Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver’s TravelsWhen I first read Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, I was a little girl. At that time, I once just regarded it as a fairy tale. After I read it again when I grew up, I realized the true soul of this book: a sharp sarcasm. This book criticized society in 18’s century Britain.Gulliver's Travels presents Swift's views on society by Swift's invention of several new societies, each with similarities and differences. The similarities are often written as though they were differences. This entry will examine these views, and examine the differences between these societies and 18th Century England, and discuss his use of satirical comment in the novel.The book is commonly presented to young children as a kind of 'fairy story', but it is clear that Swift intended many levels of meaning within the novel, and these are not always visible to younger readers. The four sections of Swift's satire each comment on different aspects of society. The first section, detailing a voyage to Lilliput, a land of tiny people, shows how society reacts to larger people; namely with fear. The second part, his voyage to Brobdingnag, a land of giants, shows how society often treats smaller people; as curiosities. The third section, Laputa, shows how society treats people who are different, while the fourth, the land of the Houyhnhnms details slavery and class ideas within Swift's society.Swift uses many literary techniques in Gulliver's Travels to convey his ideas, including irony, humor, comments on individuals and society in general and long lists followed by sharp statements. The book is easy to read for young children, while still providing a challenge to the thinking adult. Young readers may see only the surface of the story, while adults can penetrate the depths of his writing. Such adults may be confused, even vexed, as to Swift's meaning, primarily because of his humor and comparisons between several different societies.In his description of Lilliputian society Swift explains, in detail, their views on education and law, which are extremely like his own society's views. Most 18th Century Englishmen, however, would not recognize this due to their proximity to the situation. For instance, they 'have in every town public nurseries, except... laborers are obliged to send their infants... to be reared and educated when they come to the age of 20 moons'. This works out to be nearly two years old by our calendar. This is when some parents send their children to nursery, although it is usually at three years old. In Lilliput, as in the England of the 18th century, 'They have certain professors well skilled in preparing children for such a condition of life as befits the rank of their parents', thus following a caste system, as with upper, middle and lower class. Swift presents this as a difference; he is in fact using irony to say that the opposite is true.In contrast, in the second section, Swift devotes only a few paragraphs to the education of the inhabitants of Brobdingnag, calling it 'very defective, consisting only in morality, history, poetry and mathematics... the last of these is wholly applied... to the improvement of agriculture and all mechanical arts'. It is ironic that these subjects encompass a large portion of the education of Swift's society.Therefore, it would seem that in both societies, Swift is showing his own society's education in an unfavourable light, despite his assertions of 'The author's love of his country' as described at the start of chapter seven in part two. It is ironicthat such a man, of such low intellect and education should be speaking up for the standards of his society.These ideas would not be hidden from all of Swift's society. There would be those who realised, on some level, that Swift was drawing parallels with his own society. They can be subdivided into two groups; those who would be angered, and those who would want change. Those angered would be that class in power, and those in power would want to keep things as they are, thus remaining in power. This condition would be in direct conflict with those who want change, since the powerful people would lose their power if any change occurred.Swift uses the idea of an unfair advantage in the first part of the novel, when Gulliver destroys the fleet of ships in the bay of the inhabitants of Blefuscu. Gulliver later reflects that this was wrong, and unbecoming of an Englishman. However, warring nations often search for an advantage to use against their opponents. Swift is probably attacking the war with France, which would have lasted longer had the English government not changed and peace been sought.In the title of section four, chapter nine, Swift also has Gulliver discuss the Houyhnhnms' language, calling it defective since it lacks several words that Swift's society would use. Gulliver also has trouble pronouncing their language, since it sounds like a horse's whinny. The English people ignore the fact that their language has also been commented upon as notoriously difficult to master, employing such combinations of consonants as 'TCHST' in matchstick, and having several pronunciations for 'OUGH'. This would be seen by most linguists as being common when translating from English to another language. However, only a few English people would put themselves in the position of some other country's people and notice how hard English is to pronounce. It would not be out of place to suggest that people of every country view their own language as being easy to pronounce, and that this is because they have grown up with it.In fact, Swift uses every opportunity to attack the British monarchy and government. He uses real people to create the personalities of his characters, and real events to parallel the events in the novel. This is first seen when Gulliver is searched, just as when a Tory government's actions were scrutinized by a Whig government that came to power in 1714. It is clear that Swift sympathizes with the Tories, since it is Gulliver who is searched. However, Swift also wants to create an idea that the searching is correct, since Gulliver is happy to be searched; again, Swift is using Gulliver to ironically portray his own society.The third part also resembles Swift's society in several ways. Firstly, the King of Laputa was not allowed to leave the island, just as England's monarch was unable to do so without Parliament's consent. This again suggests that Swift is paralleling the British society with those of his novel. Any British monarch or important person who realised this might have been angry at Swift's insinuations. It is unlikely that the British monarchs would work for reform because of their belief and trust in the Magna Carta. However, less noble people may, on realising this, try to change their monarchy, again creating conflict, maybe even a revolution.While some enjoy Gulliver's Travel s as a diversionary story, it is clear that it wasnot written primarily for this purpose. There are many concepts and ideas within the novel that were clearly written to challenge and trouble. Swift accomplishes his aim very well through his use of humor and comments on society.Swift vexed people with Gulliver's Travels by designing his faux societies to parallel his own. He thus created conflict between those with more power and those with less, the latter wanting change and the former wanting to prevent change. This may have troubled those who did not question the status quo, who may agree with the powerful people because they are happy with their life. However, Gulliver's Travels is a sincere comment on Swift's society that would garner both respect and ridicule.。