Gulliver's Travels Criticism Analysis

Many people think Gulliver’s Travels is a children’s book about a giant being surrounded by several miniature people. However, in this novel, Gulliver takes on four different adventures and feels completely out of place at each new location. Jonathon Swift is the perfect author for this book because whenever he was in school, he excelled in the literature and reading subjects. Also, he once lived in England, meaning he knows exactly how to portray Gulliver’s home life. Gulliver, the main character, does not, in fact, show heroism nor does he demonstrate intelligence or creativity. Although he seems to be alone as a giant, he is not lonely.
This novel is about a man named Lemuel Gulliver who encounters several adventures while traveling. Gulliver’s …show more content…
For example, whenever Gulliver takes on his fourth journey and encounters Houyhnhnms, he makes it seem as though he fits in perfectly with the horses. Swift attempts to portray satire, but instead leaves the readers with questions. Another criticism found within the same literary critique is over the Yahoo’s name and significance. Swift left the readers confused if the Yahoo people resembled the biblical Yahweh because of his use of irony throughout the novel. He purposely makes Gulliver feel more drawn to the horses than to the Yahoos because he wants to display irony. The last main point made within this critique is about how to view Gulliver as a character. Gulliver takes on the role of being an independent man, but while he is alone, he thinks of himself as the bravest and greatest man. He does not posses the feeling of shame, modesty, or humility. Swift describes Gulliver’s reaction to the Yahoos as repulsed and disgusted. The irony is that he is more similar in behavior to the Yahoos. Even though Swift describes Gulliver as a man who prefers to be with individuals that he cannot tolerate, the reader still feels sympathy and connected with him. This literary critique chapter does a great job interpreting the idealistic society in which Gulliver lived …show more content…
Throughout the novel, the reader is able to grasp the fact that he lacks greatness and does not show true heroism. Many people think of hero’s as people who display courage and bravery, but Gulliver lacks many traits to be known as a hero. For example, many times he plays the fool in the story, proving his comical side rather than his serious, impressive side. Gulliver says, “I really began to imagine my self dwindled many degrees below my usual size” (p 116). This quote perfectly explains how little self-confidence he has in himself and how he does not represent a hero. Gulliver does a exceptionally poor job demonstrating intuition and sharpness. Throughout all four of his adventures, he encounters many obstacles. Because he is bad at thinking outside of the box, he fails to overcome them. He gets captured a couple of times, but he never succeeds in getting himself free. In Lilliput, Gulliver is tied down by thousands of men. After he is brought to the emperor, “they cut all the strings that bound” him (p 35). Even though he is not tied down, he still does not try to run away. One time, however, he was presented with objects that will combine to form a boat, and he works his magic by sailing his way out of imprisonment. Gulliver does not always come up with creative strategies to benefit himself, but whenever he is presented with a way out, he is willing to work extra hard to free himself. The