Gullivers Travels

Gulliver's Travels
Study Guide by Course Hero
TENSE
What's Inside The novel Gulliver's Travels is written in past tense.
ABOUT THE TITLE

j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1 Gulliver's Travels takes its name from the novel's protagonist
and narrator, Lemuel Gulliver, a trained surgeon who travels by
d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1 sea to a number of strange lands.
a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 2
h Characters .................................................................................................. 3
d In Context
k Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 7
c Chapter Summaries .............................................................................. 12

Satire
g Quotes ........................................................................................................ 32
Jonathan Swift built a strong reputation as a satirist with
l Symbols ..................................................................................................... 36
publications such as "A Tale of a Tub" (1704), Gulliver's Travels
m Themes ....................................................................................................... 37 (1726), and the essay "A Modest Proposal" (1729). As a genre,
satire dates back at least as far as ancient Greece. The term is
b Motifs ........................................................................................................... 37 often confused with comedy. While satire can include
humorous elements, it does not necessarily have to be funny.
e Suggested Reading ............................................................................. 38
Rather, the term refers to a text that uses literary techniques
to provide criticism of political and cultural practices in a
society. Common techniques used in satire include parody, or
j Book Basics
imitation of another source, usually the target of the satire's
criticism; hyperbole or exaggeration to highlight absurdity;
understatement, which minimizes an issue to point out
AUTHOR absurdity; irony, which emphasizes the gap between intent and
Jonathan Swift reality; and sarcasm, which uses a biting tone to express that
the intended meaning of words may differ from what is actually
YEAR PUBLISHED
said.
1726
Gulliver's Travels contains humorous moments, most
GENRE
memorably those related to bodies and bodily functions, but its
Satire
criticism reaches across a number of topics and uses a
PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATOR number of other techniques. For example, portrayals of
Gulliver's Travels features a first-person narrator in Gulliver. As ruthless and self-centered monarchs in Gulliver's Travels use
the only dynamic character in the novel, Gulliver provides the parody to address the chaos of English government during the
lens through which Swift filters his insights regarding England. 1700s. Intellectuals whose thoughts and experiments divorce
Gulliver's Travels Study Guide Author Biography 2
them from reality illustrate the irony of academic studies during and writings of Swift's contemporary, Sir Isaac Newton, some
the 1700s, which provided some theoretical benefit but little of which Swift took more direct issue with in his other writings.
practicality. Each society Gulliver encounters adheres to a Swift also references the creation of the Royal Society in
different moral code, providing ample basis for comparison London in the 1660s, criticizing facile learning and
with English morality and its strengths and shortcomings. abstractionism, leading to incomplete knowledge as a danger
Gulliver's Travels also addresses issues related to gender to society. Beginning with the Age of Discovery at the end of
roles, war, religion, history, and literature itself. the 15th century, Europeans who traveled to unfamiliar worlds
frequently wrote accounts of their experiences, called travel
While effective satire addresses issues specific to a particular narratives; these were not always accurate and often
time and place, the use of literature as the means of conveying contained grossly exaggerated stories about the strange
criticism creates the potential for universal resonance. people and beings that travelers encountered. The fantastic
Gulliver's Travels directly criticizes the social and political beings Gulliver meets on his voyages simultaneously reference
problems of 18th-century England, but the novel has remained and mock these travel narratives.
popular and relevant because so many of the issues it
addresses—government corruption, needless war, academic
a Author Biography
ignorance—also remain relevant.
Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland, on November 30,

Historical Influences 1667. Swift's father died before he was born, and his mother
left the young Swift in the care of his uncle. The family was not
Gulliver's Travels contains several examples of the tyrannies of wealthy, but it had good connections. Swift attended
monarchs and other leaders. Many of these examples secondary school at Kilkenny College in Dublin, earning his
reference the English monarchy of the 1600s and 1700s. The bachelor's degree from Trinity College. He then moved to
Anglo-Irish Swift saw how English oppression affected lives in England, where he attended Hertford College at Oxford and
his home country, and he was driven from Ireland to England earned a master's degree that would make him eligible to join
by the violence that erupted after the Catholic King James II the clergy, a backup plan to his political aspirations.
was deposed (and fled to Ireland) and replaced with the
Swift was assigned a post as a parish priest for the Church of
Protestant William of Orange. Armed conflicts erupted
Ireland in Derry when he was 32, but he continued to work and
between the Jacobites, who supported James II, and the
write actively in politics. His first work of satire, "A Tale of a
Orangemen, who supported William. But these conflicts were
Tub," was published anonymously in 1704 and expanded in
simply the latest wave in the battle between Catholics and
1710. This publication earned him the scorn of Queen Anne of
Protestants that had been raging since Henry VIII's break with
England, who misunderstood the work, even though Swift was
the church in 1534. Gulliver's Travels makes repeated
active in the English Tory party (political conservatives whose
reference to the absurdity of religious conflict between
policies Anne supported) throughout the early 1700s, dividing
Christian factions.
his time between London and Ireland. He became dean of St.
Likewise, conflicts between the Whig and Tory parties in Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin in 1713, but in the following year,
English government in the early 1700s affected Swift's own the queen died. George I took the throne, the Whig party
career aspirations. He rose to the rank of Dean of St. Patrick's dominated the English government, and these events
Cathedral, but no higher. The Whigs and Tories attacked each effectively ended Swift's hopes for advancement in the church
other through a series of infighting, double-dealing, and or government. He returned to Ireland and focused on his
treachery that inspired much of the criticism in the novel of writing, pouring many of his political opinions and experiences
governments mired in their own corruption, unable to serve the into his best-known work, Gulliver's Travels.
common good.
When it was first published in 1726, Gulliver's Travels became
The novel also takes aim at the burgeoning expansion of an immediate success with adults and children, requiring
scientific and mathematical inquiry, largely inspired by the work multiple reprints in its first few months on the shelves.
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Gulliver's Travels Study Guide Characters 3
Adventure stories were all the rage at the time, made popular
by the publication of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe a few h Characters
years earlier. Almost 300 years later, Gulliver's Travels remains
Swift's most famous work and is a staple of the English literary
canon. The novel has remained in print consistently since 1726
and has been adapted to picture books, comics, and a number
Gulliver
of films, including a 2010 adaptation starring Jack Black. The
Lemuel Gulliver is surgeon on a ship. The last of his voyages
1965 Japanese adaptation Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon
are the strangest he has ever known. He is taken prisoner by a
places the title's character in outer space.
race of tiny men called Lilliputians. Then he becomes a pet for
The novel also introduced new terms into the English language. the giants of Brobdingnag. Later he visits a city on an island in
Lilliputian, derived from the six-inch-tall Lilliputians Gulliver the sky called Laputa and visits the quirky academies of
visits on the island of Lilliput, is used as an adjective to Laputa's sister island below, Balnibarbi. He talks to the dead on
describe things that are very small, and Brobdingnagian, Glubbdubdrib and meets immortals on Luggnagg. His final
derived from the 60-feet-tall giants Gulliver visits in the country adventure finds him living with horses called Houyhnhnms,
of Brobdingnag, is an adjective to describe something that is discovering the deep flaws of the human race, or Yahoos,
very large. Yahoo, derived from the term the Houyhnhnm primitive humanlike creatures. Having learned about the evils of
horses use to describe humans, is perhaps better known as an his own species, Gulliver reluctantly returns home.
exclamation or an Internet search engine, but it is also used as
a noun for "a person who is very rude, loud, or stupid"
according to Merriam-Webster. Emperor of Lilliput
In Ireland, Swift remained politically active, writing pamphlets The emperor of Lilliput treats Gulliver well as long as he
supporting Irish causes, such as Irish independence from believes Gulliver is showing him respect and obedience. In fact,
British colonialism. The most famous of these, "A Modest the emperor expects obedience from everyone in his court.
Proposal," published in 1729, brought attention to poverty in Disobedience is met with a death sentence, as evidenced by
Ireland with its outrageous and sarcastic suggestion that the treason charges leveled at Gulliver—the result of Gulliver's
starving Irish families sell their children as food for the wealthy politeness toward visitors from a neighboring kingdom during
English. This and other writings established Swift as an Irish peace talks—and the danger Gulliver's friend faces in warning
political hero. Swift's commitment to social good extended him about said charges.
beyond his death, through the money he donated for the
establishment of a mental hospital in Dublin; St. Patrick's
Hospital, known in its early days as "Dr. Swift's," remains in Glumdalclitch
operation today.
Glumdalclitch is the name Gulliver calls the farm girl who

In his personal life, Swift cultivated friendships with other
becomes his caretaker, as it means "little nurse." The girl is
prominent literary figures, including poet Alexander Pope and
devoted to Gulliver, keeping him comfortable as her father
playwrights William Congreve and John Gay. His lifelong
works Gulliver nearly to death by making him perform for
friendship with Esther Johnson, better known as Stella, has
money. Although there are social advantages to her
inspired scholarly and non-scholarly speculation over the
acceptance at court, Glumdalclitch makes a presumably
years. When Swift died on October 19, 1745, he was buried in
difficult decision to leave her family behind out of loyalty to
St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin next to Stella.
Gulliver and a desire to protect him after the queen buys him.
Her kindness and devotion give Gulliver a safe and comfortable
life in Brobdingnag.

King of Laputa
The king of Laputa, like his subjects, absorbs himself in the
abstract contemplations of science, mathematics, and
astronomy. At the same time, he is a monarch, subject to the
abuse of power all monarchs display on some level in Gulliver's
Travels. Although his power is limited by his ministers, he is not
above threatening the lands he governs below with the
possibility that he might use the floating island of Laputa as a
weapon against them.
Houyhnhnm Master
The Houyhnhnm Master treats Gulliver with kindness and
provides him with a home and sustenance, in keeping with
Houyhnhnm principles of benevolence and hospitality. He also
sees Gulliver as a lesser creature, not as primitive as the island
Yahoos but also not terribly evolved. He is deeply critical of
Gulliver's accounts of life in Europe, and his criticism eventually
convinces Gulliver of his own inferiority.
Governor of Glubbdubdrib
The governor is a mysterious figure, and he tends to be feared
by those who know of him. He is a necromancer, meaning he
can raise the dead to serve him. He also shows Gulliver total
hospitality, going beyond the standard provisions of food and
shelter and offering to use his own magical gifts to allow
Gulliver an extraordinary and life-changing opportunity to talk
to dead leaders and scholars from the whole of history.

Character Map
Emperor of Lilliput
Leader of a race of tiny people
Glumdalclitch
Don Pedro
Girl from Brobdingnag,
Portuguese ship captain
a land of giants
Eventual
enemies
Rescuer
Caretaker
Gulliver
Ship surgeon; writes account
Acquaintances
of his travels in strange lands
Projectors King of Laputa
Clueless scholars; try to Acquaintances Leader of island country
improve life on the island of introspective
of Balnibarbi mathematicians
Friends
Friends
Governor of
Master Houyhnhnm Glubbdubdrib
Hosts Gulliver; shows better Sorcerer; allows Gulliver
way of life to speak to dead men
of history
Main Character
Other Major Character
Minor Character

Full Character List Don Pedro captains the Portuguese

ship that rescues Gulliver after his
Don Pedro
time with the Houyhnhnms and
convinces Gulliver to go home.
Character Description
The emperor of Lilliput's enemy

Lemuel Gulliver is a ship surgeon
Emperor of country offers Gulliver sanctuary
from London who visits fantastical
Blefuscu when Gulliver is accused of treason
Gulliver lands, and learns about other
in Lilliput.
cultures and his own during his
many voyages at sea.
The ruler of Japan allows Gulliver
Emperor of Japan
passage back to Europe.
The tiny monarch turns against
Emperor of
Gulliver when Gulliver refuses to do
Lilliput
his bidding in war. The emperor's wife likes Gulliver
Empress of
until he extinguishes a palace fire by
Lilliput
urinating on her rooms.
A Brobdingnagian farmer's daughter
Glumdalclitch takes care of Gulliver during his two
years in the country. A Brobdingnagian giant finds
Farmer Gulliver and puts him on display for
money.
The king rules an esoteric people
King of Laputa who live on a floating island in the
sky. The Lilliputian Secretary of the
Flimnap Treasury resents Gulliver and
encourages his downfall.
A Houyhnhnm takes in Gulliver,
Houyhnhnm educates him about Houyhnhnm
Master society, and roundly criticizes The giant monarch finds Gulliver
Yahoo ways. King of
amusing and never takes him
Brobdingnag
seriously.
An island ruler and sorcerer, the
Governor of
governor allows Gulliver to talk to The king demands that all those
Glubbdubdrib
the dead. King of Luggnagg who enter his court lick the floor
before his throne.
The ambassador is sent to
Ambassador of
negotiate peace with Lilliput and is A lord in Laputa arranges Gulliver's
Blefuscu Laputan lord
friendly with Gulliver. passage to Balnibarbi.
Bates is the doctor Gulliver Gulliver's Lilliputian friend informs

James Bates
apprentices with in his early career. Lilliputian friend him of his treason and describes the
plan for his execution.
Biddel is captain of the ship that
John Biddel brings Gulliver home from Lilliput A prosperous lord hosts Gulliver
and Blefuscu. Munodi
when he arrives in Balnibarbi.
Mary is Gulliver's wife, who raises The captain sails the Adventure, on
Mary Burton
their children while he is at sea. John Nicholas which Gulliver serves before he is
stranded in Brobdingnag.
A Japanese customs agent advises
Gulliver on the safest way for him to The captain of the Antelope is lost
Customs agent
travel with the crew of a Dutch ship William Prichard at sea when Gulliver lands on
to Europe. Lilliput.

Gulliver's Travels Study Guide Plot Summary 7
Gulliver does not stay at home for long and sets out on another
Incompetent scholars who rule in
Projectors Balnibarbi and are bent on bettering journey that leaves him stranded in a land known as
life there. Brobdingnag, populated by giants. A farmer's family takes in
Gulliver, but soon the farmer works Gulliver nearly to death by
Queen of The queen buys Gulliver from a putting him on display and making him perform for audiences
Brobdingnag farmer and makes him her pet. all over the country. When the queen sees Gulliver, she offers
to buy Gulliver from the farmer, who accepts her offer. She
Gulliver's friend in the Lilliputian also takes the farmer's daughter, Gulliver's caretaker
court argues for merciful
Reldresal Glumdalclitch, into her service. Gulliver lives for two harrowing
punishment when Gulliver is
accused of treason. years in the Brobdingnagian court, his tiny size putting him at
the mercy of larger creatures at every turn. On an outing to the
Robinson captains the Hopewell, beach, a bird picks up Gulliver's carrying-box and drops it into
William Robinson the ship Gulliver travels on to the sea. Another English vessel finds the box afloat in the
Laputa. water, and the crew returns Gulliver home again.
In each generation a few immortals Within weeks of his homecoming, however, Gulliver accepts a
are born in Luggnagg who age voyage to the East Indies. When pirates take Gulliver's ship, he
Struldbrugs
normally and are cursed to an
is set adrift and ends up on a deserted island. He is spotted by
eternity of old age.
inhabitants of the floating island of Laputa and taken to the
Laputans' city in the sky. There he finds a race of men wholly
Wilcocks captains the ship that
Thomas Wilcocks returns Gulliver to England from concerned with theoretical matters and constantly absorbed in
Brobdingnag. abstract thought. Although he is treated well, Gulliver grows
bored and ventures to the land below Laputa, Balnibarbi. On
Balnibarbi Gulliver learns how a little knowledge can be a
dangerous thing, as he sees projectors, men who have been
k Plot Summary briefly educated in Laputa, attempt to improve life in their
country through a series of absurd scientific theories and
Gulliver's Travels is the story of Lemuel Gulliver, a surgeon who experiments. Gulliver grows frustrated and travels to the
takes to the seas. He completes many voyages without nearby island of Glubbdubdrib, where the governor uses his
incident, but his final four journeys take him to some of the magical powers to allow Gulliver to converse with dead figures
strangest lands on the planet, where he discovers the virtues from history. Gulliver moves on to Luggnagg, where he learns
and flaws in his own culture by comparing it with others. that the potential cost of immortality is a lifetime of unending
old age, and then returns to England by way of Japan and
A storm destroys the ship, leaving Gulliver as the sole survivor
Holland.
of the wreck. He washes up on the shores of Lilliput, an island
populated by people only six inches tall. Understandably A few months after Gulliver returns home, he is offered the
terrified of the giant in their midst, the Lilliputians keep Gulliver chance to captain a voyage, so he sets off again. Gulliver's
restrained with ropes and chains until he proves he can be crew mutinies and leaves him on an island populated by
trusted. The emperor of this land calls on Gulliver to help him intelligent horses called Houyhnhnms and primitive humans
defeat his enemy country, Blefuscu, and Gulliver obliges by called Yahoos. Gulliver fears the Yahoos and finds
taking Blefuscu's entire navy. Although Gulliver is hailed as a camaraderie with the Houyhnhnms, although the Houyhnhnms
hero in Lilliput, things turn sour when he becomes too friendly never fully accept Gulliver because they believe he, too, is a
with the ambassadors who negotiate peace with Blefuscu, and Yahoo. Gulliver lives comfortably with his Houyhnhnm master
when he puts out a fire in the emperor's palace by urinating on and his family for three years, learning the Houyhnhnm
it. Charged with treason, Gulliver flees to Blefuscu and leaves language and embracing the Houyhnhnm philosophy of living
behind both islands in a boat he finds by chance. He by principles of pure reason. He comes to hate his own Yahoo
encounters an English ship and returns home to his family in heritage and vows never to return to England, but the
England. Houyhnhnm leaders decide a Yahoo cannot live with a

Houyhnhnm family, and they cast him out of their society.

Gulliver builds a boat with the intent of settling on a deserted
island and avoiding the Yahoo world of Europe, but he is
rescued by a Portuguese ship and returns again to his family in
England. He spends years readjusting to life among the
Yahoos and finds he prefers his horses' company to his wife's.

Plot Diagram
Climax
7
Falling Action
6
Rising Action
5 8
4
9
3
Resolution
2
1
Introduction
7. Gulliver's crew leaves him with the Houyhnhnms and

Introduction Yahoos.
1. Gulliver travels the world on several voyages aboard a ship.
Falling Action
Rising Action 8. Gulliver wants to stay with Houyhnhnms, but he is sent

away.
2. Gulliver visits Lilliput, where people are six inches tall.
3. Gulliver visits Brobdingnag, a land populated by giants.

Resolution
4. Gulliver goes to Laputa, an island full of mathematicians.
9. Gulliver returns to England but despises Yahoo society.
5. Gulliver visits Balnibarbi and sees projectors' experiments.
6. Gulliver moves on to Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg, and Japan.
Climax

Timeline of Events
1699
Gulliver sails on the Antelope, is shipwrecked in Lilliput,

and tries to be of service.
Later in 1699
The Emperor of Lilliput gives Gulliver a place to live and

feeds and clothes him.
1699–1700
Gulliver loses favor with the Lilliputian emperor and flees

after being charged with treason.
1703
Gulliver lands in Brobdingnag, land of the giants.
Later in 1703
Gulliver becomes a traveling performer, making money

for a giant farmer.
Later in 1703
The Queen of Brobdingnag sees Gulliver on display and

buys him as a pet.
1705
A bird takes Gulliver's traveling case to sea; he is

rescued by an English ship.
1706
Gulliver returns to England and immediately leaves again

on a voyage to the East Indies.
1707
Gulliver's ship is attacked by pirates, and Gulliver

escapes to an uninhabited island.
Later in 1707
Gulliver is rescued from a desert island by inhabitants of

the floating island, Laputa.
1708
Gulliver leaves Laputa to travel to Balnibarbi, where he

discovers a crumbling society.
Later in 1708
Gulliver visits the academy on Balnibarbi and meets with

projectors who make disastrous experiments.
1709
Gulliver travels to Glubbdubdrib, where the governor lets

him talk with dead figures from history.
Later in 1709
Gulliver travels to Luggnagg, where he learns that

immortality combined with old age is a curse.
Later in 1709
Claiming to be Dutch, Gulliver departs Japan on a Dutch

ship bound for Amsterdam.
1710
Gulliver returns home for several months before being

offered the captaincy of another voyage.
1711
Gulliver's crew mutinies and leaves him on the island of

the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos.
February 1715
The Houyhnhnms exile Gulliver, and he is picked up by a

Portuguese ship.
December 1715
Gulliver reunites with his family in England but is

disgusted by their Yahoo ways.
1716
Gulliver attempts to reintegrate with European society

but the process is slow.

Gulliver's Travels Study Guide Chapter Summaries 12
Gulliver expresses no regret about being stranded on Lilliput.

c Chapter Summaries Instead, he seems to relish the adventure and expresses
curiosity and goodwill toward his captors, even though they
have injured and restrained him. Having few alternatives—he
Part 1, Chapter 1 has no boat in which to escape the island and, although he
knows he could crush the Lilliputians, also acknowledges their
greater numbers as a threat to his safety—he chooses to make
the best of the situation.
Summary
Mr. Lemuel Gulliver, the narrator of Gulliver's Travels, describes
his career, education, and family. Gulliver is a surgeon in
Part 1, Chapter 2
London. He has always wanted to travel, however, and
becomes a surgeon traveling aboard different merchant ships.
During this time, he reads extensively and learns many new Summary
languages.
On his first morning in the temple, Gulliver wakes up in chains,
Gulliver grows tired of sea travel. He takes a job on the stands up, and admires the countryside. He relieves himself
Antelope, anticipating it will be his final voyage. But a violent inside the building but feels guilty for doing so. He resolves to
storm causes the Antelope to crash into a rock. As the sole make his morning duties outside, away from the temple, so
survivor of the wreck, Gulliver swims to safety, landing on the servants can carry away his waste.
island of Lilliput and falls asleep. When he wakes, his body has
The emperor arrives at the temple on horseback and speaks,
been tethered to the beach by the island's six-inch-tall
but Gulliver cannot understand him. The emperor leaves,
residents, the Lilliputians. The Lilliputians climb on Gulliver and
placing Gulliver under the watch of his guards, some of whom
shoot tiny arrows at him. Gulliver could escape, but he is
attack Gulliver. As punishment, they are given to Gulliver. He
impressed by his captors' bravery and remains still. The
pretends to eat one soldier to scare the men, but he does not
Lilliputians bring Gulliver a meal, including a drugged drink that
hurt them and gently releases them.
puts him to sleep, and transport his body on an "engine" (a
giant cart) to meet the emperor. Gulliver is chained to an
Gulliver's mercy impresses the emperor's court. He agrees to
abandoned temple, which is the only building large enough to
give Gulliver meals, servants, and a tutor to teach him the
hold him.
Lilliputian language. Gulliver learns quickly and asks to be free.
The emperor refuses Gulliver's freedom but favors giving
Gulliver accommodations. Gulliver cooperates with the
Analysis emperor's order to search Gulliver for weapons. The emperor
does not recognize Gulliver's pistol, so Gulliver demonstrates
Gulliver's wanderlust speaks to both the spirit of exploration
its function by firing into the air. Two officers make a detailed
and colonization that continued to dominate European culture
inventory of Gulliver's pockets. They allow Gulliver to keep
in the early 18th century, following the "Age of Discovery," in
most of his things, but he surrenders a knife, a razor, and the
which Europeans traveled to Asia, Africa, the Americas, and
pistol.
the Middle East. Gulliver's desires also resonate with the type
of adventure novel that had become popular around the time
of publication; the shipwreck references Robinson Crusoe, the
most famous of these novels. Gulliver feels no moral conflict
Analysis
about leaving his wife and his business in London to pursue his
Gulliver takes pains to describe the full state of his desperation
travels. His decision reflects a sense of opportunity, because
to relieve himself as an explanation for his decision to do so
his business on land is failing.
inside his "house." The detail of his embarrassment
demonstrates Gulliver's desire to appear civilized, both to the
Although he planned his journey on the Antelope as his last,
reader and to the Lilliputians; he wants to make a good

impression, which is presumably why he did not go outdoors in Lilliputians.

the first place. Gulliver does not acknowledge this directly, but
it is clear the Lilliputians left him with no instructions or plans The Lilliputians find a giant black object on shore. Gulliver
for dealing with his excrement. As satire, this incident realizes the object is his hat, and it is returned to him in good
highlights the way governments fail to deal with the unintended shape. Two days later, the emperor asks Gulliver to wear the
consequences of decisions, in this case the decision to keep hat and stand like a giant statue so that the Lilliputian army can
Gulliver in chains in the temple. They have to clean up a literal march beneath him. Gulliver is granted his freedom, but he has
mess because they did not anticipate it, and only after the to follow certain conditions, including the following: he is
worst has happened do they form a plan to deal with this forbidden to leave the island without permission; he must be an
problem. ally to the Lilliputians in wars; and he must help with

construction projects.
Gulliver's facility with languages reveals his intelligence, and his
treatment of the six guards who attack him reveals his gentle
nature. He could not have known the decision to show the Analysis
offending guards leniency would curry favor with the emperor.
He does not know the Lilliputians well enough at this point to The means by which government jobs are assigned and
know he might not be punished for showing them mercy. His retained—through a series of dangerous physical
decision to let the men go is not a calculated move, but the act challenges—reveals two problems with the Lilliputian
of a man who refuses to exploit the weakness of others. In government. The first problem is the seemingly arbitrary
contrast, the Lilliputians, with their searching of Gulliver's method used to assign such positions. The ability to walk on a
pockets and continued resistance to granting Gulliver's tightrope appears to have little to do with character, ability, or
freedom, appear all too willing to exploit weakness—even other qualifications that might be useful in a government
though Gulliver's weakness is artificially imposed—in others. position. The task, however, symbolizes the balancing act
government officials must perform to please those who employ
them, whether that be satisfying the whims of a monarch or the
Part 1, Chapter 3 desires of a fickle voting public.
The second problem in this system is the emperor's apparent

lack of concern for the safety of the commoners seeking jobs
Summary in his government, or those already in his employ. The dangers
of rope dancing—somewhat high off the ground for a six-inch
The Lilliputians begin to like and trust Gulliver. The emperor Lilliputian—are not mortal, but it does pose the potential for
entertains Gulliver by showing him the rope-dancers, injury. The emperor does not seem to consider this or show
commoners who seek government jobs. They must dance on a any care about it if he does, but he does show the indifference
rope 12 inches above the ground. Whoever jumps highest while those in positions of authority have for those below them in the
performing wins the job. From time to time, current hierarchy. Gulliver's decision to stop performances on his
government officials must rope dance to show that they have handkerchief platform after the horse is injured shows he has
not become complacent in their positions. greater empathy for others than the Lilliputian government.
The emperor shows Gulliver another game in which he holds The terms of Gulliver's release also reveal the emperor's self-
out a stick and government candidates either leap over or interest. He grants Gulliver freedom of movement, but these
crawl under it. The top three candidates who jump and crawl terms reveal that the emperor has specific tasks in mind for
the longest are given special silks to wear around their waists. Gulliver. Certainly, given the amount of food Gulliver consumes,
Gulliver creates a new way to entertain the emperor. He builds he should be expected to earn his keep, but this could be
a platform out of his handkerchief and sticks. The emperor's adequately accomplished through Gulliver's assistance with
troops train and perform mock battles on the platform until a construction and delivery of messages exclusively. The
horse rips a hole through the handkerchief and gets hurt. emperor, however, also wants to use Gulliver as a weapon
Gulliver decides the game might be too dangerous for the against his enemies, showing little regard for Gulliver's safety

or any possible moral objections to using his might against

others. Part 1, Chapter 5
Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary

Gulliver honors his promise to defend Lilliput from a Blefuscu
attack. He collects the entire Blefuscu naval fleet and brings it
Summary back to Lilliput. The emperor is pleased, and gives Gulliver the
title of nardac, the highest honor in the kingdom. The emperor
Gulliver visits the Lilliputian capital city of Mildendo and the
makes an ambitious plan to destroy Blefuscu, overtake its
emperor's palace. He is later visited by Reldresal, an official in
government, and execute any Big-endians. Gulliver disagrees
the Lilliputian government. Reldresal tells Gulliver about the
with the emperor, however, as he thinks it is wrong to force
religious and political division that has plagued Lilliput for
people into slavery. This upsets the emperor and other officials
years, which stems from a disagreement over the correct way
in the government, so Gulliver falls out of favor with the
to break an egg. According to a Lilliputian philosopher, "all true
emperor. Three weeks later Lilliput makes a peace treaty with
believers break their eggs at the convenient end." Tradition
Blefuscu. Gulliver asks the emperor for permission to visit
dictates that eggs are to be cracked on their bigger ends. But
Blefuscu in the future. The emperor agrees but remains cold
a Lilliputian emperor passed a law stating eggs could be
toward Gulliver.
cracked only on their smaller ends. This outraged "Big-endians"
in Lilliput. Some rebelled and were executed. Others fled to the A fire breaks out in the empress's apartment. Gulliver
kingdom of Blefuscu, which led to a series of wars between extinguishes the fire by relieving himself on the building. This
Blefuscu and Lilliput. Gulliver learns that rebel Big-endians disgusts the empress, as public urination is illegal in Lilliput.
remain in Lilliput and another war is brewing. He agrees to help She vows revenge on Gulliver.
defend Lilliput against its enemies.
Analysis
Analysis
Gulliver fulfills his part of the agreement he has made with the
The controversy over which end of the egg is most favorable Lilliputians by aiding in their defense and taking Blefuscu's
for breaking is a direct reflection of the conflicts between fleet. The emperor, however, reveals his true intention to use
Catholic and Protestant groups in England that, at the time of Gulliver as a weapon against Blefuscu when he asks Gulliver to
the novel's publication, had destabilized the English assist him in overthrowing Blefuscu and enslaving its people.
government for well over a century. The tradition of cracking Defense is not sufficient for the emperor; he wants to conquer.
eggs at the bigger end is analogous to the traditional Christian To Gulliver, this request is quite different from the agreement
teachings of Catholicism. The emperor who passed the law to he entered into, and his moral objections to it cause him to lose
crack eggs at the smaller end appears to be a reference to favor at court. As shown in earlier chapters, the emperor
Henry VIII's literal break with the Catholic Church and the places highest value on obedience, so Gulliver's resistance
establishment of the Church of England. The subsequent represents a great betrayal.
outrage and rebellion can be traced in English history, and the
scenario sets up Blefuscu as a symbol of France, a country to Gulliver further distances himself from the court, unwittingly, in
which many persecuted Catholics fled. This highlights how the his role as a fire extinguisher. In relating the story of the fire,
conflict between two factions of the same religion were based Gulliver is clear that he had no other methods available. He left
on ultimately arbitrary and insignificant differences, given the his coat at home in his hurry to assist, and the fire was
number of lives lost as a result. It is noteworthy that, while spreading too quickly to summon sufficient water to extinguish
Gulliver is hesitant to get involved with party disputes and the blaze. The empress's disgust is understandable, but her
agrees to help only in gratitude to the emperor, he also does quarters would have been lost to fire anyway. The emperor and
not appear to find fault with the absurd egg-cracking conflict. empress placed Gulliver in an impossible situation, as he would

have been equally culpable had he allowed the fire to burn and
consume the entire palace. The incident highlights the short-
Analysis
sightedness of leaders and their disregard of the big picture
The description of the Lilliputians makes them literally
based on personal preferences and whims. It also draws
shortsighted, able to see what is near but not what is far away.
attention to the randomness of "civilized" convention: Gulliver
In the same way, these small creatures have a sense of their
has saved the palace and perhaps the lives of some of the
own importance that is disproportionate to their place in the
Lilliputians, but the much higher good of his action is dwarfed
world at large, a characteristic of many people who live in
by the Lilliputian disgust for bodily functions.
isolation or have great power in a small sphere of influence.
The description of their writing, and the comparison to "ladies
in England," also seems to minimize their scholarly
Part 1, Chapter 6 accomplishments.
Indeed, the Lilliputians are not especially concerned with

Summary scholarly accomplishment, as indicated by the high premium
they place on moral qualifications over other abilities. Both
In Lilliput, everything exists in proportion to the Lilliputians, fraud and ingratitude are capital offenses in their legal system,
including their eyesight. Lilliputians are clearly able to see and the liberal use of capital punishment still seems harsh even
objects that are close but cannot see far away. Their writing on balance with the rewards offered to law-abiding citizens.
system consists of words moving on a diagonal from corner to The educational system likewise hinges on the teaching of
corner of the page, rather than left to right or up and down. strong principles, especially in the upper classes, rather than
Gulliver notes that this is like "ladies in England." academics.
In the Lilliputian legal system, those found guilty of crimes are Gulliver's own sense of honor emerges again when he
punished severely. Fraud and treason are the worst crimes one exonerates the treasurer's wife from rumors of an affair. The
can commit. Lilliputians are also rewarded for law-abiding rumor reflects how much weight gossip and hearsay can have
behavior. Government officials are chosen based on their at court and in determining public reputation. It illustrates how
morals, not abilities. Individuals who do not believe in Divine readily the public, or at least the court, will accept a negative
Providence—the Lilliputian idea of god—cannot hold office. rumor about anyone whose popularity is declining, no matter
how absurd. An affair or "violent affection for [Gulliver's]
Parents in Lilliput do not rear their own children but send them person" on the part of a Lilliputian seems implausible, and a
to what they call public nurseries. These nurseries are schools physical relationship would be impossible, but this does not
divided by class and by gender. Parents are allowed to visit stop the rumor mill from turning.
children at school twice a year, but they are not allowed to give
gifts or show affection during these visits. Middle-class
children are taught trades, and the lowest classes do not Part 1, Chapter 7
attend school at all. Girls are educated but are also prepared
to become "reasonable and agreeable" wives.
Gulliver is invited to have dinner with the emperor. Flimnap, the Summary
royal treasurer, also attends the dinner. Flimnap dislikes
Gulliver and complains that feeding and housing Gulliver is A government official tells Gulliver that members of the council,
bankrupting the kingdom. Flimnap also accuses Gulliver of including Flimnap, have charged Gulliver with treason. The
having a secret affair with his wife. Gulliver denies these charges include public urination, refusing to destroy Blefuscu,
accusations. and aiding the emperor of Blefuscu. The official says that
Flimnap and other leaders want Gulliver to be executed for his
crimes, but Reldresal, Gulliver's friend, has convinced the
officials to impose a more lenient sentence: Gulliver is to be
blinded and slowly starved to death, after which his skeleton

will remain as a monument. Gulliver learns his sentence will be

carried out in three days. He leaves Lilliput for Blefuscu, where
Analysis
its people welcome him.
After his experience in Lilliput, Gulliver is reluctant to accept
protection from the monarch of Blefuscu, even though it is
offered to him. Gulliver resolves "never more to put any
Analysis confidence in princes or ministers, where I could possibly avoid
it" even though he believes the offer of protection is sincere.
Gulliver's "lenient" punishment is to be blinded and starved to
This statement represents commentary of governments as
death, which is far crueler than an execution. The people of
ultimately unreliable, which indicates a need for individual self-
Lilliput seem to know this, too, as Gulliver observes nothing
reliance. The true intention of the Lilliputian allegations against
could "terrify the people so much as those encomiums on his
Gulliver becomes clear in their response to his decision to
majesty's mercy; because it was observed, that the more these
leave the area: they agree to any course of action that
praises were enlarged and insisted on, the more inhuman was
absolves them from paying for his upkeep any longer.
the punishment, and the sufferer more innocent." While
Reldresal may genuinely believe he is doing Gulliver a favor, the
characteristic shortsightedness of Lilliputians—and
governments in general—is again on display in his plea for Part 2, Chapter 1
"leniency." The Lilliputian belief that their emperor is merciful
when in reality a more "merciful" punishment creates greater
suffering for an alleged offender reveals how systems of crime Summary
and punishment may not account for true justice. Just as the
decision to indict Gulliver for treason is based on the biases After two months at home, Gulliver grows restless and returns
and preferences of a few of his enemies, accusations and to sea aboard the Adventure. A massive storm strikes, forcing
punishments can be issued at will by the powerful. the ship off its course. When the men spot an island in the
distance, the captain sends a crew of 12 men, including
Gulliver, to search for fresh water. The island is called
Part 1, Chapter 8 Brobdingnag. Once on land, Gulliver wanders off on his own.
He returns to the crew and sees the men rowing frantically
back to the ship as a giant creature chases them in the water.
Summary Gulliver walks through the countryside, finding giant blades of

grass and huge rows of corn. He sees several of the giants
After three days on Blefuscu, Gulliver spies an overturned boat cutting down crops with scythes. Eventually, Gulliver is spotted
at sea. With the help of Blefuscu's navy, he retrieves the ship by one of the "monsters," who are actually giant humans. A
and brings it to shore for repairs. Meanwhile, Gulliver receives giant farmer inspects Gulliver closely and takes him home.
orders to return to Lilliput for his punishment. The emperor of Gulliver and the farmer's family share a meal, during which
Blefuscu wants him to stay and help defend against a Gulliver notes the facial imperfections visible on the giants.
Lilliputian attack, but Gulliver decides to leave for home. Both After dinner, Gulliver sleeps in the bed of the farmer's wife.
Lilliput and Blefuscu find Gulliver's leaving an agreeable Two rats attack him, but Gulliver kills one and wounds the
solution to their problems. He takes with him food, drink, and other with his sword.
some tiny animals from Blefuscu. After two days at sea, he is
picked up by a British vessel and returns to his family in
England. Analysis
For the first time in his journeys, Gulliver expresses regret for
leaving home for another voyage when he discovers he has
been stranded by his panicked crewmates in a land filled with
giants. He fears for his life as he hides from the farm workers'

scythes, and he comes to a new understanding of the personality. The farmer is initially kind to Gulliver for his own
Lilliputians' fear of his own bulk relative to theirs. The sake, but once he sees a profit to be made, his attitude toward
experience of Lilliput is now reversed for Gulliver, making him Gulliver changes. He no longer cares about Gulliver's well-
vulnerable and fearful as the Lilliputians must have been when being, only what Gulliver can do for him. Glumdalclitch,
they discovered a giant in their midst. Even after the farmer however, shows that the abuse of power is not necessarily a
takes Gulliver home and provides him dinner with the family, given. She may have more control over Gulliver's life than any
Gulliver's experience is one of ongoing anxiety. He fears falling other character in Brobdingnag, but she is concerned only
from the table, being attacked by the family cat, or becoming a about his welfare.
plaything of the family's young son. Even in the farmer's wife's
bed, he isn't safe and is forced to defend himself against rats
the size of large dogs. Gulliver's transition from Lilliput to Part 2, Chapter 3
Brobdingnag reveals how dominance and safety are relative
concepts, based on the place in the world one occupies and
subject to change as that world changes.
Summary
Gulliver is made to perform for crowds to the point of
Part 2, Chapter 2 exhaustion. He loses a lot of weight and is in poor health. The
farmer takes Gulliver to visit the queen, who is delighted by his
performance and wants to buy Gulliver. The farmer sells him
Summary for 1,000 pieces of gold. As part of the sale, Glumdalclitch is
made part of the queen's court so she can remain with Gulliver.
The farmer's nine-year-old daughter is fond of Gulliver and The queen takes Gulliver to meet the king, who thinks Gulliver
cares for him. She sews him clothing, and teaches him the is some sort of machine. Gulliver tells the king how he came to
native language. Gulliver calls her Glumdalclitch, which means the land and that he comes from a land where everything is
"little nurse." proportioned to his own size.
The farmer's neighbors hear about Gulliver and want to see The queen has an apartment and fine clothes made for
him. One of the neighbors suggests that the farmer should Gulliver. The queen likes Gulliver immensely and has him dine
charge people to see Gulliver. Glumdalclitch doesn't like this with her. The king joins them for dinner one night and asks
plan, as she fears someone might hurt Gulliver or take him about Europe. Gulliver tells him about customs, laws, and
away. The next day, the farmer puts Gulliver on display at an religion in England. The king laughs at Gulliver's stories.
inn. Many people come to see Gulliver. Realizing how profitable Gulliver feels his country has been slighted but does not argue
Gulliver can be, the farmer decides to take him on a tour of with the king. The queen's dwarf grows jealous that Gulliver
other cities. The farmer, Gulliver, and Glumdalclitch travel to has become a court favorite and bullies him at meals.
Lorbrulgrud where Gulliver makes 10 public appearances in a
single day.
Analysis
Analysis When the king meets Gulliver, he thinks Gulliver is some kind of
mechanical toy, and in some ways this is a fitting description of
Given the farmer's example, one thing the Brobdingnagians Gulliver's life in Brobdingnag. He is a toy for these large
have in common with the Lilliputians is a drive to exploit the creatures. The farmer treats Gulliver more as a machine than
power they have over others for personal gain. In Lilliput, this as a living creature when he demands Gulliver perform for the
kind of exploitation was generally illustrated in the ruling class, public. He is sold to the queen as a piece of property only
but here the drive to abuse power appears in a common because the farmer thinks Gulliver will die soon, so he wants to
farmer. This temptation to abuse power is part of human make a final profit from Gulliver. Although Glumdalclitch and
nature, regardless of class, social standing, size, or even the queen treat Gulliver kindly and see to his every need, he is

more like a doll to them than a human. Even after Gulliver has
proven to the king that he is, indeed, a living man with the Part 2, Chapter 5
capacity to think and speak, the king treats him as a novelty
and cannot open his mind to entertain the possibility that
Gulliver comes from a civilized country with its own laws, Summary
philosophies, and advancements, however different they may
be from Brobdingnag's customs. In 18th-century Europe, it was Gulliver has several accidents that nearly kill him in
common to go on tour with people from faraway places. These Brobdingnag. The queen's dwarf drops a barrel of apples on
people, and their explanations of their cultures and customs, him; he's nearly squashed in a hailstorm; the gardener's dog
were treated as novel amusements rather than taken as retrieves him in its mouth; a kite (bird of prey) almost carries
seriously as the Europeans took themselves. Swift draws on him away in its talons; and he falls inside a molehill. The
this custom in his representation of Gulliver's life in queen's maids of honor play with Gulliver as if he is a toy. The
Brobdingag. maids often strip naked in front of him and strip him naked as
well. Gulliver is repulsed by their strong smell and the sight of
their bare bodies. Gulliver is taken to witness the execution of
Part 2, Chapter 4 a criminal. Normally, he is not interested in such spectacles, but
he is curious to see an execution on a giant scale.
The queen has a rowboat and pool made for Gulliver's exercise
Summary and entertainment. A frog jumps into his pool and almost
capsizes his boat, but Gulliver fights it away with his oars. A
Gulliver describes Brobdingnag as a peninsula isolated from monkey gets loose in the palace, carries Gulliver to the roof,
the rest of the continent by mountains. The city of Lorbrulgrud, and feeds him like a baby. Gulliver almost chokes from the
and the royal palace are predictably enormous but also food. Glumdalclitch saves him in time and forces him to vomit.
beautiful in their way. Gulliver travels inside a specially made The king asks Gulliver what he would have done had a monkey
box placed inside the royal coach. On one trip with attacked him in England. Gulliver says there are no monkeys
Glumdalclitch, beggars approach the royal coach. Gulliver there, but if a giant creature attacked he would use his sword.
describes their shabby appearances, down to the lice on their The king laughs at Gulliver's response. Glumdalclitch takes
clothes, which he finds revolting. The chapter ends with a Gulliver to the countryside, where he walks knee-deep into a
description of the royal kitchen. pile of cow dung. The story amuses members of the royal
court.
Analysis
Analysis
Brobdingnag's isolation from the rest of the world cannot be
overstated. The country is presumably attached to North The dangers Gulliver faces in Brobdingnag illustrate the
America, but the giants have no contact with other peoples, vulnerabilities of the human condition and how easily human
and they do not travel on the sea. This isolation accounts for dignity can be lost. Even though the king and queen favor him,
the king's limited point of view when Gulliver describes life in that favor cannot save Gulliver from the hazards of nature,
Europe. In the same way, Gulliver's own experience is limited such as a dog's instinct to retrieve a small object, a bird of
and isolated, as he sees the world from the confines of his box. prey's instinct to catch small creatures, a weather event, or a
Like Brobdingnag itself, the box is comfortable for its monkey's instinct to parent its young. Royal favor cannot save
inhabitant but allows for little direct experience with anything Gulliver from the dwarf's jealousy or the maids' desire to treat
else. Gulliver as a toy. Their favor and care cannot even prevent
Gulliver from walking into his own accidents. The world is a
dangerous place, and any protection derived from high-level
associations is an illusion.

Paradoxically, while the king and queen favor Gulliver on a keep himself busy and do something useful with his time.
personal level, they too treat him as something of a joke. The Likewise, he demonstrates his resourcefulness alongside his
entire court is amused by Gulliver's run-in with the cow dung, musical talents when he devises a way to play the piano. In
and the king refuses to accept the possibility of Gulliver being spite of these accomplishments and demonstrations, and a
able to defend himself in his home environment. The king's detailed understanding of English history and politics, the king
power and isolation have closed his mind to seeing Gulliver continues to dismiss Gulliver's value as anything more than a
from any point of view other than his own, even though the king novelty item. Gulliver even plays into this to a certain extent by
has also seen Gulliver hold his own against all the attacks and producing miniature novelties for his "owners" and performing
dangers life in Brobdingnag has thrown his way. The king for them. When the king calls the English a "pernicious race of
illustrates how powerful men can be inflexible in their thinking, little odious vermin," he is saying this of Gulliver as well.
even on trivial matters, because their personal experiences are Certainly Gulliver comes from a flawed society, but the king
likewise limited to their own spheres. Leaders may become seems unwilling to recognize those flaws may be balanced by
more effective by broadening their experience and virtues, and he does not entertain the idea that Brobdingnag
understanding of the world. may have flaws of its own.
Part 2, Chapter 6 Part 2, Chapter 7
Summary Summary
Gulliver fashions a comb from a piece of wood and pieces of Gulliver is upset that the king holds a low opinion of England.
the king's beard stubble. He weaves a chair from the queen's He fears his summary of England's history may have
hair. He makes a purse from her hair as well, and gives it to represented the country unfairly. Gulliver attempts to win the
Glumdalclitch with the queen's permission. Gulliver entertains favor of the king by offering to teach him how to make
the king by playing a spinet, or piano, for him. The spinet is gunpowder, but the king is horrified to hear of something so
large, so Gulliver can't press the keys, so he strikes them with destructive and commands Gulliver to never speak of it again.
giant sticks as he runs along the keyboard. Gulliver explains that the king seems to know very little about
politics and does not seem to respect the process or demands
Gulliver explains the structure of English government to the of dealing with other countries. He does describe
king. The king asks him many questions about England's Brobdingnag's militia, indicating that the country has had
economy, politics, and society. The king is surprised to hear internal struggles in the past. Gulliver criticizes the education
about violent rebellions and revolutions in British history. From of people in Brobdingnag for being limited to only a few
his conversation with Gulliver, the king concludes that the subjects, even though Gulliver reads books in the kingdom.
English must be "the most pernicious race of little odious
vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of
the earth." Analysis
Gulliver naturally feels a need to defend his home country and
Analysis seems nearly desperate to show the king that he comes from a
civilized society. Gulliver also wants to show the king that he,
Gulliver's intelligence, resourcefulness, and ingenuity are on full and his background, can be of use to the king, so the king's
display as he crafts items that are useful to himself and others horror at the suggestion of gunpowder is dispiriting.
from the materials available to him. He also shows tremendous Brobdingnag's isolation comes into play as the king has no
respect for his benefactors, refusing to sit in the chair he made understanding of the political negotiations that take place
from the queen's hair and asking permission to give the purse between nations. The country's history of unrest comes from
to Glumdalclitch. These activities also show Gulliver's desire to within. When Gulliver says that "the nobility often contending

for power, the people for liberty, and the king for absolute
dominion" led to three civil wars, it shows a need for the king to
Analysis
open his thinking about political processes, but the king
The same dangers of nature that have made life in
dismisses these as well. The concept of voting, even in a
Brobdingnag difficult and unsustainable for Gulliver become
limited sense, would threaten his "absolute dominion."
the means of his escape when his box is taken by a bird and
Government in Brobdingnag is kept simple, with the laws short
dropped into the sea. While Gulliver appreciates the kind
and never criticized, which further illustrates the narrowness of
treatment he has received in Brobdingnag, he also knows this
the king's and the people's thinking. All learning (even poetry
treatment has come at the expense of his humanity. When the
and mathematics) is ultimately for practical use, and the
king imagines capturing a ship and possibly finding a woman
Brobdingnagians are uninterested in philosophical or
for Gulliver to breed with, Gulliver's feelings about his captivity
conceptual learning. Many societies—perhaps those of Europe
become clear. He has no desire to procreate and have his
included—can benefit from practicality, and Swift believed that
offspring suffer the same fate he has as, essentially, a caged
Enlightenment philosophers were too deliberately obscure and
pet. At the same time he desperately wants to live among
theoretical in their thinking. But in Brobdingnag, the emphasis
people who are his equals.
on practical knowledge is taken to an extreme, and ultimately
impractical, level. Even though he craves the company of equals, when Gulliver is
rescued, he finds those equals almost unreal to his sight. His
perspective has changed during two years in Brobdingnag, so
Part 2, Chapter 8 he imagines himself larger than he is and the other men on the
rescue ship smaller than they are. Unlike Gulliver, these men
have no fantastic experiences and know only regular-sized
Summary people. Gulliver's behavior is so odd, as are the circumstances
of the rescue, that the captain's inquiry about Gulliver being a
After two years in the kingdom, Gulliver hopes to leave but convicted criminal seems a natural one. Through the process
does not have the means. Gulliver goes with the king and of telling his story to the captain and offering proof of where
queen to a royal estate near the sea. Gulliver wants to visit the he has been, Gulliver begins to regain the perspective on his
ocean. Glumdalclitch carries Gulliver in his traveling box to the own human world and recover from his captivity.
beach and leaves him in the care of a servant. A bird picks up
the box while the servant is away and Gulliver is napping. The
bird drops the box in the sea, and Gulliver is set adrift over the Part 3, Chapter 1
ocean. He worries for Glumdalclitch, knowing she will punished
for losing the queen's favorite pet.
After a few hours, Gulliver feels a tugging on his box. The box
Summary
strikes the side of an English vessel, and the crew pulls Gulliver
Gulliver leaves on a voyage to the East Indies shortly after
to safety. The captain speaks to Gulliver, but thinks him mad
returning from Brobdingnag. Pirates raid the ship near Tonquin
after hearing stories of Brobdingnag. Over dinner, the captain
(modern Vietnam), capturing the crew and setting Gulliver
tells Gulliver how his "swimming house" was discovered at sea.
adrift in a canoe with a sail and supplies. Gulliver visits a
The captain asks if Gulliver was a criminal exiled to death at
number of uninhabited islands before seeing a large floating
sea. Gulliver shows the captain some items he has from his
island in the sky above him. It blocks out the sun. The island's
time in Brobdingnag, including a giant tooth that belonged to
inhabitants spot Gulliver on the land below and bring him
one of Glumdalclitch's men. The captain encourages Gulliver to
aboard.
write down his stories when he gets to land. Gulliver returns
home to his family.

Analysis Analysis
Gulliver's decision to leave again on a voyage so soon after Gulliver's previous adventures have amply taught him the
returning home reveals the full depth of his desire for importance of observing customs and respect while in a ruler's
adventure and his interest in the rest of the world. Despite his court, but he says he has no need for the flappers in order to
dangerous experiences in Brobdingnag, he is eager for more, speak and be spoken to. This causes mild offense, but it
suggesting that, while he was able to recognize the dangers appears this misstep was an attempt on Gulliver's part to
and disadvantages of his experiences, he does not see them cause the servants less trouble. Luckily, the incident passes,
as being inherently undesirable. and Gulliver is treated well by the Laputans.
He quickly discovers that dangers can appear in the human- While the Brobdingnagians were limited by their extreme
sized world in the form of pirates. The pirates' "merciful" practicality, the Laputans' great flaw is their profound
treatment of him—setting him adrift at sea in a small impracticality. They spend their days so focused on thoughts
boat—recalls the "mercy" of the Lilliputians who were willing to of mathematics and other abstract ideas that they need a
starve Gulliver to death rather than execute him quickly. complex system to facilitate interpersonal communication. The
Ludicrous punishments and injustices are part of the human- example of the tailor shows that their focus on abstract
sized world as well. Gulliver, as usual, lands on his feet, mathematics and calculations causes them to complicate
encountering the most improbable land yet—a floating island. matters to a degree that defeats their purpose. The tailor's
calculations are so complex that a minor error creates a
terrible suit. It stands to reason this same level of overthinking
Part 3, Chapter 2 has created the unstable architecture around the city as well.
The Laputan example reads as a criticism of the Enlightenment
philosophers who were Swift's contemporaries, showing how
Summary abstract ideas can be impressive but can also become too
removed from real-world necessities.
The floating island is called Laputa, and its inhabitants are

singularly concerned with studying mathematics and music.
They wear robes adorned with mathematical and musical Part 3, Chapter 3
figures. Because they spend so much time in thought, the
custom for speaking is to use servants who gently strike
people with flappers on sticks to indicate when they are to Summary
speak and listen. When Gulliver arrives at the king's court, he
commits a social faux pas when he rejects this custom. Laputa is a perfectly circular island, and it stays afloat in the
sky using complex engineering and a series of magnets on the
Despite their constant pondering of mathematical concepts, island of Balnibarbi below. The capital of this realm, Lagado, is
the Laputans live in homes that are poorly constructed, located on Balnibarbi, but by law the king and his sons must
"without one right angle in any apartment." A tailor takes remain on Laputa. The king uses his floating island to visit
Gulliver's measurements using complex geometry and delivers different parts of the realm and monitor the cities and to
an ill-fitting suit. The Laputans have no concept of imagination collect money and goods. The king is held in check by
or creativity, and they spend much of their time studying ministers on the ground, but Laputa gives him enormous power
celestial bodies. They live in perpetual anxiety about the earth's over potential rebellions. He can deprive uncooperative cities
eventual destruction by a comet. of sunlight and rain, and in extreme circumstances, he can use
the island to crush a city entirely. Rebelling cities, however,
may also use magnets to prevent such drastic action.

Analysis Analysis
While the Laputans' complex calculations provide little obvious Laputa is another land where Gulliver does not really fit in,
benefit to mundane tasks, such as suit making, or house although his differences in this case are based on intellect. The
building, these machinations have enabled them to construct Laputans have treated him well despite his deficiencies, but
something otherwise physically impossible—a giant floating Gulliver wants to feel as if he belongs, and one equal comrade
city. The power of Laputa illustrates the danger of placing all is not sufficient.
power in the hands of a monarch, and the Laputans are
perhaps fortunate their king is held in check by his ministers, The state of Balnibarbi reveals how governments often take on
since he has such control over life and death. This example radical changes and sweeping projects without any real
illustrates the danger of any leader's having absolute power, understanding of their effects and without a plan for their
and the people of Laputa make their king literally godlike. In completion. Often radical and sweeping changes are thrust
this light, the Brobdingnagian king's rejection of destructive upon the populace, as they have been in Balnibarbi. The
warfaring techniques seems more humane. projectors—with emphasis on the project part of the
word—make life materially worse for the residents of Balnibarbi
in the name of progress simply for its own sake. In this case,
Part 3, Chapter 4 the residents have accepted the virtues of progress without
thinking critically or questioning whether the progress is
beneficial. Even Munodi, who has kept to the old ways and
remains prosperous, believes he will have to succumb to the
Summary tide of progress sweeping over his country.
After two months on Laputa, Gulliver grows bored with the

residents' introspection. He lacks the knowledge of
mathematics and music to converse with most of them, and
Part 3, Chapter 5
instead socializes with women and servants. He does make a
good friend at court who is known as "the most ignorant and
stupid person among them." Despite his many Summary
accomplishments, this man has no head for numbers or music.
This lord helps Gulliver arrange with the king a visit to the land Gulliver visits the academy and finds the projectors hard at
of Balnibarbi below. work on their experiments. None of these experiments have

practical or logical value. One projector has spent eight years
In Balnibarbi, Gulliver befriends another lord named Munodi. attempting to extract sunlight from cucumbers. Another works
Gulliver notices ramshackle buildings and fallow fields around to "reduce human excrement to its original food." A blind
the capital city of Lagado and wonders what the problem is in projector and his blind apprentices mix colors for artists, based
this country. Munodi's own estate features sturdy buildings and on touch and smell. When Gulliver has a coughing fit, he visits a
thriving fields. Munodi explains that 44 years ago, a group of doctor who tries to cure him by using a bellows to draw gas in
people went to Laputa and returned with some knowledge of and out of the body through the anus; he kills a dog using this
mathematics and many plans for improving life in Balnibarbi. process. Another projector has built a word engine to write a
These "projectors" sought to rebuild the entire country compendium of the arts and sciences. A math professor
according to their ideals, and established respected teaches students by feeding them slips of paper with formulas
academies to educate the populace, but the projects are not written on them.
quite complete. Munodi has kept to the old ways but fears he
will soon cave to the pressure to modernize as well.
Analysis
The academy illustrates the Laputan preference for abstract
knowledge over practical application taken to its absurd and

extreme conclusion. Although Gulliver is pleased by many of that Swift wants to satirize.
the experiments he sees, Swift's portrayal of the academy is a
scathing criticism of institutions of higher learning, specifically
aimed at London's Royal Society, established in 1660. Swift Part 3, Chapter 7
made similar criticisms in his "Tale of a Tub," a satire published
in 1704. These same criticisms of dubious scholarly research in
universities and other institutions continue to emerge in the
Summary
modern age. The experiments Gulliver sees range from the
patently absurd (cucumbers and sunlight) to the dangerous
Gulliver arranges to leave Balnibarbi and sails to the
(the doctor's treatment of disease). At best these kinds of
neighboring island of Glubbdubdrib, loosely translated as "the
studies divorced from logic and reality are useless, and at
island of sorcerers or magicians." The primary magic of the
worse they can kill.
inhabitants of this island rests on the ability to call forth dead
people and make them servants, which makes Gulliver nervous.
Gulliver greets the governor of the island and gives an account
Part 3, Chapter 6 of his travels. He dines with the governor, who uses his magic
to call up ghosts to serve the meal. Gulliver spends 10 days on
the island, at which time the governor invites Gulliver to call up
Summary the dead from any part of history to answer questions. Gulliver
speaks with Alexander the Great, Cæsar, Pompey, Hannibal,
Gulliver visits the school of politics in the academy and judges and other notable figures from antiquity.
the professors to be "wholly out of their senses." Some of their
proposals include encouraging ministers to consider the public
good, choosing workers based on qualifications, and rewarding Analysis
merit. Gulliver does like the doctor who proposes that ministers
and senators be assigned physicians to ensure that their four Glubbdubdrib's reliance on magic stands in sharp contrast to
humors are balanced. This same doctor also advocates Laputa's reliance on scientific thinking—however flawed that
inflicting minor physical injury as a memory aid and brain thinking might be. It is in Glubbdubdrib that Gulliver finds
transplants to facilitate political arguments. Gulliver sees other meaningful discourse through his communication with the dead
professors with similarly outlandish plans and wishes he could leaders and philosophers of ancient times. There is real value
return to England. in knowing the past and learning from it, and abstract thoughts
and experiments are a poor substitute. In a literal nod to the
value of these Classical influences, Gulliver's congress with the
Analysis dead mirrors similar scenes that appear in the Odyssey and
the Aeneid, in which the title characters also learn from
Of all the ridiculous ideas Gulliver encounters in the school of conversations with the dead.
politics in the academy, and they are numerous, the ideas that
make him proclaim the professors "wholly out of their senses"
are the ones that reflect the logical principles of good Part 3, Chapter 8
governance: the idea that monarchs should choose favorites
based on their virtues, that ministries should address the
greater good, that rulers should align their interests with those
Summary
of their people. Gulliver's dismissal of these ideas as the most
insane of a selection that includes splicing halves of brains
Gulliver's conversations with the dead continue as he calls
together shows how far from the ideals Gulliver's own home
forth Homer and Aristotle to meet with other philosophers,
government in England has strayed. While Gulliver is the
including Descartes and Gassendi. Gulliver spends days talking
protagonist of the book, he is very much a product of his
to a cast of figures from all of history. As he speaks with more
culture, and is full of the very prejudices and misconceptions
recent figures, he discovers how historians mislead the world

and how sources use the writings of history for their own Gulliver to dine with him. Gulliver remains in Luggnagg for three
purposes. He is disgusted by the intrigues and lies that have months.
shaped his understanding of the past and the present.
Analysis
Analysis
The king of Luggnagg shares the same problem with many of
Although Gulliver finds his conversations with the ancients the monarchs presented in the novel: he expects absolute
satisfying and informative, as he talks to figures from modern conformity to his will and his whims. He abuses his power by
history, which he has studied more intensely, Gulliver's disgust requiring anyone who seeks an audience with him to assume
grows. By speaking with the figures who were actually there the lowly position of crawling and licking the floor. Gulliver says
for events, he discovers how much of the history he has read he is lucky the floor has been cleaned for him, but he also
and studied has been misinterpreted or outright fabricated, observes how less-favored individuals may be presented with a
either by writers or by sources who were looking for their own floor that has deliberately been made much dirtier. At least the
glorious legacies at the expense of others. He comes to see king of Luggnagg is up front with his demands of courtly
the lessons of his own education to this point as not just conformity. He asks for this gesture and then shows Gulliver
unreliable but actively malignant, driven by the agendas of the full hospitality, unlike other leaders, such as the emperor of
writers themselves. Even writings contemporary to events, Lilliput, whose favor has required more guesswork on Gulliver's
primary sources provided by observers or peers—which part.
scholars generally regard as most reliable for historical
study—are cast into doubt when Gulliver sees how these
writers twist their observations. He sees how many leaders Part 3, Chapter 10
have ascended to power through nefarious means, how many
innocent people have been "condemned to death or
banishment" through judicial malpractice or malfeasance. The
Summary
experience leaves him with a low opinion of all human society
as a result. Despite these realizations about the unreliability of
Gulliver finds the Luggnaggians "polite and generous." He
historical writers, Gulliver is happy to take the stories of the
considers staying in the country after he learns about the
dead at face value. He does not consider that these speakers
"struldbrugs," people born with a mark on their foreheads
may also have reasons for spinning their tales as they do, that
signifying their immortality. Gulliver marvels at what he might
all accounts of history are subjective.
learn from them and considers living in Luggnagg if he can live
among the struldbrugs. He explains how he would use
immortality to accumulate wealth and knowledge that he might
Part 3, Chapter 9 use to benefit future generations. His outlook on the
struldbrugs changes when he learns that they age as normal
humans and simply cannot die, condemned instead to an
Summary eternity of senility and sickness. This is why none of them are
present at court. After this revelation, Gulliver decides he
Gulliver travels from Glubbdubdrib to Luggnagg. He identifies wants to go home.
himself as Dutch upon arrival so he can be allowed to travel on
to Japan. Gulliver is invited to meet the king at court, but he
must observe the court's customs. Gulliver is required to crawl Analysis
on his belly and lick the floor as he approaches the throne.
Then he must strike his head on the ground seven times while The example of the struldbrugs illustrates the contrast
praising the king. Gulliver is happy to discover he has been between the typical fantasy of immortality and the potential
honored with a comparatively clean floor, as many visitors are reality of such a condition. Those who fear death and wish
not so lucky. After this ceremony is complete, the king invites never to die typically approach these thoughts as Gulliver

does, with the assumption that eternal youth, or at the very that engage in trade with Japan. Yet the Japanese treat
least some form of vitality, will be part of the bargain. The Gulliver with kindness and respect, in contrast to the other
struldbrugs show that immortality is an unnatural state by Europeans, namely the Dutch who might kill Gulliver if his true
going through the aging process and remaining trapped in identity were revealed. As is evident in the entire section,
eternally deteriorating bodies. Death is not something to be hospitality is offered freely by those with less direct
feared and avoided, but rather a natural part of the life cycle, connection to Gulliver's world than by those to whom Gulliver is
especially if the fate of the struldbrugs is the alternative. While most similar.
Gulliver initially speculates that the court does not host
struldbrugs because the king does not want to listen to their
wisdom, he discovers that the Luggnaggians have actually Part 4, Chapter 1
learned a great deal from the struldbrugs' example about the
value of death as an endpoint to suffering. Fear of death is a
normal human response that many people attempt to
Summary
overcome with platitudes about death being a natural part of
the life cycle. For the Luggnaggians the course of nature is not
After five months at home, Gulliver accepts an offer to captain
an abstract coping mechanism because they are able to see
a voyage on the Adventure. On this journey, many of his crew
how unnatural avoidance of death can be.
members get sick or die and must be replaced. The new crew
mutinies and leaves Gulliver on the shore of an island. Gulliver
discovers creatures that are humanlike in appearance, but very
Part 3, Chapter 11 hairy and with claws. When Gulliver encounters these
creatures, they threaten him and chase him up a tree. They
disperse when two horses arrive. The horses exhibit signs of
Summary reason and speak a language Gulliver does not understand,
making out only the words "Yahoo" and "Houyhnhnm." Gulliver
Gulliver leaves Luggnagg for Japan. He pretends to be Dutch accompanies one of the gray horses toward his dwelling.
because they are the only Europeans allowed into Japan. He
secures passage to the port town of Xamoschi. Even though
the customs officer suspects Gulliver is not Dutch, he asks few Analysis
questions and allows Gulliver to pass as a favor to the king of
Luggnagg. Gulliver travels to Nangasac and uses a false Gulliver accepts this final voyage because it affords him the
history to join a ship's crew bound for Amsterdam. From opportunity to captain his own ship, which brings the prospect
Amsterdam, he returns to find his wife and family well in of greater benefits as well as another chance for him to
England. quench his thirst for adventure. The mutiny reveals the ugly,
untrustworthy side of human nature, which is the memory of
humanity Gulliver takes with him to the island of the
Analysis Houyhnhnms and Yahoos, a point that will become important in
later chapters as Gulliver identifies more closely with the
The only real-world location presented on Gulliver's itinerary, horselike Houyhnhnms. His first experience with the barbaric
Japan is as mysterious as the city in the clouds and, arguably, Yahoos who surround and terrify him within hours of his arrival
more difficult to access. This is due in part to the real-life on the island also drives him to see the Houyhnhnms as his
Japanese foreign-travel policy, Sakoku, which made it protectors and friends when they come to his rescue.
impossible for most people to enter or leave the country—even
the Dutch, who were permitted because they were important
to Japanese trade, had only restricted access to parts of the Part 4, Chapter 2
country. This made Japan seem very mysterious and exotic to
Europeans. Gulliver is able to access the country based on a
combination of deception and his connections to nearby lands

Summary Summary
In the gray horse's house, Gulliver is introduced to additional After a few weeks of study, Gulliver gains a functional
members of his host's family along with his servants—all knowledge of the Houyhnhnm language. All members of his
horses known as Houyhnhnms. The Houyhnhnm master also master's family engage in teaching Gulliver because the master
has three of the creatures that tried to attack is eager to learn more about Gulliver's history. He asks Gulliver
Gulliver—Yahoos—restrained on his property. Later Gulliver many questions, and Gulliver is able to explain in very general
sees that the Yahoos are used for manual labor, such as terms about his ship and the mutiny. He is able to tell the
pulling sledges. Gulliver gets a better look at the Yahoos and Houyhnhnm a little about his country.
fears the horses may think he is a Yahoo as well because of
their close physical resemblance. The Houyhnhnm master believes Gulliver is indeed a Yahoo,
but he is perplexed by Gulliver's ability to speak, reason, and
The Houyhnhnm offers Gulliver some food, but he is unable to learn. Gulliver takes care never to be seen without his clothing
stomach either the roots the Houyhnhnm eat or the rancid to distinguish himself from the other Yahoos, but eventually he
meat that sustains the captive Yahoos. Gulliver does find that reveals his secret to his master, who has already seen Gulliver
the Houyhnhnm keep cows for milk, and at dinner he devises a unclothed while sleeping. The master decides Gulliver is a
way to make a cake out of oats, which becomes his dietary Yahoo, but Gulliver does not want to be lumped in with this
staple during the three years he spends among the species he finds "odious."
Houyhnhnms.
Analysis
Analysis
Even though Gulliver's Houyhnhnm master decides Gulliver is
Gulliver realizes he wants to be closely associated with the definitely a Yahoo, the trappings of Gulliver's civilized life
civilized Houyhnhnms, not the Yahoos, and he fears how his protect him from the harsh judgment of the Houyhnhnms. Yes,
own biology works against him to this end. At this early stage, he is a Yahoo, but he is a different breed of Yahoo, one who
association with the Yahoos could mean he will be relegated to can learn languages, think critically, and tell his story. Gulliver
a life of labor and servitude among these repellent hairy does not only learn; he learns quickly. Once Gulliver is able to
creatures who, in Gulliver's opinion, only marginally resemble describe his origins, he is able to explain that his race of
him. The trappings of Gulliver's own civilization, his clothing and Yahoos run entire continents, which further assists in building
his ability to speak languages, are his only protection, goodwill with the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver's disgust at the Yahoos
especially since the Houyhnhnms do not yet understand that on the island shows his preference for the trappings of
the clothing is not part of Gulliver's body. There is an important civilization, even if it is not a civilization in which he fits entirely;
point here about the very frail distinction between being it also shows how easy it is for humans to reject and feel
"civilized," as Europeans believed they were, and superior to other humans who look different and act
"savage"—which often meant anyone other than a European. differently, which was an important feature of colonial thought.
Gulliver's other advantage is his refusal to eat as the Yahoos Even though Gulliver and the Yahoos appear to be the same
do and adopting an oat-based diet, which represents Gulliver's species, Gulliver has less in common with them than with any
first real step toward integration into Houyhnhnm society. group he has met in all of his travels.
Part 4, Chapter 3 Part 4, Chapter 4

Summary Part 4, Chapter 5

The Houyhnhnms do not fully understand the concepts of
doubt and disbelief because falsehood is also foreign to them.
Deception, they believe, defeats the purpose of
Summary
communication. They see no reason to mislead others by
Gulliver presents the history of Europe to his master, including
telling them a "thing which is not." Gulliver is able to explain
past wars and wars in progress. He explains that the causes of
that Yahoos like him rule his home country and Houyhnhnm are
war tend to be based on differences of opinion, often relating
called horses. Horses are treated well by the wealthy and
to small details. In fact, the smaller the difference of opinion,
worked hard by the lower classes. The master is confused by
the greater the conflict. Wars may also start based on quarrels
this order of things, as Houyhnhnms are much stronger than
between monarchs, often with one monarch eager to start the
people, and Gulliver explains how horses are trained to obey
fight before the other one can. Countries weakened by famine,
from birth. The master is offended by the training methods,
disease, or civil war are also targets for invasion, and at other
particularly the practice of castrating young male horses to
times strong countries are invaded simply because a monarch
make them more docile. The master once again questions how
wants the land, even if this means betraying an ally. The master
a race so inferior as the Yahoos, even Yahoos like Gulliver,
thinks the European Yahoos like Gulliver appear too weak to
could rule over Houyhnhnms but concludes that this is
make war, so Gulliver describes some of their weaponry and
evidence of the European Yahoos' ability to use reason to
describes battles he has seen at sea. The master makes
compensate for lesser physical strength.
Gulliver stop talking because these descriptions make the
European Yahoos sound even worse than those on the island.
Analysis Gulliver also explains the English legal system because the
master does not understand how laws can be used to undo a
For the Houyhnhnms, communication exists for one individual man, as happened with some members of Gulliver's mutinous
to pass knowledge and information along to another. To give crew. Gulliver paints a bleak picture of the legal profession,
knowledge that is not simply mistaken or incomplete is one describing lawyers as lacking moral fiber and intelligence.
way to hinder communication, but to provide information that
actively moves the hearer further away from truth makes no
rational sense to them. They lack a concept of intentional Analysis
deception as a result, and the closest they can get to the idea
is to declare a lie a "thing which is not." This phrase does not Like the Brobdingnagian king who found Gulliver's proposal to
describe intent, as they cannot understand the intent to make gunpowder offensive and barbaric, the Houyhnhnm
deceive; it only describes the content of a false statement. master is revolted by Gulliver's description of European wars
and weaponry. Unlike the other civilizations Gulliver has
The role reversal between horses and humans that has been
encountered, the Houyhnhnms do not seem to understand the
implied in the previous chapters becomes explicit in Gulliver's
concept of war in any form. They do not battle with one
conversation with his master in which he describes how horses
another, and while they have subjugated the Yahoos to their
are used as beasts of burden in Europe. For the Houyhnhnms,
will, this practice appears more in line with the taming of
physical strength plays an important role in establishing power,
working animals than with armed conflict. The master is most
an idea that is also visible in Gulliver's experiences with the
offended by the European Yahoos' making war because they
Lilliputians and the Brobdingnagians. At the same time, the
now appear no better than the Yahoos on the island, and in a
Houyhnhnms acknowledge the superiority of reason as a
sense they are worse because they possess reason. Whatever
source of power, which is not an idea espoused by the other
the island's Yahoos do, they can be presumed to do out of
societies Gulliver has encountered. The Houyhnhnms combine
animal impulse. The European Yahoos have some capacity for
physical dominance with an equal measure of reason to rule
reason, yet they continue to wage wars over matters of opinion
over their land.
or ego instead of using that reason for good. The Houyhnhnm
master believes that creatures with a sense of reason should

know better than to treat one another so violently, suggesting more concerned with personal wealth and status than they are
that the definitions of civilization and savagery are highly with the public good. History has shown that these problems
subjective. are ingrained into most human societies and have little
connection to time or location.
Part 4, Chapter 6 Although the Houyhnhmn society does lack many of the flaws
that plague European society, the Houyhnhnms' reliance on
pure reason is not without its own drawbacks. Houyhnhnm
society adheres to principles of friendship and benevolence,
Summary but these principles replace the deeper emotional connections
of familial and romantic love that can create problems but also
Gulliver explains to his master the concept of money and how
make life interesting and meaningful. The Houyhnhnms are
it is used to buy goods, how the men who have it are prone to
conservative in their consumption, but they do not experience
greed, and how the poor labor for the benefit of the wealthy.
the joys of celebration and feasting. On a darker level, the
He explains how, even though England can produce sufficient
Houyhnhnms' adherence to friendship and benevolence are
food and drink for its people, they engage in trade around the
principles reserved for only their own society. They lack any
world to provide the variety of luxuries the wealthy demand.
level of compassion or kindness for other beings, notably the
Yahoos, and treat other societies as unworthy of serious
Gulliver also explains disease, an unfamiliar concept to the
attention and as essentially hopeless causes incapable of
Houyhnhnm. Gulliver associates sickness with
change or improvement.
overconsumption of food, drink, sex, or other physical desires.
He describes how diseases are typically treated.
Lastly, Gulliver explains how the English government works. Part 4, Chapter 7
Ministers are selected for service based on their social
connections, often through marriage. Sometimes they attain
their positions by betraying their predecessors, and sometimes
Summary
they are selected for service because of their support of a
position or leader. Gulliver's account of his home country stems from his
reflections on the human state as inferior to the state of the
Houyhnhnms. After his first year on the island, he is so
Analysis impressed by the Houyhnhnms that he vows never to return to
human society. He wants to remain on the island "in the
The Houyhnhnm society has no concept of so many of the
contemplation and practice of every virtue."
human world's ills. In the previous chapter, Gulliver's master
had no concept of war and did not understand how laws could The master assesses the overall weakness of humans, both in
be used to commit injustice. Here he does not understand what character and physical prowess. While the Europeans may
money is, which means he does not understand class in the wear clothes and appear different from the local Yahoos, he
same way Gulliver does. The Houyhnhnms are free of disease. decides that they suffer from the same vices and are inferior to
They also lack a governmental structure of ministers and the Houyhnhnm race. He describes how the island's Yahoos
monarchs, so they lack a concept of corruption. These factors will fight over a piece of meat or the colored stones they hoard.
make the world of the Houyhnhnms seem like a utopia, a fully The Yahoos give all their physical appetites free rein. Yahoos
ideal society with minimal inequality and suffering. have a rudimentary system of governance, which the master
believes is similar to the system Gulliver describes in England.
In the human world, all inequality and suffering is rooted in
He condemns the lack of reason and virtue in European
wealth. For the poor, deprivation often forces them into lives of
governance and believes Gulliver has said the "thing which is
crime or in servitude to the rich. Gulliver emphasizes how
not" in his descriptions, painting a rosier picture of Europe than
humans bring much of their sickness upon themselves as they
the truth, despite Gulliver's highly critical presentation.
consume the trappings of wealth. In government, ministers are

education, and they celebrate their physical accomplishments

Analysis in athletic events four times a year.
Gulliver's disillusionment with humanity has been building at

least since the time of his talking with the dead in
Glubbdubdrib, when he became frustrated with the falsehoods
Analysis
of history and the deceptions of government. His opinion of
Gulliver's experiences with the Yahoos do nothing to improve
humanity could not have been helped by his unceremonious
his opinion of them. He recognizes that they have more
ejection from his own ship, and the Yahoos certainly do nothing
intelligence than they have been credited with, but they use
to help his opinion of humans. In light of his decision to remain
whatever cunning they have for negative ends. Although
with the Houyhnhnms, it is possible that his wanderlust has
Gulliver has worked to bring himself into the same mindset as
been based on a desire to escape from a society he believes is
the Houyhnhnm, his body remains as it has always been and
less than ideal. The Houyhnhnms' society lacks any of the
betrays him as a Yahoo. After the incident with the Yahoo
social ills that plague England, in Gulliver's view, and he
woman in the river, Gulliver comes to terms with the fact that if
believes he is a better person living among these horses. Both
this woman deemed him suitable for possible mating, he must
Gulliver and his master seem to believe that Gulliver is superior
be a Yahoo—in body, at any rate. Yet in his mind, Gulliver
to the Yahoos of the island and, by extension, the Yahoos of
continues to identify with the Houyhnhnms and praise their
Europe, so it stands to reason that Gulliver would want to
culture. Their reliance on pure reason makes them even more
remain in this society that treats him with such respect and
ideal in Gulliver's mind, as every part of their society is orderly
hospitality, reflecting ideals he has been unable to find
and rational. Inequality is minimal, although they do have a
elsewhere.
divide between the upper classes and the serving classes. At
the same time, Houyhnhnms take care of one another, even
replacing offspring for couples who lose a child after they have
Part 4, Chapter 8 passed childbearing age. They celebrate the body and the
mind in equal measure, and because they have mastered their
physical impulses, mating only to produce the offspring that
Summary everyone cares for, female Houyhnhnms enjoy a place of
equality in education that Gulliver has never seen before.
Gulliver spends time among the Yahoos to learn more about
them. During these visits, Gulliver reveals his physical
similarities to the Yahoos but still brings along one of the Part 4, Chapter 9
master's servants, a sorrel nag, for protection. The Yahoos
tend to be hostile toward Gulliver, but he does learn that they
are physically agile. He believes their unwillingness to learn
stems from a disposition toward resistance rather than
Summary
intellectual defect. He finally accepts his own status as a
Three months before Gulliver leaves the Houyhnhnm island, he
Yahoo when a young female accosts him while he is bathing in
attends a grand assembly of the Houyhnhnms as they debate
a river. The nag rescues him from the Yahoo woman's clutches.
whether to exterminate Yahoos from their island entirely. The
Gulliver admires how the Houyhnhnms are governed entirely by speakers argue that the Yahoos are untrustworthy and would
reason. As a result, they have few arguments or sentimental destroy their livestock, food supplies, and property if they were
attachments. They treat one another with "friendship and not constantly watched. Furthermore, the Yahoos breed so
benevolence," even when encountering strangers of their kind. prodigiously that the Houyhnhnms worry they might overrun
Marriages are arranged to produce well-balanced offspring, the island. Gulliver's master presents Gulliver as an example of
and upper-class couples limit their breeding to two offspring. Yahoos' potential worth and proposes they not kill the whole
The lower classes are allowed three children. They treat all population at once. Instead, he believes they should castrate
children equally, with no parent displaying a special attachment the young males—as humans in Europe do with horses—and
to their own progeny. Male and female children receive equal end their breeding. In the meantime, the Houyhnhnms can

breed donkeys to take over the Yahoos' labor. The assembly human society it might be frowned upon as insufficient
agrees to this plan, and they tell the master something else evidence of grief. Even in the current day, social engagements
that he does not share with Gulliver right away. take a backseat to the grief associated with the death of a
loved one. The Houyhnhmn widow explains her lateness as the
The Houyhnhnms have no written letters, but they excel in result of prolonged consultations with her servants about a
poetic language. They also have no word to describe evil and "convenient" place to bury the body. The lack of emotion
express negatives in terms associated with the Yahoos. They expressed here shows the extreme lack of emotion these
have developed medicines to treat injuries and naturally live creatures express. At the same time, Gulliver reveals that the
between 70 and 75 years. Houyhnhnms approaching death are widow herself dies three months after her husband, which may
aware of it and spend their final days visiting with friends. simply indicate her age in relation to her husband's but could
Gulliver recounts a visit from a female Houyhnhnm to his also point to a deeper emotional connection between spouses
master who apologizes for being late by explaining that her than any of the Houyhnhnms will outwardly admit or express.
husband was dying earlier in the day and she had to discuss
plans for his burial with her servants.
Part 4, Chapter 10
Analysis
Although Gulliver believes the Houyhnhnms have mastered Summary
pure reason and represent an ideal civilization, their proposal
to exterminate the Yahoos represents the kind of violence that Gulliver has quarters in his master's house that are built in the
the Houyhnhnms have scolded and rejected in Gulliver's Houyhnhnm fashion, and he enjoys spending time with his
accounts of Europe. Surely such a plan, if executed, would lead master's friends. He feels these interactions expand his
to war. Although the Houyhnhnms have embraced equality and knowledge and virtue. Gulliver thinks negatively of his friends
fair treatment among their own kind, they do not extend these and family back home, regarding them as Yahoos with slightly
graces to other groups. Gulliver's master presents Gulliver as a better speech and manners than those on the island. He turns
kind of defense against killing the Yahoos, which raises the away from his own reflection "in horror and detestation" and
question of whether the Yahoos on the island would indeed be attempts to adopt Houyhnhnm manners of speaking and
so barbaric and untrustworthy if they were given the same kind gesturing.
of care and attention given to Gulliver. These creatures have

Although Gulliver is happy and working to fit in—and his
been subjugated and pushed to the margins by the
master's family accepts him—one morning the master tells
Houyhnhnms for so long, they have nothing of their own, and
Gulliver that the general assembly is offended by Gulliver's
no potential for improvement. In a telling moment, the
presence in his home. The master has been ordered to make
Houyhnhnms claim that the Yahoos came to the island and
Gulliver live as the other Yahoos in service to the Houyhnhnms,
began proliferating. The Houyhnhnms began using them for
in a kennel, or Gulliver must return to his own homeland.
labor and service from the beginning, which means the Yahoos
Gulliver collapses with the emotional weight of this news, but
have never had a chance to be anything other than animals.
when he recovers he decides to build a small boat to take him
They observe that if the Yahoos had been "aborigines" or
from the island. The construction takes two months, and then
native to the island, they would have "long since been rooted
Gulliver departs the island with much sadness for himself and
out," which reads as a comment on the European tendency to
his Houyhnhnm family.
destroy other cultures during the process of colonization.
The exchange with the Houyhnhnm widow further reveals the

lack of emotional attachments these creatures form in their
Analysis
pursuit of pure reason. At the time Gulliver's Travels was
Gulliver has internalized the Houyhnhnm attitude toward
published, complex social rules mandated mourning periods
Yahoos to the point that he exhibits self-loathing for his own
and dress for the recently widowed. Not only would a social
body and appearance. Where he once felt the need to defend
visit on the day of a spouse's death be unexpected, but in

his home country, he now feels contempt for England and for captain feeds Gulliver and gives him a cabin where he is
his friends and family there. Gulliver's efforts, however, are not restrained after a crewman catches him trying to jump
sufficient to make the Houyhnhnms accept him. The depth of overboard.
the Houyhnhnms' prejudice against the Yahoos becomes
abundantly clear in the sentence the assembly hands down for The captain questions Gulliver about his escape attempt, and
Gulliver. Even though he has been presented as an example of Gulliver gives a short account of his story. Eventually the
a superior Yahoo, and even though he lives comfortably beside captain accepts Gulliver's honesty and releases him on the
his master's family and has adopted the ways of the condition that he will not try to harm himself again. After they
Houyhnhnm as completely as he can, he cannot be allowed to arrive in Lisbon, the captain convinces Gulliver to return to his
continue in his current place. This decision could be because family in England. Gulliver's wife and children greet him warmly,
the Houyhnhnms detest the Yahoos so completely, or Gulliver but he has little tolerance for them and prefers the company of
could represent a threat to the order of the island and to the his horses.
Houyhnhnms' own prejudices. If one Yahoo can be civilized and

treated as part of the family, other Houyhnhnms might begin
doing the same.
Analysis
The pressure for Gulliver's master to conform to his society's Gulliver's self-loathing as a Yahoo continues, even after the
demands is tremendous. The entire family cares for Gulliver, Houyhnhnms have expelled him from their island. Such is his
but they must get him out of their house as quickly as possible. conviction in their superiority that he cannot reproach them for
The neighbors are pressing the master every day to carry out sending him away, nor does he consider that this type of
the assembly's order. The master makes some concession in treatment may have made the island's Yahoos behave as they
allowing Gulliver two months to build a boat, as the order do. Gulliver has no desire to live among the more civilized
actually demanded Gulliver be made to swim from the island, Yahoos of Europe, because he has become convinced that
which amounts to a death sentence and throws a different their civilized ways are feeble attempts to cover up their
light on Gulliver's high opinion of the Houyhnhnms as rational, barbaric Yahoo behavior. He is so settled in this conviction not
benevolent beings. to return home that he attempts to leap from the Portuguese
rescue ship and make an attempt to swim for an island that
may or may not exist—or die trying.
Part 4, Chapter 11 The Portuguese crew's treatment of Gulliver does little to help
his opinions of Yahoos when they restrain him, but they do this
for Gulliver's protection. The kindness of the captain has some
Summary effect on Gulliver when he is convinced to return to his family.
Yet even when Gulliver is reunited with his wife and children, he
When Gulliver commences his voyage, he plans to find an carries the Houyhnhnm prejudice against Yahoos with him,
island where he can survive in solitude rather than return to the essentially rejecting his family. Ironically, this rejection stands
Yahoos of Europe. He calculates that he is near the Cape of in direct contrast to the Houyhnhnm ideal of taking care of
Good Hope. He lands on an uninhabited shore in New Holland one's own kind, and reflects the lack of compassion and mercy
(modern South Africa) but encounters natives on his third day that the Houyhnhnms display when rejecting Gulliver. On the
in this spot. He hastily retreats in his boat. While he searches other hand, the Portuguese crew exhibits this ideal of caring
for a new place to land, he encounters a Portuguese ship. for others when they help Gulliver get back to Europe; he might
Some crewmen board Gulliver's boat and find him hiding from just as easily have died at sea seeking an island that did not
them. They are confused by Gulliver's use of the Houyhnhnm exist.
language and his clothing of animal skins from the island.
Gulliver explains his circumstances to them in Portuguese. The
crewmen offer to take Gulliver to the Portuguese capital of
Lisbon, and Gulliver agrees, fearing they will take him by force.
They tie him up anyway and take him to their captain. The

Gulliver's Travels Study Guide Quotes 32
do it well, clashes with Gulliver's principles and ideas about

Part 4, Chapter 12 sovereignty. He also seems to believe his culture, as a Yahoo,
has little to offer others. He reserves his greatest anger for
those Yahoos who exhibit pride when they have nothing to be
Summary proud of, either in terms of virtue or vice. Colonization is the
ultimate expression of pride, as it rests on the assumption that
Gulliver swears to the truth of his story, saying he would rather one nation has more to be proud of than another. Throughout
present facts than tell "strange improbable tales." He believes Gulliver's Travels, Swift offers his readers evidence to the
a traveler's goal should be to educate readers and make them contrary: that what one culture considers desirable often
"wiser and better." He expresses a belief that other seems ludicrous or appalling to another. While Gulliver, from
travelogues published do not adhere to the truth, and this his flawed perspective, idealizes the Houyhnhnms, there is
bothers him. clearly no culture so unquestionably flawless that it deserves
dominion over all others.
Technically, Gulliver is supposed to report his discoveries to
the government as lands discovered by a British subject
belong to the Crown by English law. Gulliver is reluctant to do
this because he believes Lilliput not worth the trouble and the g Quotes
Brobdingnagians impossible to defeat. He would rather see the
Houyhnhnms colonize Europe. He also opposes the principle of
one sovereign nation conquering another, although he
"Of so little weight are the
concedes that Britain uses "wisdom, care, and justice in greatest services to princes when
planting colonies."
put into the balance with a refusal
After some time at home, Gulliver is willing to allow his wife to
sit near him again, although her Yahoo odor offends him. He is
to gratify their passions."
becoming more tolerant of Yahoo society again, although he
reserves great disgust for any Yahoo he meets who exhibits — Gulliver, Part 1, Chapter 5
pride.
Gulliver does the Emperor of Lilliput a service by capturing the

enemy's navy, but the emperor gives Gulliver the cold shoulder
Analysis when Gulliver refuses to escalate the war against Blefuscu.
Gulliver realizes that only constant obedience, not past service,
Gulliver's comment about strange and improbable tales is
means anything to monarchs.
dramatically ironic at the end of a novel that has featured tiny
humans, giant humans, floating islands, and a civilization of
horses. His questioning of the truth in other travel and
adventure stories appears to be a dig at the entire genre,
"Although we usually call reward
catapulted to popularity in the years before the novel was and punishment the two hinges
published, starting with Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe in
1719. Swift's distaste for Defoe's novel and those like it is well upon which all government turns,
documented. yet I could never observe this
Gulliver ends with criticism of colonization in a general sense. maxim to be put in practice by any
His reluctance to take part in one nation's subjugation of
another harkens back to his refusal to help the Lilliputian
nation except Lilliput."
emperor conquer Blefuscu, and he is no more willing to assist
his own country in taking over the lands he has explored. The — Gulliver, Part 1, Chapter 6
practice of colonization, even though he concedes the British

The Lilliputian justice system differs from all others in that it context.
actually incorporates incentives and rewards for good
behavior, not existing solely to punish wrongdoing.
"I dare engage these creatures
"But his Imperial Majesty, fully have their titles and distinctions of
determined against capital honor; they contrive little nests
punishment ... might easily provide and burrows that they call houses
against this evil by gradually and cities; they make a figure in
lessening your establishment; by dress and equipage; they love,
which, for want of sufficient food, they fight, they dispute, they
you would grow weak and faint, cheat, they betray."
and lose your appetite, and — King of Brobdingnag, Part 2, Chapter 3
consequently decay and consume

The king's assessment of European society is bleak. He
in a few months."
acknowledges that they have the trappings of civilization,
houses, cities, fine clothing, but all of that is a façade. Even as
— Lilliputian friend, Part 1, Chapter 7 the Europeans present themselves in a cultured manner, they
are capable of terrible and faithless activities.
Gulliver's friend informs him that he has been charged with
treason and describes the way the emperor plans to dispatch
him. The friend presents the emperor's decision against capital "This made me reflect, how vain an
punishment, that is a genuine execution, as a mercy to Gulliver.
Instead, Gulliver will be starved to death slowly. The sentence
attempt it is for a man to
exposes the hypocrisy of the Lilliputian emperor, claiming to endeavour to do himself honour
stand against the death penalty while favoring the lingering
suffering of slow starvation. among those who are out of all
degree of equality or comparison
"Undoubtedly philosophers are in with him."
the right, when they tell us that — Gulliver, Part 2, Chapter 5
nothing is great or little otherwise
than by comparison." Gulliver tries to be taken seriously at court in Brobdingnag, but
the king thinks of him only as a joke. Gulliver decides it is
useless to try to impress people who are unable to appreciate
— Gulliver, Part 2, Chapter 1
the effort.
When Gulliver arrives in Brobdingnag, he discovers a race of

giants that dwarf him in the same way that he dwarfed the "As for yourself, who have spent
Lilliputians. This change in circumstance and perspective show
him that all concepts, including size, exist only in proportion to the greatest part of your life in

traveling; I am well disposed to grounded among us as they are

hope you may hitherto have among that people."
escaped many vices of your
country. But by what I have
gathered from your own relation ... The King of Brobdingnag vents his disgust with the
descriptions Gulliver has given of his homeland, and Gulliver
I cannot but conclude the bulk of finds that everyone has an opinion on right and wrong, which
your natives, to be the most leads to disagreements. These judgments, however, are—like
size—based on context and may be based on an incomplete
pernicious race of little odious understanding of reality.
vermin that nature ever suffered to
crawl upon the surface of the "These people are under continual
earth." disquietudes, never enjoying a
— King of Brobdingnag, Part 2, Chapter 6 minute's peace of mind; and their
disturbances proceed from causes
The king makes a point of excluding Gulliver from his
which very little affect the rest of
assessment of humanity with his hope that travel will save
Gulliver from vice. In fact, the differing perspectives Gulliver mortals."
gathers from his travels do inspire him to be better than his
counterparts. Still, the king has listened to Gulliver describe the — Gulliver, Part 3, Chapter 2
machinations of his government and the actions of his people
and has reached the conclusion that humans are a plague and
nuisance, the worst on earth. His words seem to deny the The Laputans study astronomy fervently and spend a great
possibility of any such intrigues or injustices ever occurring in deal of time worrying about the state of celestial bodies and
his own court and country. whether they will destroy the earth, even centuries into the
future. Their worries about the possible events of the future
prevent them from finding any joy in the present moment,
which is the nature of worry.
"For my own part, I could not avoid
reflecting how universally this
talent was spread, of drawing "In the school of political
lectures in morality, or indeed projectors, I was but ill
rather matter of discontent and entertained; the professors
repining, from the quarrels we appearing, in my judgment, wholly
raise with nature. And I believe, out of their senses, which is a
upon a strict enquiry, those scene that never fails to make me
quarrels might be shown as ill- melancholy."

— Gulliver, Part 3, Chapter 6 Gulliver has explained human wars to his master, and the
master judges the European form to be ill equipped for
fighting. Human mouths are unsuitable for biting, and Gulliver's
Gulliver's cynicism about government is so entrenched that he
hands and feet lack the claws that facilitate the Yahoos'
judges the professors whose political ideas are most idealistic
savagery on the island. So the master thinks Gulliver is lying
to be insane. Seeing others misunderstand the workings of
about European battles. He does not recognize or entertain
government and politics makes Gulliver sad for the state of the
the idea that European society has developed weaponry and
world.
other means that make them quite adept at killing one another.
His disbelief also criticizes the numbers of people killed in war
and the waste of such violent enterprises by implying that only
"I had often read of some great those who have lived and seen firsthand European war could
services done to princes and believe such mass destruction possible.
states, and desired to see the

persons by whom those services "He seemed therefore confident,
were performed ... They all that, instead of reason, we were
appeared with dejected looks, and only possessed of some quality
in the meanest habit; most of them fitted to increase our natural vices;
telling me 'they died in poverty and as the reflection from a troubled
disgrace, and the rest on a stream returns the image of an ill
scaffold or a gibbet.'" shapen body, not only larger but
more distorted."

After speaking with the dead and learning about political
intrigues and backstabbing over the centuries, Gulliver wants
Gulliver comes to hate himself as a Yahoo because his
to hear some positive stories. When he meets the men who
Houyhnhnm master makes remarks such as this. He
have done good service for their countries, however, he
determines that the European Yahoos have no sense of true
discovers they have been forgotten by history and died under
reason, not as the Houyhnhnms do, but have only enough
bleak circumstances. There is no advantage in good service,
faculty for thought to distort their natures and cause them to
nor reward for heroism, only punishment.
create more problems for themselves.
"And therefore in recounting the "But when I behold a lump of

numbers of those who have been deformity and diseases, both in
killed in battle, I cannot but think, body and mind, smitten with pride,
that you have said the thing which it immediately breaks all of the
is not." measures of my patience; neither
— Houyhnhnm Master, Part 4, Chapter 5 shall I be ever able to comprehend

Gulliver's Travels Study Guide Symbols 36
The farmer's daughter, who Gulliver calls Glumdalclitch, is

how such an animal, and such a
devoted to Gulliver's care, even leaving her family behind to
vice, could tally together." accompany Gulliver to the royal court so she can protect him.
Laputans
Gulliver brings his self-loathing as a Yahoo back to England,
and he loathes his fellow Yahoos as well, to the point of
rejecting his family. He mostly despises pride, because he sees
The Laputans, and their ground-dwelling counterparts on
no reason for Yahoos to be proud of themselves for anything.
Balnibarbi, symbolize the futility of seeking knowledge without
Even if they were possessed of virtue, though, they should
the means or desire to put it to practical use. The Laputans
have no reason to be proud because such a notion violates the
eschew most normal human interactions, preferring a life of
pure reason the Houyhnhnms espouse.
the mind, puzzling over mysteries of mathematics, physics, and
astronomy all day. They are unable to construct sturdy homes,
and their ideas often cause them stress, but they continue to
l Symbols pursue knowledge for its own sake. On Balnibarbi, the

projectors engage in studies and experiments with the aim of
improving the lives of their people, but their understanding of
science and other topics is so incomplete that they lack the
Lilliputians ability to construct useful experiments or learn anything that
might accomplish their goals.
The Lilliputians represent the human tendency to consider

themselves the most important creatures in the universe, but
their tiny size and insignificance in the world as a whole reveals
Houyhnhnms
the error in this belief. For example, even after peace has been
reached with the neighboring island of Blefscu, the emperor is
not satisfied with his victory. He wants to enlist Gulliver in The Houyhnhnms symbolize the rule of rational thinking and
continuing the war so he can take over Blefscu. The emperor the benefits of collective living, but also the loss of individual
has little regard for his neighbors because his beliefs differ identity that comes with extreme devotion to reason. While
from theirs, and he thinks his own importance justifies the lives rationality has allowed the Houyhnhnms to construct a culture
that may be lost if the war continues. based on benevolence and friendship, peaceful and
harmonious within, they are also overly beholden to the
culture's rules and norms. Therefore, a recently widowed
Houyhnhnm does not outwardly mourn her husband's passing,
Brobdingnagians but she also does not live long after him. The master and his
family have affection for Gulliver but social pressures force
them to exile him. The denial of normal emotions prevent a full
engagement with life.
The Brobdingnagians' size magnifies both their best and worst
aspects, symbolizing how all humans have the capacity for
great good and beauty, as well as ugliness and evil. The
farmer's family, Gulliver's first acquaintances in Brobdingnag,
illustrate both extreme greed and extreme kindness. The
Yahoos
farmer himself has no problem with exploiting Gulliver as a kind
of sideshow attraction, to the detriment of Gulliver's health.

Gulliver's Travels Study Guide Themes 37
The Yahoos symbolize a complete loss of rationality in a Likewise, the Houyhnhnms' focus on pure reason as the
primitive state, but they also show how ongoing oppression governing principle of their society causes them to miss out on
can drive humans into this primitive state. Ample evidence of some of the emotional experiences, love in particular, that give
their propensity for violence appears in the novel; Yahoos fight life meaning.
one another; they hoard stones; and on one occasion a female
tries to sexually accost Gulliver. At the same time, the Yahoos
have little and are subject to abuse, enslavement, and rejection
by the Houyhnhnms, which introduces a chicken-and-egg Society versus Individual
scenario: Are the Yahoos rejected because they are primitive,
or are they violent because they have been rejected? Perhaps,
as the Houyhnhnms claim, the Yahoos are a lost cause. On the All of the cultures in the countries Gulliver visits demand a
other hand, the Yahoos have very little means for survival, certain level of conformity from their citizens, whether that
which drives them to extreme measures. means following the rules set up in the royal courts or adhering
to broader social conventions. These rules often create
problems for people who break them, or for those who want to
break the conventions but feel pressure that prevents them
m Themes from doing so. For example, Gulliver faces censure and an
eventual death sentence in Lilliput because he breaks the rules
of court by behaving sympathetically toward the enemy
Abuse of Power country's ambassadors. Although the Houyhnhnms do not have

a royal hierarchy, the master's family faces pressure from
friends and neighbors to exile Gulliver for being a Yahoo.
Gulliver encounters a number of monarchs and leaders, from

tiny to giant, from practical to esoteric, and they all take
advantage of their superior position in some way. They either Perspective
demand absolute obedience from their subjects through
humiliating rituals, as is the case with the king of Luggnagg
who makes his subjects lick the floor, or they exhibit extreme
Nothing in the world of Gulliver's Travels is purely objective, not
incompetence, as is the case with the Lilliputian king who
even the size and shape of human beings. These differences in
engages in an ill-conceived war with his neighbors. Even
perspective are made literal in the appearance of the
Houyhnhnms, whom Gulliver idealizes, exploit the lesser
Lilliputians and the Brobdingnagians, but each land Gulliver
species of their island, the Yahoos, through extreme prejudice.
visits reveals a society firmly enmeshed in its own point of view
with little interest in exploring alternatives. The Laputans see
the universe only through the perspective of mathematical
Cerebral versus Real World probability; the Houyhnhnms limit their perspectives to cold
reason, never emotion. All reality is filtered through the lens of
each specific society, rendering all understanding of the
world—even Gulliver's—totally subjective.
The cultures Gulliver encounters in his travels either take
practicality to an extreme, rendering their practicality
impractical, or focus on abstract ideas and pure reason in
ways that make life difficult, for their own people or for others. b Motifs
For example, the Laputans are the most scientifically and
mathematically advanced culture Gulliver encounters, yet they
are unable to craft a decent suit of clothes, and their
knowledge of the universe causes them tremendous anxiety.

Gulliver's Travels Study Guide Suggested Reading 38
U of California P, 1941. Print.

Bodies
Variations in physical form are used to illustrate larger
differences in cultural philosophy between the different nations
Gulliver visits. Bodily functions and sickness, and how different
cultures deal with these issues, also provide a telling glimpse at
their ways of thinking.
Language
Gulliver has a great facility with languages, which serves him
well as he visits new lands. The language barrier allows Gulliver
and his hosts to discover one another more slowly and drives
conflict, but the learning of languages also bridges the divides
between cultures.
Reversal
Reversals of the normal order of things drive the changes in
perspective that allow Gulliver to learn from his travel
experiences and experience growth. Reversals are driven by
differences in physical size, as in the lands of Lilliput and
Brobdingnag, and by intellectual differences, as seen in Laputa
and Balnibarbi. Gulliver's time with the Houyhnhnm reverses
the established order between man (Yahoo) and horse
(Houyhnhnm).
e Suggested Reading
Damrosch, Leo. Jonathan Swift: His Life and His World. New
Haven: Yale UP, 2013. Print.
Higgitt, Rebeka. "Gulliver's Travels in Science and Satire." The

Guardian, N.p. 14 March 2013. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
Jan, K.M, and Shabnam Firdaus. Perspectives on Gulliver's

Travels. New Delhi: Atlantic, 2004. Print.
Orwell, George. "Politics vs. Literature: An Examination of

Gulliver's Travels." Fifty Orwell Essays. N.p.: Oxford City, 2010.
469-87. Print.
Ross, John. Swift and Defoe: A Study in Relationship. Berkeley:

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Gulliver's Travels

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ABOUT THE TITLE

a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 2

c Chapter Summaries .............................................................................. 12

Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland, on November 30,

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Glumdalclitch is the name Gulliver calls the farm girl who

Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc.

Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc.

Other Major Character

Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc.

Full Character List Don Pedro captains the Portuguese

The emperor of Lilliput's enemy

Bates is the doctor Gulliver Gulliver's Lilliputian friend informs

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Copyright © 2019 Course Hero, Inc.

Houyhnhnm family, and they cast him out of their society.

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7. Gulliver's crew leaves him with the Houyhnhnms and

1. Gulliver travels the world on several voyages aboard a ship.

Rising Action 8. Gulliver wants to stay with Houyhnhnms, but he is sent

2. Gulliver visits Lilliput, where people are six inches tall.

3. Gulliver visits Brobdingnag, a land populated by giants.

6. Gulliver moves on to Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg, and Japan.

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Gulliver sails on the Antelope, is shipwrecked in Lilliput,

The Emperor of Lilliput gives Gulliver a place to live and

Gulliver loses favor with the Lilliputian emperor and flees

Gulliver lands in Brobdingnag, land of the giants.

Gulliver becomes a traveling performer, making money

The Queen of Brobdingnag sees Gulliver on display and

A bird takes Gulliver's traveling case to sea; he is

Gulliver returns to England and immediately leaves again

Gulliver's ship is attacked by pirates, and Gulliver

Gulliver is rescued from a desert island by inhabitants of

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the floating island, Laputa.

Gulliver leaves Laputa to travel to Balnibarbi, where he

Gulliver visits the academy on Balnibarbi and meets with

Gulliver travels to Glubbdubdrib, where the governor lets

Gulliver travels to Luggnagg, where he learns that

Claiming to be Dutch, Gulliver departs Japan on a Dutch

Gulliver returns home for several months before being

Gulliver's crew mutinies and leaves him on the island of

The Houyhnhnms exile Gulliver, and he is picked up by a

Gulliver reunites with his family in England but is

Gulliver attempts to reintegrate with European society

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Gulliver expresses no regret about being stranded on Lilliput.

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impression, which is presumably why he did not go outdoors in Lilliputians.

problem. ally to the Lilliputians in wars; and he must help with

The second problem in this system is the emperor's apparent

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or any possible moral objections to using his might against

Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary

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Indeed, the Lilliputians are not especially concerned with

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will remain as a monument. Gulliver learns his sentence will be

Summary Gulliver walks through the countryside, finding giant blades of

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