted
only their hatred for the Yahoos. What characteristic that he so admires has he not acquired?
What type of progression did Swift use to strand Gulliver on each of his four voyages? In
what ways does this progression parallel the changes in Gulliver?
VII QUESTIONS
Even though Gulliver is an accurate and honest reporter, he is not a reliable narrator. In what
ways is he unreliable, and how do readers know when not to accept his judgement?
Book three does not fit easily into the pattern of the other three books. Explain how it is
different.
Carefully explain how Swift uses book one to both satirize and champion particular political
events and people of 18th-century England. Explain the historical events that inspired much
of what we see in Gulliver's visit to Lilliput.
Book four has confused critics and readers ever since Gulliver's Travels was published. Based
on the first three books, defend the opinion that Gulliver is not speaking for Swift in his
complete admiration of the Houyhnhnms and his subsequent detestation of the human race.
Both Gulliver's Travels and Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719) have become popular
travel adventures. Explain how the two books are alike and different.
VIII RELATED TITLES
There are no other prose works by Swift connected with Gulliver's Travels. Both A Tale of a
Tub and The Battle of the Books require substantial background knowledge in political,
literary, and religious history. The most readable of Swift's other prose satires is A Modest
Proposal.
Source: Beacham’s Guide to Literature for Young Adults. Copyright by Gale Group, Inc.
Reprinted by permission.
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