Size as a Manifestation of Moral Rightness, Societal Indoctrination in Gulliver's Travels

In Gulliver's adventures to Lilliput and Brobdingnag he encounters wholly different sized people, but manages to become prisoner to both. The Lilliputians are diminutive, but manage to use cooperation and tools to tie him down and later chain him up; the Brobdingnagians only need their monstrous size to detain the now tiny Gulliver. Each race finds some utility in Gulliver's "unique" size, and it becomes interesting to see how each race treats Gulliver, given the power struggle inherent in their size differences. The relationship between Gulliver and each race, cast in comparison to his society back home, reveal the relative morality of each race - which we can ultimately see as satire and social commentary on the state of England at the time Swift wrote the novel.

As a captive of the Lilliputians, Gulliver must be careful to earn their trust in order to gain some freedoms in their society. However once he does so, they use him to attack the two factions that threaten their lifestyle. What's more is that Gulliver is forced to sign articles binding him to their servitude. These are laid out in formal language, ensuring a satirical read as each articles reinforces the difference in size between the Lilliputians and Gulliver and if he wanted to, he could easily ignore or refuse any. The relationship established between the Lilliputians and our traveling protagonist is first established as a physical difference, then highlighted as a societal one. Gulliver agrees to help the Lilliputians attack the harbor of Blefuscu in a nonviolent way; however he refuses to crush their society and reduce their people to servitude. It seems that the minuscule, rope-jumping, egg-cracking people of Lilliput are, despite the sometimes hilarious caricature of this size, are a viscously amoral race.

When Gulliver then travels to Brobdingnag and encounters a race of giants, a wholly different tone of morality takes hold of the novel. Once again, this relationship is born from a difference in size. Physically, Gulliver is to the Brobdingnagians as the Lilliputians were to Gulliver - a clever reflection of part 1 on the behalf of Swift. However, the ethical relationship between them is not exactly the inverse. Gulliver's toy-like dimensions make him a curiosity to the people of Brobdingnag, he becomes a sort of side-show attraction (akin to when he brought back miniature farm animals back to England between these two voyages). When Gulliver enters in discussion with the Emperor of Brobdingnag he offers up the modern invention of gunpowder to please him. This outrages the emperor and he questions why the invention would need a place in society. This confuses Gulliver, as he has been accustomed to its "utility" his whole life. Swift casts the Brobdinnagians as a simple people, but decidedly more ethical then the Lilliputians - at least not nearly as barbaric.

What really stands out to me is the idea of indoctrination set forth by Swift in these adventures. It seems that no matter how much time Gulliver spends with a race of foreign people, they can never meet eye-to-eye (physically, politically, or otherwise). Swift gives numerous examples of how this indoctrination almost literally blinds the people to think and act a certain way, and ignore all other possible alternatives. Reading this book is very much an exercise in opening ones eyes to more possibilities and scrutinizing the traditions of society.

Authorship and Inspiration in the Odd Piece: Gulliver's Travels Part III

Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels has long created debate for a number of reasons. One of the sources of debate has been Part III of Swift's novel, notably because it was the last portion of the work Swift wrote. Questions have been raised as to what exactly Swift was trying to do with Part III, as well whether or not it even belongs in the novel. However, there are two very interesting takes on Part III. One thing that sticks out about this portion is where Swift was at the time, and the inspiration that could have been taken from it. On the other hand, the incidences with the people of Laputa are interesting looks at not only the effects of the advancement of science on art, but also as they concern authorship, which is present in the novel from the outset.

The first thing to look at with regards to Part III is where Swift was when he wrote it and what was going on at the time. At the time he began writing Part III in 1724, Swift had just returned from a visit to a friend of his, the Reverend Thomas Sheridan, in Quilca, and may have possibly returned there during spring. Swift's time with Sheridan may have actually given him a model for both the king and people of Laputa. Sheridan has been described by Swift as forgetful and absent-minded, even ignoring important business for "peripheral occupations". This is very akin to the Laputians, as demonstrated in their need for the Flappers. The Flappers are required to accompany their Masters on walks because the Laputians are so deep in thought that they ignore the very important fact that they are on a floating island and would very likely fall of the edge if they did not have their Flappers to remind them of their state by giving them a simple flap on the eyes. While this is certainly an exaggeration, the effect Sheridan had on Swift's work can be seen. The Laputians, while not a mockery of Sheridan, who was a very close friend of Swift's, were at least partially inspired by him, which only makes sense because of the amount of time Swift spent with Sheridan while he was writing this portion of the novel. This can further be seen when looking at some of Swift's poetry regarding Quilca, such as "To Quilca, a Country House Not in Good Repair":

Let me thy Properties explain,

A rotten Cabin, dropping Rain;

Chimnies with Scorn rejecting Smoak;

Stools, Tables, Chairs, and Bed-steds broke:

Here the Elements have lost their Uses,

Air ripens not, nor Earth produces:

In vain we make poor Sheela toil,

Fire will not roast, nor Water boil.

Thro' all the Vallies, Hills, and Plains,

The Goddess Want in Triumph reigns;

And her chief Officers of State,

Sloth, Dirt, and Theft around her wait.

The description of the home at Quilca that Swift gives is very much like the language he uses to describe his surroundings while in Laputa. The houses he sees are not very well built, the soil not every well cultivated. Like house at Quilca, Laputa is in very bad shape. For this reason, as well as the similarities the Laputians seem to have with Sheridan, it is argued that Swift's depiction of the Laputians was based off of Sheridan and the home Swift stayed in while he was with Sheridan.

Despite this view on the Laputians, Part III of Gulliver's Travels, in the context of when it was published, seems to be more than just Swift poking a little bit of fun at his friend. The encounters Swift has in Laputa show a problem in authorship. This is something important to Gulliver's Travels simply because Swift himself had several versions of his book published because of changes that were made by his various publishers. This is a problem which Swift lets Gulliver sound off to begin his work, saying that the urgency to publish the book has resulted in an account of his travels that are not as accurate as they should be. The problem with authorship as it regards to the Laputians is brought up with the machine which would allow anyone to write a book by putting together random words. The problem this offers with authorship to some is that if everyone and anyone can write a book, there really are no authors. It is an interesting parallel to the problems Swift had in publishing Gulliver's Travels in that his publishers almost became the authors of Swift's work as they made changes which Swift, through Gulliver, expressed much displeasure with to begin the book. Much like what is seen with Franklin, Swift uses the voice of Gulliver as his own, offering a medium through which Swift can voice his complaints.

The other thing many have taken from Gulliver's encounters with the Laputians is a critique of the Enlightenment. Swift, in describing the Laputians, mentions their love of mathematics and scientific theory. However, this love of theory has yet to do anything for the Laputians. People spend their time trying to extract sunbeams from cucumbers and even to turn excrement back into food. Meanwhile, as described earlier, Laputian society remains in ruin. This is not to say Swift was against the Enlightenment. In fact, Gulliver remarks at how the people of Laputa are not good at using reason, one of the key components of the Enlightenment. Rather, the Laputians help to make the point of how some of the ideas of the Enlightenment have been taken too far. If this is indeed the case, then it makes Gulliver's near obsession with observations and measurements another tool of Swift's satirical style. Gulliver describing all of the measurements he takes and trying to report things as objectively as possible can then be seen as a critique of not only how the Enlightenment has led to too much observation in science, but also in literature, as we have seen in class through various readings. Gulliver's Travels can be seen as a satire on not only the travel genre that was popular during his time, but also the large amount of observation that was done in both science and literature.

However, even with all of this, it is hard to imagine how Part III ended up with the rest of Gulliver's Travels. While it is true that Swift's satirical style as demonstrated in Parts I and II is also present in Part III, the subject of satire takes a shift. In the first two parts of the novel, Swift made obvious references to the political situation of the time. In Part III, he could be speaking about problems in authorship as well as some of the negative effects of the Enlightenment, both in terms of science and fiction. It is even fairly clear where Swift drew inspiration from when writing about the Laputians. But even with these, Part III of Gulliver's Travels remains the odd piece, at least so far, in Swift's most recognizable work.

References:

Ehrenprei, Irvin. “The Origins of Gulliver’s Travels”. PMLA 72.5 (1957): 880-899.

Rodino, Richard H. “‘Splendide Mendax’: Authors, Characters, and Readers in Gulliver’s Travels”. PMLA 106.5 (1991): 1054-1070.

Swift, Jonathan. “To Quilca, a Country House Not in Good Repair”. Poems on Several Occasions. Dublin: George Faulkner, 1737.

Governmental Disconnect

Gulliver’s adventure in Laputa and the Laputan’s obsession with advanced mathematics and geometry expresses Swift’s condemnation of the abstract knowledge that he witnessed in his life. The absurdity of Gulliver’s observations serves to demonstrate how the abstract application of knowledge does not translate to everyday use, whether it be his food being served in complex geometric shapes or the tailor measuring him using Gulliver’s “Altitude by a Quadrant, and then with a Rule and Compass”. However, for all their theoretical genius, he notes how the people are prone to “perpetual mistakes” plagued by clumsiness and a lack of reason and imagination, “being too shut up within the two forementioned sciences”. Most explicit is the Laputans’ physical appearance, with one eye turned inward and the other towards the sky, blinding them to their present surroundings such that their wives go so far as to abandon the life of luxury for a taste of reality. The entirety of the Laputan’s lives is so far removed from that of their subjugated populous both physically and culturally that they cannot hope to relate, interact, nonetheless reasonably govern.

The interaction between a government and the populous has always varied greatly, yet the struggle between disconnected leadership and the general citizenry of the public persists to this day. The Laputan’s essentially represent a distinct species from the commoners on the continent beneath them, and do not even have the physical characteristics requisite to view, nor understand them. They have not the least interest in the “Laws, Government, History Religion, or Manners”, viewing such essential cultural aspects with indifference and contempt. They are physically and metaphorically above such concepts. Although these concepts are far from being ignored (largely) in our current generation, there is still a widespread sense of detachment from the average citizen to their government. Even in the progressive democratic system of the United States half the population does not vote. When candidates make speeches, huge portions of the population do not have the last understanding of the issues at hand, and thus ignore the political process altogether. Representatives are still swayed more by the educated elite, the wealthy lobbyists, the 1%, more than they are by the average-joe. Maybe this is the natural order of things because it doesn’t seem to have drastically changed from the fundamental issue that Swift portrays.

One Side of the Argument

In many ways, Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels was an attempt to tame the rampant self-importance that resulted from Enlightenment thinking. Most prominent Enlightenment era figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Locke preached the necessity of independence in identity and independence in education for the masses. Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe is a potent example of Enlightenment literature that celebrates the precedence of the individual over society. The various sections in Gulliver’s Travels remind the reader that no matter how one believes a society should conduct itself, the most crucial aspect is a healthy balance between self-interest and empowerment and a desire to further society as a whole. The time Gulliver spends in Brobdingnag reflects the consequences of putting too much emphasis on society and not paying enough attention to individual needs.

Gulliver’s experience in Brobdingnag is a thoroughly eye-opening one for several reasons. To begin with, Gulliver is forced to become aware of things that would never so much as cross his mind in England. For example, there is an episode in which Gulliver is disgusted by the sight of several Maids of Honour who happen to be in the nude. Gulliver states, “That which gave me most Uneasiness among these maids of Honour, when my Nurse carried me to visit them, was to see them use me without any Manner of Ceremony, like a Creature who had no Sort of Consequence,” (p. 108). He is not only insulted by their irreverence towards him, but he is also disgusted by the sight of their naked bodies since their sheer size forces Gulliver to notice features of their persons that would normally not be visible. He writes, “Their Skins appeared so coarse and uneven, so variously coloured when I saw them near, with a Mole here and there as broad as a Trencher, and Hairs hanging from it thicker than Pack-threads…” (p. 108). It is rather shocking that such a commonplace feature as a mole would be so violently ugly to Gulliver. However, Gulliver’s reaction to the sight is Swift’s way of reminding his reader that humankind cannot afford to lose sight of even the littlest things in life. When large-scale goals and desires inhibit one’s ability to still take stock of one’s immediate surroundings, it is easy for a society to become violent, greedy, and irrational.