Themes in Gulliver's Travels

Swift further satirizes humans for their high-minded and enlightened self-perception by having the inhabitants of the island use elevated legal and scientific jargon when taking inventory of Gulliver’s ordinary possessions. The things he carries are basic, everyday objects, but the officers act as if their job is of extremely high importance.

Swift is pointing to the widespread corruption in King George's court. The Secretaries of State, who should have been primarily concerned with governing the country, were more interested in becoming rich.

In another criticism of the court's corruption, Swift satirizes the granting of honors by the King to men who earn honors by doing nothing meaningful for society. The silk banners represent the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Bath, and the Order of the Thistle in the court of King George I.

These two nations that could have been allies are instead fighting each other in a continuous war. Swift illustrates the illogical nature of this by describing the hilariously ridiculous subject over which their feud is based upon—eggs. Swift uses satire to highlight the absurdity of war and conflict between nations. In this context, Swift is using Lilliput and Blefuscu as symbols for England and France, whose dispute, from an outsider’s perspective, might seem just as unnecessary.

Throughout Swift’s novel, Swift explores differences in language and how these differences affect meaning, understanding, and communication between various cultures. Languages can both induce and inhibit productive conversation between different groups. In this case, the differences in Lilliput and Blefuscu’s languages simply deepen “contempt” of one another and further their divide.

While it might seem logical not to chance revealing one’s whereabouts to enemies, this limits communication so much that negotiations are not even possible. Forbidding all conversation for decades upon “pain of death” does not leave any room for verbal compromise, regardless of whether either nation’s beliefs have shifted over time. Here, Swift reinforces the absurdity of wars between nations by showing how they tend to be ignorantly initiated, prolonged, or perpetuated by refusing to communicate.

The Lilliputian government not only punishes citizens for committing crimes, but it also rewards them for doing good. Swift thereby creates a fictional government that contrasts England’s punishment-based legislation. His satire suggests that by giving people an incentive to do good, rather than simply to not do bad, society can be greatly improved.

If a punishment is ignominious, then it is humiliating and shame-inducing. In Lilliput, the punishment for false accusation and fraud is this humiliating death, a concept that illustrates how highly the Lilliputians and their government value honesty and trust. Gulliver’s Travels thereby implies that the primary foundation of any sustainable and prosperous society is trust.

Note again Swift’s humorous way of calling attention to the ridiculousness and the irrational basis of war. The Lilliputian government sees Gulliver as a traitor for not wanting to “destroy the liberties and lives of innocent people.” Here, Swift uses an indisputably reasonable example to highlight this nonsensical government, which is characteristic of the genre of satire.

Swift furthers the theme that truth is subjective, and he uses it to explore the problems that arise when motive meets law. Gulliver’s motives were noble: to put out the fire at any cost. However, Lilliputian law does not recognize intent, except when it is assumed that the intent was malicious.The truth depends on perspective, but the government behaves as though it is objective.

Swift satirizes legal policy by creating a glaring contrast between the pretentious language of Lilliputian officials and their ludicrous accusations. People in power use elevated language to justify outrageous capital punishment unfitting for the crime in question.

The fact that the Lilliputians consider putting out Gulliver’s eyes to be a “merciful” punishment is laughable. By creating an exaggerated punishment for his “crime” and emphasizing the government’s assertion that they are granting him clemency via this punishment, Swift illustrates the absurdity, and arbitrary nature, of laws.

Although the Lilliputian government values honesty and disclosure, they have secretly been planning a punishment for Gulliver’s “treason.” If it were not for this citizen’s integrity, Gulliver would have been caught by utter surprise. Swift thus points out the theme of the hypocrisy of government. Leaders preach candor to their subjects, but they do not hold themselves to the same standard.

This is a very harsh criticism of George I and his court: the life of a British citizen depended upon the whim of the monarch or one of his ministers. Swift was appalled by the callous treatment of the government on those who were not in favor of the monarch.

In this paragraph, Swift satirizes the jargon of sailing. Gulliver, by now having sailed a great deal, falls naturally into language that no one but a sailor can understand. Although the paragraph has nothing to do with advancing Gulliver's narrative, it parodies nautical jargon.

This is not so unlike what Gulliver did when he brought the animals from Lilliput back to England. Gulliver is treated like a curiosity and a form of capital rather than an intelligent and feeling being. Swift thus continues to build on the theme of perspective by this time emphasizing that what we deem sentient or intelligent life is subjective.

The dwarf has been marginalized and treated cruelly by his own society, but he now uses his size to treat Gulliver in the same way. The dwarf’s crude treatment of someone smaller than himself is another way that Swift highlights the unethical use of physical advantage.

Swift satirizes scientists of his day who, when they discover something they cannot understand, label it a "freak of nature" and fail to discover its real significance.

The large size of the citizens means that their features are enormous to Gulliver. Gulliver can thus see all deformities in extreme detail, making the women seem grotesque. Note again, Swift’s emphasis on the flaws of the human body, which follows the theme that human grandiosity is an illusion and thus satirizes popular Enlightenment ideas.

Just as Gulliver contributed to Lilliputian society despite his immense size, he finds a way to help the Brobdingnagians despite his small size. By emphasizing that even bees and ants can be productive members of society, Swift furthers the theme that strength and physical power should not be the ultimate values of a society.

Swift provides another biting satire when he claims that the most powerful positions among English clergy were given to those with money and influence; their religious qualifications were of little consideration.

Swift's comment is, of course, tongue-in-cheek: a running joke among English intellectuals in the 18th century was the sad intellectual and moral degeneration of the aristocracy.

Gulliver’s adventures have left him with so many different habits and perspectives that he not only seems strange to the people of Britain but he also sees them as strange. The themes of perspective and truth are both continued here, highlighting that one’s understanding of the world is subjective and not static.

The king of Laputa punishes citizens who live on the continent directly under the island by causing draughts or hailing down rocks if they do not obey him or decide to rebel. He is a perfect example of a monarch that abuses his physical power over those who are, in this case literally, beneath him.

The Laputans have extensive knowledge of the stars, which Gulliver notes exceeds the knowledge that England and other parts of Europe have. However, their knowledge is meaningless if they disregard proper agriculture or forget to eat. This suggests that knowledge is only valuable if applied well, and the Laputans do not use their knowledge to benefit their own lives or the lives of others.

In Lagado, most of the citizens have dismissed traditional methods of agriculture and building in favor of methods that are more like those of the Laputans. The contrast between Munodi’s productive estate and the rest of Lagado better emphasizes the problem with valuing only abstract intellect and neglecting basic necessities and comforts.

The idea that language be eliminated, and that people instead must carry around physical objects to communicate, is pointless and silly. The “common” people are the only ones who demonstrate any sense, opposing this preposterous idea. The common people know better how to govern society than those in power, who are blinded by their own pursuits.

Because the Governor practices necromancy, Gulliver asks him to bring back influential historical figures. However, Gulliver discovers that the things he had once thought to be undoubtable “truths” about the past are no more than false rumors. Swift thus emphasizes how history gets rewritten or embellished over time, advancing the theme that an absolute, objective truth is an illusion.

Here, Swift is supporting the theme that truth is subjective and relative. The “prostitute writers” have presented the royalty of the past in a light that is far better than they deserve, which means that these writers have altered history in a sense. Our understanding of history can be manipulated and is thus not always as reliable or certain as we might think.

When Gulliver exposes the inaccuracies of Aristotle’s theories, Aristotle explains that all scientific findings evolve, no matter how seemingly accurate at the time of conception. Aristotle’s comments support the theme that knowledge and “truth” changes as we discover things we had not known before. Even Aristotle, once the authority on knowledge, learns that truth is relative and subject to change.

Here, Swift cleverly makes Gulliver a spectacle for the Houyhnhnms. While the Houyhnhnms do treat Gulliver respectfully, they are amazed by his intelligence, which defies all they know about yahoos. This supports the idea that intelligence is a matter of perspective. The Houyhnhnms might have assumed Gulliver was unintelligent, just as without a change in perspective, Gulliver might have assumed that all horses were less intelligent than humans.

The leading Houyhnhnm has trouble imagining a world in which “yahoos” rule society due to their slight build and physical weakness. In Houyhnhnm society, the Houyhnhnms are both stronger and smarter than the yahoos. However, the master Houyhnhnm says that reason should always rule over physical strength, supporting the theme that power should reside with those who will use it ethically and rationally.

When Gulliver describes the European legal system to the Houyhnhnm leader, he likens lawyers and judges to liars and cheats. Although he notes that these individuals may be educated, similar to the Laputans, they use their knowledge for their own benefit and not to the benefit of humankind. Swift supports the theme that since knowledge is power, it must be used for good.

Swift satirizes European warfare by illustrating how extremely trivial matters lead to enormous bloodshed. By having Gulliver explain these matters to someone unfamiliar with Europe, the European readers at the time were able to view their own society somewhat from an outsider’s perspective. This not only showed how seem silly and unnecessary war is, but it also helps the Europeans see themselves from another point of view.

Although Gulliver has met animals that he knows to be extremely intelligent, he still views them as human-like and views the yahoos as animals, despite his awareness that they are human. Gulliver has not quite been able to abandon his European perspective as much as he would like to. This supports the theme that the individual is not so easily separated from their society’s customs and beliefs. We are all influenced by our cultures.

There are a few ways that we can read the Houyhnhnm perspective on death and dying. On the one hand, readers might see an advantage to not feel attached to life, as it means that there is no grief at the loss of loved ones. On the other hand, it signals a kind of emotional indifference that might make the Houyhnhnms seem numb and cold in comparison to humans. Swift supports the theme that what may be “utopian” to some people is actually not all that desirable for others: it is all a matter of perspective.

Compare the Houyhnhnm’s study of the arts and astronomy to that of the Laputans. The Houyhnhnms use their knowledge effectively, helping to make life easier and more fulfilling for the people in their community. This suggests that the expansion of knowledge is not inherently bad, but that it must be used for good, or it is meaningless.

The Houyhnhnms see the yahoos as a group that needs to be controlled for the peace and safety of the community. The Houyhnhnm leader thus suggests to castrate all yahoos, just like Gulliver explained that they do to horses in England. By turning this around, Swift leads the reader to question if any being should be treated this way, even one that may exemplify the worst aspects of human nature. This supports the theme that using physical power to control one’s society is unethical.

Gulliver ends his narrative by explaining that although he has given a glowing, but truthful, account the Houyhnhnms, the Houyhnhnms themselves would find it strange to be prideful of their community. The Houyhnhnms, Gulliver explains, are decent and virtuous without needing recognition for it, which humans lack. Swift thus supports the theme that being ethical, and using our power for good, should be expected, not rewarded.

Swift has explored the theme that truth and reality are subjective throughout most of the novel. Gulliver’s ardent insistence here that his book holds no bias whatsoever, and therefore is not subject to censure or fact-checking, is satirical. Gulliver may have attempted to write a narrative that is objective, but Swift again satirizes the assumption that writing can be completely objective. No writer can completely remove themselves from the limits of their own perspective.