Gulliver’s Travels - Jonathan Swift (Part I & Part IV)

 

Gulliver’s Travels   - Jonathan Swift (Part I & Part IV)

    Gulliver’s travels, originally titled ‘Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in four part, by Lemuel Gulliver, first surgeon and then a Captain of Several Ships’ is a long ironical novel. It was written by the famous Irish novelist and author Jonathan Swift in 1726. The story was published anonymously but, later the writer was revealed. This story is much more ironic and full of satire on English culture, customs, and politics.

    Gulliver was a very skilled and expert surgeon as well as a ship captain. He liked to travel far on seas and visit small islands that were never discovered. Gulliver went on a total of 4 voyages on 4 different islands full of adventure. The places that he visits as described in the following four parts of the book, are also imaginary.

Part I – Lilliput

Part II – Brobdingnag

Part III – Laputa

Part IV—The country of the Yahoos and the Houyhnhnms.

Part I – Lilliput

    On 4^thMay 1699, Gulliver boards the Antelope ( a ship) for his first journey. The ship soon got wrecked and the only survivor left was Gulliver. On reaching land, he found himself tied up by Lilliputians (small people who were around six inches tall). In Lilliput, Gulliver is called Quinbus Flestrin which means ‘Man Mountain’. Gulliver was then taken to the capital city. The people of Lilliput were divided into those who wore high-heeled shoes and those who wore low-heeled shoes. Even the political condition of the state was pathetic. The court people were chosen based on rope dancing skills, and the king was the person best at rope dancing. The king of Lilliput then asked Gulliver to defend them in the war with the neighboring kingdom Blefuscu. Lilliput and Blefuscu started the war over which end of an egg should be cracked first while making an omelet. Gulliver was shocked but decided to help the king in the war and destroyed the naval army led by Blefuscu. But later, the royal building caught fire, and Gulliver took down the fire by urinating on the palace. The king got angry and decided to sentence Gulliver. But fortunately, he made an escape and returned back to England.

Part IV - The country of the Yahoos and the Houyhnhnms.

Gulliver sailed from England on 7^th September, 1710 in the course of his new voyage. He was attacked by the members of the crew. They threw him down on the sea-coast and sailed away. After a while he saw several animals in the field. They looked strange and deformed. He was surrounded by them and his life was in danger. But soon he was saved by a horse. Then came another horse and they greeted each other by striking their right hoof. Their behavior seemed very orderly and rational. They escorted Gulliver to their abode. Later on he came to know that the horses were called the Houyhnhnms. The strange flesh eating animals were called the ‘Yahoos’ and they were sub-servient to the horses. Gradually Gulliver picked up their language. Gulliver was living happily in peace among the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver was so much impressed by the virtues and wisdom of the Houyhnhnms that he wanted to stay with them. One day the master sprang a big surprise on Gulliver. In the last assembly, it was decided that Gulliver was a member of the Yahoo race and must be expelled. So Gulliver built for himself a kind of canoe and after bidding a touching farewell to his master, sailed away from the shore.