Gulliver’s Travels - Jonathan Swift

Gulliver’s Travels

-      Jonathan Swift 

        Jonathan swift was an Anglo-Irish satirist. He was also political pamphleteer of both Whigs and Tories parties. His famous works are ‘A Tale of a Tub’, ‘An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity’ and ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. In Gulliver’s Travels also he has presented deep political satire.

     The full title of the book is “Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships” It is divided into four parts. All represents human nature. Gulliver narrates his story. First part is “A Voyage to Lilliput”.  In this island Lilliputians were dwarf and Gulliver was looking like a giant among them. This land has strong resemblance of England. Gulliver describes the court system of the land and the king who describes him as “delight and terror of the universe”. As per critics, the king and court system is similar to England’s court system under the rule of George I.

       

       The second voyage was “A Voyage to Brobdingnag”. In this voyage people were having huge size of body. Gulliver was dwarf in size among the giant. He was of no value among the giants. A farmer has enslaved him and sold to the queen. Queen called scholars to examine him. Gulliver talked about the system of England and freedom of taking guns which scholars did not like. In this part also there is satire of human rights to kill other humans. The third was ‘A Voyage to Laputa’. It was a flying island. People on that island were intelligent and interested in arts and music with mathematics. In that island there was a custom of throwing rocks on the rebellious cities. He toured various cities and islands under the rule of Laputa and found that people are involved in science without any logic and sense. They are performing nonsense from their knowledge.  One of those island, he found immortal people. They have not got any boon but they were suffering from various disease and old age. again it was a satire on science and rigid, traditional scholars with their dominating mindsets.

     

      The last was “A Voyage to the Land of Houyhnhnms”.  It was race of talking horses. They were ruling on ‘Yahoos’ who were human beings. He saw the intelligence of animals and slavery of human. Here he satires human nature. All parts have hidden deep satire. Jonathan swift was misogynist, he also satirized woman in the book.