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"GULLIVER'S TRAVELS".
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Examines fictional realm of Lilliput as portrait of author's views on human weakness, political corruption, religious hypocrisy.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Examines fictional realm of Lilliput as portrait of author's views on human weakness, political corruption, religious hypocrisy.
Paper Introduction:
Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels has been described by one critic as a Christian work emphasizing man's weakness. In the various journeys, this weakness is found in different human activities. In the voyage to Lilliput, human weakness is found primarily in the political realm, though other human activities as well are shown to bring out the weakness in the people involved. An examination of the voyage to Lilliput will illustrate how this is accomplished.
The world of politics in Lilliput mirrors much of the political world in Europe at the time of the writing of this work, but it is not necessary to know the specific correlations that can be demonstrated to see how foolish much of the political action taken by the Lilliputians really is or how foolish so many human actions are when examined in this way. The people of
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Noblemen in Lilliput act foolish and cavortand perform for the emperor in order to get the various colored threadsthat he gives out at these functions. Gulliver, however, refuses to be drawn into this sort ofplot. The way both sides uphold their smalldifferences as if these were defining and conferred moral truth islaughable in Lilliput, but the same weaknesses in the real world haveproduced massive bloodshed and injustice for centuries. Swift here shows the weaknessof political leaders who allow themselves to be used in this fashion, justas the emperor is weak in that he has to buy loyalty with the threads hegives away. Gulliver encounters many examples of the moral weakness of these tinyhumans, which only reflects the weakness of humans in the real world.Swift creates a number of correspondences between the world of Lilliput andthe world of Europe. Noblemen inthis way acquire rank. The people of Lilliput are shown to be as petty andsmall as their size. Gulliver accepts the two groups and thesmall differences between them precisely because he is accustomed to thisweakness in the human beings of Europe, where politicians and kings argueover miniscule matters as if they were really issues of great import.Gulliver similarly treats the religious dispute as if it were reallysomething important, and the fact that he accepts these things so readilymakes them seem all the more foolish to the reader, who can see how pettythe arguments really are. Just as the Lilliputiansthink of themselves as masters of the world, so do the British and otherEuropeans think similarly of themselves, with for Swift just as littlejustification. It is computed, that eleven Thousand Persons have, at several Times, suffered Death, rather than submit to break their Eggs at the smaller End (29).Gulliver develops a particular strategy by which he prevents an invasion--he is more than willing to prevent war but does not wish to participate ina war as the King of Lilliput wants him to do. Lilliput and Blefuscu can be seen as England andFrance. The Big-Enders and the Little-Enders can be seen as Catholics andProtestants, and clearly Swift sees their theological arguments as much adoabout little. Shows of strength often involve petty matters aswell. The religious controversy in particular brings out the weakness ofthe people. The High-heels and the Low-heels can be seen as the Britishpolitical parties, the Whigs and the Tories. The King of Blefuscu has been able to take advantage of thisargument to divide the people and to attract the Big-Endians to his causeof overthrowing the leadership of Lilliput. Candidates for office dance on a rope, and thelonger they can do so without making an error, the longer their tenure inoffice. They are ungrateful for all that Gulliver does forthem, and when he puts out the fire in the Queen's chamber by urinating onit, he becomes the target of he continuing wrath, leading directly to theimpeachment. The first debatethat takes up their time is over what to do with Gulliver, whom they callthe Man-Mountain, and here they show their petty concerns and a certainlack of humanity. . It is not that he sees either side as morally superior, for it isclear that the two groups are equally self-serving and eager to destroy theother. Work CitedSwift, Jonathan. The people of Blefuscu have long used the egg controversy as a wayof fomenting trouble: The civil Commotions were constantly fomented by the Monarchs of Blefuscu; and when they were quelled, the Exiles always fled for Refuge to that Empire. The thread is a means of gainingfavor and then of showing that this is the case to others. Swift adds to the sense of pettiness and foolishness with referenceto the political and religious arguments of the people by the names hechooses for different factions. this sentence isconsidered to be lenient, as opposed to his being put to death immediatelyas the court wants. . Still, the pettinessof the little people has been established. (14). The conspiracy against Gulliver results in several articles ofimpeachment being brought against him, with the further result that he isto be blinded and then allowed to starve to death. In the various journeys,this weakness is found in different human activities. Sometimes they determined to starve me, or at least to shoot me in the Face and Hands with poisoned Arrows, which would soon dispatch me: But again they considered, that the Stench of so large a Carcase might produce a Plague in the Metropolis. New York: The Modern Library, 1958.----------------------- 8 these games seem foolish when described, but they are deadlyserious in terms of their political results. Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels has been described by one criticas a Christian work emphasizing man's weakness. They do not treat him as a human being but as an animal,an intrusive animal that they would kill if they were not afraid that therotting carcass would be a greater problem than the live creature: They apprehended me breaking loose; that my diet would be very expensive, and might cause a Famine. In some ways, Gulliver shows human weakness aswell in being too willing to accept the silliness of others as something ofgreat import and power. Gulliver lives up to most of the provisions, but in spite ofthis certain factions in the court conspire against him. What isfoolish is the manner in which Gulliver is required to agree to theseprovisions--he shows some weakness in this regard himself since he believethat some of the provisions are "not as honorable as I could have wished"(25). Human weakness is apparent in the political structure of the kingdomand especially in the diversions offered to Gulliver. The reality of the worldknown to Swift is diminished to the size of Lilliput so that the argumentsand factions can be seen to be small and silly. Human weakness is clearly indicated by the ease with which thesepeople are divided into factions over seemingly minor matters and thedegree to which they are so divided on any issue related to politics orreligion, both institutions intended to bring human beings together and notto drive them apart. There is also areligious dispute raging in Lilliputian society over which end of the eggone is to break, the large end or the small end, each of which has itsfaction. The High-heels and Low-heels are known asTramecksan and Slamecskan, words emphasizing just how little differencethere is between these two groups. The physical size of the people of Lilliput becomes a metaphor fortheir moral level as well--they are truly small people, small-minded, smallmorally, small politically. Thepeople of Lilliput are tiny but think of themselves as masters of theworld, and they are indeed masters of the giant Gulliver who has now landedin their midst. The people of Blefuscu break their eggs at the large end, andthe reason the Lilliputians do not is because there has been a royal edicttelling them that they must break theirs at the small end. The King of Lilliput wants to annexBlefuscu and believes that the Man-Mountain could conquer the other countryfor him easily. The requirements placed on Gulliver so he can be freed are not allfoolish--some are intended to protect the people from the giant among themso that he will not step on them accidentally, for instance. Swift makes the machinations of government, the divisionsof politics, and the prejudices of the people all the more foolish becausethe people are so small, their concerns are presumably miniscule whencompared to the grandeur of Europe (as Gulliver believes), and because thereasons for the divisions in this society are so simplistic. In the voyage toLilliput, human weakness is found primarily in the political realm, thoughother human activities as well are shown to bring out the weakness in thepeople involved. The world of politics in Lilliput mirrors much of the political worldin Europe at the time of the writing of this work, but it is not necessaryto know the specific correlations that can be demonstrated to see howfoolish much of the political action taken by the Lilliputians really is orhow foolish so many human actions are when examined in this way. Gulliver is a giant in size among these people, and he is also amoral giant when compared to them. This isreminiscent of the imposition of Protestantism on England when Henry VIIIbroke away from the Catholic Church. Gulliver's Travels and Other Writings. In the long term, he is not required to perform some of these lessthan honorable acts because he becomes a hero to the emperor and has acertain rank that prevents him from being so servile. An examination of the voyage to Lilliput will illustratehow this is accomplished. These diversions arenot really spectacles in the usual sense but are the means by which thosewho want to get ahead prove themselves and gain the favor of the king.Gulliver is always deferent to the emperor, the title the leader has givenhimself, and yet we can see past Gulliver's politeness to the real natureof this ruler and his court. They are revealed to be petty over time asthey wrangle over such minor issues as the egg question. The realm isdivided between the High heels and the Low heels. Skyresh Bolgolam agrees to allow Gulliver to be free but requiresthat he agree to nine obligations, including helping the Lilliputiansdefeat their enemies and carrying a messenger and his horse to and from hisdestination.
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