Gulliver’s Travels : Summary

Summary

Gulliver’s Life before Sea Voyages: Gulliver was a doctor by profession, but he could not find much success in his medical career. His wife’s name was Mrs. Mary Burton. Gulliver always wanted to go on sea adventures and engage in daring pursuits. Although his family initially objected, Gulliver ignored everyone’s concerns and decided to go on a voyage. He bid farewell to his family and left for the sea.

Gulliver’s First Voyage to Lilliput (Part 1: A Voyage to Lilliput): During his voyage, Gulliver’s ship was caught in a storm and sank. He swam to an unknown island, which turned out to be Lilliput. The people of Lilliput were only six inches tall. Seeing Gulliver as a giant, they tied him up with ropes. While keeping him restrained, they used ladders or stairs to climb up and down his body and shot tiny arrows at him.

When Gulliver regained consciousness, he saw these tiny people walking over his body and attacking him. Later, the Emperor of Lilliput visited Gulliver and ordered his soldiers to take him to the capital. Many people brought Gulliver to the city in a cart pulled by horses and imprisoned him in an old temple just outside town. Gulliver tried to convince everyone that he was not harmful and that he had only ended up there by accident.

At first, most people did not believe Gulliver, but the Emperor showed him trust and allowed him to stay. He was given his freedom on strict conditions—he would not harm anyone, would help the Emperor, would not eat beyond a certain amount, etc. Gulliver helped the Lilliputians in various ways, befriended them, and demonstrated his loyalty to the Emperor.

The Lilliput-Blefuscu War and Other Events: Lilliput was at war with its neighboring island, Blefuscu. When Blefuscu’s navy came to attack, Gulliver bravely went to the seashore and used ropes to tie up all the enemy ships and pulled them back to Lilliput. The Emperor was very pleased and awarded Gulliver the title “Nardac.” However, the Emperor wanted Gulliver to completely conquer Blefuscu and enslave its people, but Gulliver refused, as he did not want to rob anyone of their freedom. This angered the Emperor and some ministers, who began conspiring against Gulliver.

At one point, when the Queen’s palace caught on fire and there was no water available, Gulliver put out the fire by urinating on it. Although he saved the palace, the Queen and many courtiers felt insulted and became angry with him. The ministers, senior officials, and office seekers of Lilliput had to take part in an exam called “rope-dancing,” where they had to walk on a high rope to qualify for a post. Gulliver suggested that a net be placed below so no one would get hurt if they fell—a satirical commentary by the author on England’s flawed system of job selection.

Conspiracy and Gulliver’s Escape: In the end, some ministers again conspired against Gulliver and accused him of treason. Some wanted his eyes to be removed, others wanted him to be executed. However, the Emperor eventually decided not to sentence Gulliver to death but to have his eyes blinded. Gulliver’s friend Redresal advised him to escape, so Gulliver fled to the neighboring island of Blefuscu. There, he was received with kindness and care. Later, Gulliver found a small boat on Blefuscu and returned to England.

Gulliver’s Second Sea Voyage to Brobdingnag (Part II: A Voyage to Brobdingnag): Only two months after his first voyage, Gulliver set out on another sea adventure. On this journey, his ship was struck by a storm, and by accident, Gulliver drifted onto an unknown giant island named Brobdingnag. In this country, all living creatures, people, and plants were of gigantic size. Compared to an average human (6 feet), the Brobdingnagians were about 60 feet tall, which made Gulliver appear like a small insect or toy among them. Here, Gulliver found himself in a completely new and different world.

Discovery by the Farmer and Glumdalclitch: One day, a farmer found Gulliver while working in his field. Although the farmer was initially astonished, he carefully took Gulliver home. The farmer’s family, especially his young daughter Glumdalclitch, treated Gulliver with great affection and care. Gulliver called Glumdalclitch his “little nurse,” as she looked after him constantly, making his room, bed, and even serving his food. Gulliver felt some comfort and safety in their affection, though everything around him seemed massive and terrifying compared to his own life.

Gulliver as a Toy and Object of Amusement: The farmer saw Gulliver’s unusually small size as an opportunity to earn money. He took Gulliver to towns and fairs and displayed him to people, just like a living doll. People bought tickets to see Gulliver, hear him speak, and watch his little tricks. For Gulliver, this was extremely distressing and humiliating because he wished for privacy, but was compelled to be the farmer’s source of income.

Life in the Royal Palace and Treatment by the King and Queen: Eventually, an official from the Queen’s palace saw Gulliver and informed the Queen. The Queen was surprised and delighted upon seeing Gulliver and purchased him from the farmer for a large sum of money. At Gulliver’s request, Glumdalclitch was also allowed to stay with him in the palace as his companion. A small house and comfortable accommodations were arranged for Gulliver in the palace. The King regularly conversed with Gulliver, learning about the politics, society, education, law, and wars of England and Europe. In these discussions, the King often criticized and mocked European civilization in various ways.

Gigantic Animals and Daily Dangers: In Brobdingnag, everything was so gigantic that even ordinary creatures posed a threat to Gulliver’s life. For example, the mice, cats, birds, snails, and monkeys were all much bigger and more dangerous than normal. The Queen’s dwarf would often try to insult and bother Gulliver in various ways. Glumdalclitch did her best to ensure Gulliver’s physical and emotional safety at all times. Despite these dangers, Gulliver managed to overcome many difficulties through his curiosity, courage, and intelligence.

Debate about English Civilization: The King regularly discussed various topics with Gulliver, such as politics, laws, wars, government appointments, and the religion of England and Europe. Whenever Gulliver spoke about his country’s advanced military, weapons, or civilization, the King viewed all these things with criticism. He emphasized that true civilization meant peace, justice, and morality. According to the King, human greed, violence, war-mongering, and injustice were weaknesses in human nature. He remarked that mere physical greatness did not make a society civilized—the real civilization lay in virtue, humility, and good character.

Escape from Brobdingnag and Return: In the end, through an unexpected incident, while Gulliver was asleep inside his travel box, a giant eagle picked up the box and flew away, later dropping it into the sea. Some English sailors rescued the floating box and saved Gulliver, finally bringing him back to England. This experience forced Gulliver to reflect deeply on human limitations, petty pride, and the true nature of civilization.

Third Sea Voyage and Arrival at Laputa (Part III: A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, and Japan): After his second voyage, Gulliver stayed home for a short while, then once again set out to sea. After a few days, his ship was attacked by pirates, who eventually set him adrift alone in a small boat. While floating at sea, Gulliver found shelter on an unknown island. Suddenly, looking up, he saw a massive floating island (Laputa) overhead. The island’s residents noticed Gulliver and, using ropes and chains, lifted him up. Thus, Gulliver arrived at the flying island of Laputa.

Strange Behavior and Way of Life of the Laputans: The people of Laputa behaved, dressed, and looked extremely strange. Their heads were tilted to one side; one eye looked upwards, and the other inward. They were so lost in thought that, to speak or listen, they required an attendant called a “flapper,” who would gently tap them on the mouth or ear with a blown-up bladder to bring their attention back. The Laputans were always absorbed in mathematics, astronomy, and music. Their social life and even their eating habits were very peculiar, and their scientific thinking had reached an extreme, often making them disconnected from real life. The women were also restless and attracted to foreigners.

The Scientific Structure of the Floating Island and the King’s Power: The island of Laputa is actually made from a huge, circular magnetic stone. Using the powerful magnet, scientists can move the island up and down, or from one place to another. By the King’s order, they can block sunlight or rain to any region beneath the island (the country of Balnibarbi), or even drop objects down if needed. If a rebellion occurs, the island can be lowered completely to crush the towns below, though this is rarely done. In this way, the King maintains control over the scattered cities on the ground.

Leaving Laputa and Arrival in Balnibarbi: Like with so many other islands and peoples, Gulliver could not be satisfied on Laputa. Among a nation obsessed only with science, music, and abstract thinking, Gulliver felt frustrated and lonely. Eventually, with the help of a distant relative, he was able to legally leave Laputa and reach the mainland below, Balnibarbi. There, Gulliver became a guest of the kind Lord Munodi in the main city of Lagado. Gulliver observed that most towns and villages were in distress; the people had suffered terribly because of fanciful, science-based projects. Lord Munodi, who followed old ways, had kept his lands and environment beautiful and orderly.

The Strange Science and Experiments of the Academy at Lagado: In Lagado, Gulliver visited the famous Academy of Projectors (scientists). In every room, different professors were busy with bizarre ideas and inventions. Some tried to extract sunlight from cucumbers; others wanted to make food from human waste; some were attempting to create gunpowder from ice. Someone was trying to teach the blind to distinguish colors, while others tried to spin colorful cloth from spiders’ webs. Some even tried to create a language without words, where objects would be used to communicate. None of these experiments had any practical use in real life, making this a satire on impractical science.

Political Experiments and Gulliver’s Observations: In another part of the Academy, Gulliver witnessed experiments on political systems—someone was trying to cut MPs’ heads and swap halves to promote agreement; another suggested that attractive people should pay higher taxes. Gulliver shared some of his own strange ideas, which were listened to respectfully. In the end, Gulliver realized that everything here was limited to grand talk and failed scientific projects, with little practical value in real life. Learning from this, he decided once again to return to his homeland.

Arrival and First Impressions in the Land of the Houyhnhnms (Part IV: A Voyage to the Land of the Houyhnhnms): For his fourth voyage, Gulliver set out to sea again, but his sailors mutinied, captured him, and abandoned him in an unknown land. Reaching this new country, Gulliver saw some strange, human-like creatures (“Yahoos”) wandering around—they were extremely filthy and violent. Shortly afterward, he encountered another race, the Houyhnhnms—horse-like in appearance, but much more intelligent than humans. Their behavior was intelligent, disciplined, peaceful, and idealistic. Gulliver realized that he had arrived in a truly remarkable and unique society.

The Society of the Houyhnhnms and Gulliver’s Adaptation: A Houyhnhnm (horse) took Gulliver to its home and introduced him to its family and other members of the society. The way of life of the Houyhnhnms was extremely simple, clean, and peaceful. They did not view Gulliver with suspicion but accepted him with human-like respect and compassion. The Yahoos (who looked human) were treated as labor animals in this country and represented filth and base character. Gulliver gradually learned the language and tried to follow the Houyhnhnms’ way of life, food, and customs. Life in this country had a profound influence on him.

Gulliver and His Master—A Dialogue on Human Civilization: Gulliver told his Houyhnhnm “master” about the history, wars, politics, society, greed, and deception among the people of his own country. The master wanted to know why humans cause themselves so much pain, tell lies, act arrogantly, and commit wrongs for the sake of money, fame, and pleasure. The master was astonished to hear all this, as in Houyhnhnm society, there was no lying, violence, greed, wrongdoing, cruelty, or filth. The master remarked that because of these faults, the Houyhnhnms were far more advanced and peaceful than the Yahoos (humans).

The Contrast Between Two Races—Yahoo and Houyhnhnm: Gulliver observed the lifestyle of the Yahoos around him—they were unjust, filthy, violent, extremely selfish, and cowardly. On the other hand, the Houyhnhnms were the embodiment of reason, morals, honesty, peace, and cooperation. Their society had no discrimination by gender, no jealousy, no disorder, no theft. Children received education and physical training, men and women shared equal respect, and the entire society operated based on reason. Gulliver realized deeply that it is human weaknesses that can turn society into one like the Yahoos.

The Assembly, Decision, and Farewell: Eventually, at an assembly of the Houyhnhnms, it was decided that Gulliver (as an advanced Yahoo) should no longer stay there, because he, too, could pose a problem in the future. Gulliver was very sad, even cried, but ultimately agreed to leave. His master and the other horses bid him farewell with respect. With their help, Gulliver built a canoe and, equipped with supplies, left the country.

Return, Disillusionment, and Alienation from Humans: After crossing the sea and facing many hardships, Gulliver managed to return to his own country. On the way, a Portuguese captain rescued him and treated him kindly, but Gulliver no longer wished to associate with anyone. After his long, peaceful, and truthful life with the Houyhnhnms, he saw human society as corrupt, confused, and deceitful. Even after returning home, he could not relate to his wife and children—he only found peace in his own garden and among horses.

Gulliver’s Realizations and Advice to Readers: Gulliver claims he wrote only the truth, never lies. He wishes that people would follow the path of truth and justice like the Houyhnhnms, giving up pride and living a life of peace, reason, and morality. He himself finds it very painful to witness human pride, anger, greed, and cruelty, which is why he chooses to keep himself apart from others.