Gulliver’s Travels has been written by Jonathan Swift, and it is
the story of the various adventures of Lemuel Gulliver, who is basically
the narrator and protagonist in the book. Gulliver, a married surgeon from
Nottinghamshire, England, is someone who loves traveling. He works as a surgeon on
ships and lands up becoming a ship captain.
Through many unfortunate events during his voyage at sea,
Gulliver gets stranded in foreign lands and absurd situations, whether it’s
getting captured by the miniature Lilliputians or becoming friends with
talking horses, the Houyhnhnms. Here, we give you Gulliver’s Travels Summary.
Gulliver’s Travels Summary
Gulliver embarks on four separate voyages in Gulliver’s Travels.
There is a storm before every journey. All the four voyages add new
perspectives to Gulliver’s life and also give him new opportunities for
satirizing the ways of England.
·
In the first voyage, Gulliver travels to Lilliput, where he is
huge and the Lilliputians are small. Initially, the Lilliputians look amiable,
but the reader soon understands that they are very ridiculous and petty
creatures. For “making water”, Gulliver gets convicted of treason in the
capital (although he was putting out a fire and saving innumerable lives)–among
other “crimes.”
·
In the second voyage, Gulliver travels to Brobdingnag, which is
a land of Giants and he is as small as the Lilliputians were to him. So,
naturally, Gulliver is scared, but his keepers are surprisingly gentle. He gets
humiliated by the King when he is forced to see the difference between how
England is and how it ought to be. Gulliver soon understands that he must have
been very revolting to the Lilliputians.
·
In the third voyage, Gulliver travels to Laputa (and
neighbouring Luggnagg and Glubdugdribb). When he visits the island of
Glubdugdribb, he gets the power to call up the dead and discovers the
deceptions of history. In
the land of Laputa, the people are over-thinkers and are outrageous in many
ways. He also meets the Stuldbrugs there, which is basically a race that is blessed
with immortality. But Gulliver finds out that they are miserable.
·
In the fourth voyage, Gulliver travels to the land of
Houyhnhnms, who are horses gifted with a reason. Their coherent, clean, and
trouble-free society is contrasted with the foulness and brutality of the
Yahoos, who are beasts in human shape. Gulliver manages to unwillingly come to
recognize their human vices. He ends up staying with the Houyhnhnms for many
years and gets totally captivated with them to a point that he never wants to leave.
When he gets to know that the time has come for him to leave the island, he
faints from unhappiness. When he returns to England, Gulliver feels appalled
about other humans,
including his own family.
·
Gulliver’s Travels Summary: Characters
Lemuel Gulliver
An adventurer and traveler. Gulliver is the protagonist of the Travels.
He is a spectator of other beings and various cultures.
Blefuscudians
They are the sworn enemies of the Lilliputians. And they live on
a neighbouring island. Gulliver goes to their island when the Lilliputians
convict him of treachery.
Brobdingnagians
They are the inhabitants of Brobdingnag and are giant creatures
in comparison to Gulliver.
The Emperor
He’s the leader of the Lilliputians. At first, he acts friendly
toward Gulliver but later changes his mind about him when Gulliver doesn’t
agree to continue fighting Blefuscu and puts out a fire in the Empress’s
chamber by urinating on it.
The Farmer
When Gulliver stays in Brobdingnag, he calls the farmer who
takes him in his master. The farmer finally sells Gulliver to the Queen.
Flimnap
Gulliver’s enemy at Lilliput, he blames Gulliver for sleeping
with his wife.
Glumdalclitch
In Brobdingnagian, her name means “little nurse”. So, Gulliver
calls the farmer’s daughter with this name, who cares for him during his stay
in Brobdingnag.
Mrs. Mary Burton Gulliver
Gulliver’s wife.
Houyhnhnms
It is a species of horses that are gifted with great compassion
and virtue. Gulliver lives with them for many years and in the end, feels
extremely sad to return to England.
The King
Gulliver spends a lot of hours with the King of Brobdingnag
while discussing politics and
comparing their two cultures.
Laputans
They are the inhabitants of a floating island who wear
astronomical and mathematical symbols. They also have trouble paying attention.
The Grey Horse (The
Master)
Gulliver’s master in the Country of the Houyhnhnms.
Lilliputians
They are the inhabitants of Lilliput and are around five to six
inches tall. They are the sworn enemies of the Blefuscudians of a neighboring
island.
Munodi
He’s the Balnibarbi Lord who shows Gulliver around and makes him
understand why the island is so barren.
Don Pedro
He’s the captain of the Portuguese ship that picks Gulliver up
after his voyage to the country of the Houyhnhnms.
The Queen
The Queen of Brobdingnag happens to think that Gulliver is very
entertaining. Since she has a huge size, Gulliver feels disgusted when she
eats.
Redresal
Gulliver’s friend in Lilliput. He helps Gulliver get comfortable
in the strange new land and also helps to reduce Gulliver’s punishment for
treason from execution to having his eyes put out.
Skyresh Bolgolam
High admiral of Lilliput, a counselor of the Emperor.
Yahoos
This is the Houyhnhnms’ word for humans. Yahoos in the country
of the Houyhnhnms are repulsive creatures.
The Struldbruggs
It is a race of humans who grow older and never die, so they are immortal. However, their immortality
does not have any of its supposed delights.
The Academy Projectors
(Professors)
Balnibarbian reformers who come up with reform ideas without
considering effects.
Slamecksan
The Low-Heels, a Lilliputian political group similar to the
British Whigs. The king orders that all government administrators need to be
selected from this party, much to the anger of the High-Heels of the realm.
Therefore, while there are fewer Slamecksan than Tramecksan in Lilliput, their
political power is greater.
More About
Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver goes on four separate voyages in Gulliver's Travels.
Each journey is preceded by a storm. All four voyages bring new perspectives to
Gulliver's life and new opportunities for satirizing the ways of England.
The first voyage is to Lilliput, where
Gulliver is huge and the Lilliputians are small. At first the Lilliputians
seem amiable, but the reader soon sees them for the ridiculous and petty
creatures they are. Gulliver is convicted of treason for "making
water" in the capital (even though he was putting out a fire and saving
countless lives)--among other "crimes."
The
second voyage is to Brobdingnag, a land of Giants where Gulliver seems as small
as the Lilliputians were to him. Gulliver is afraid, but his keepers are
surprisingly gentle. He is humiliated by the King when he is made to see the
difference between how England is and how it ought to be. Gulliver realizes how
revolting he must have seemed to the Lilliputians.
Gulliver's
third voyage is to Laputa (and neighboring Luggnagg and Glubdugdribb). In a
visit to the island of Glubdugdribb, Gulliver is able to call up the dead and
discovers the deceptions of history. In Laputa, the people are over-thinkers
and are ridiculous in other ways. Also, he meets the Stuldbrugs, a race endowed
with immortality. Gulliver discovers that they are miserable.
His fourth voyage is to the land of the Houyhnhnms, who are horses endowed with reason. Their
rational, clean, and simple society is contrasted with the filthiness and
brutality of the Yahoos, beasts in human shape. Gulliver reluctantly
comes to recognize their human vices. Gulliver stays with the Houyhnhnms for
several years, becoming completely enamored with them to the point that he
never wants to leave. When he is told that the time has come for him to leave
the island, Gulliver faints from grief. Upon returning to England, Gulliver
feels disgusted about other humans, including his own family.
