Gulliver’s Travels

Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver’s Travels in 1762 with the intent of entertaining
many people. Entertainment through satire is what Swift had in mind. This was
accomplished when Bantam Books first published his tales in 1962. It was again
published by Bantam Books in 1981, New York, New York being the place of
publication.

To fully understand Gulliver’s Travels, one must first reflect upon the following:
the plot, character, setting, theme, point of view, conflict, climax, resolution,
symbolism, and figurative language. These ideas will help the reader comprehend
some of the ideas portrayed throughout the novel, as well as why Swift wrote
them.

The setting plays an important role in all novels, but in Gulliver’s Travels, one
must take into consideration that the four different parts of the book have different
settings. The first setting is more or less on an island called Lilliput, on November
5, 1699. Gulliver ended up on this island due to a ship wreck. The setting to the
second part of the novel happens to be upon his arrival to another island that
Gulliver wishes to inspect for water. This was on the 16th of June, 1703. The
third part of the book has many different little scenes. The first of which takes
place on Laputa an island of deformed creatures. The fourth and final part of the
book takes place in the country of Houyhnhnms, in 1711.

The main character, Gulliver, is a well educated sailor. He has been

recommended to be a surgeon. Traveling around the world, exploring new places,
Gulliver meets many new cultures and civilizations. Gulliver wears clothes not
uncommon to the 1700’s. He has long hair that sometimes restricts him from
turning his head. Gulliver is a round character. This can be seen when he refers
to past experiences during an adventure. This means that he can compare the two
situations, thus learning from it. There are many minor characters. Easier referred
to by the names of their people. Them being: the small Lilliputians, the giant
Brobdingnag, the creatures at Lugnagg and Balnibarbi, with the islands of Laputa
and Blubdrubdrib. And finally, the Yahoos and Houyhnhnms. Gulliver’s stories
are told in the first person by himself.

Some very important symbols are used throughout the novel to depict some very
important ideas. One of these symbols would be when Gulliver relieves himself
on the Lilliputians royal castle to put out a fire. It seems, as though how silly
something may seem, it just might be an answer to an important problem. A
second symbol clearly seen is the relationship to the Yahoos and the Houyhnhnms.
This is easily perceived as a representation of the relationship to horses and
humans. The superiority of the horses in the novel shows how, although different,
they may just be as smart, if not smarter than the owner.

Some very important themes that the reader may have picked up on can be very
helpful. One of these themes is that no matter how small something is, it is not
inferior. Gulliver stayed with the Lilliputians for a very long time. The fact that
they were only six inches tall did not mean that he could do anything he wanted
around or to them. Another theme that the reader should have got is that no matter
how large something is, it still has to have a small amount of brains. The giants in
the second part were very tall, but nowhere did the book say that they were very
smart.

There are many different conflicts throughout the novel as well. Some of these
being internal, and others being external. One of the internal conflicts can be seen
when Gulliver is tied down by the Lilliputians. Gulliver has a chance to snatch up
many of the little creatures, but knows that they will most likely shoot him with
needle-like arrows. An external conflict is between Gulliver’s crew against
nature. Many times Gulliver gets blown off course by a storm or has his boat
overturned by waves. This is an example of human against nature.

Some of the literary devices that Swift uses in Gulliver’s Travels are satire and
irony. Swift wrote the novel as a parody of travel books and an indictment of
mankind; it is revered as a charming children’s story. The ironies Swift intended
to be recognized-the small-mindedness of the tiny Lilliputians, the physical and
moral abnormality of the giant Brobdingnag, and the perfect animalizing of the
filthy manlike Yahoos (far inferior to the placid horses they work for)-are often
ignored or dismissed.

After considering all of this, the reader should have a better understanding of the
novel. Being able to pay a greater attention to the details of a novel always helps
one understand the greater, broader ideas following them. Jonathan Swift was a
magnificent author. Without his Gulliver’s Travels, there would be a great gap in
the art of Literature.