Who were the Big Endians and Little Endians?
Gulliver’s Travels is a notable literary work by Jonathan Swift. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Gulliver’s Travels.
Answer
Who were the Big Endians and Little Endians?
Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) shows the Big Endians and Little Endians in “Gulliver’s Travels” (1726). These two groups fight for a silly reason. They argue over which side of an egg to break. But Swift uses this to make fun of real-world fights. He shows how small issues can create big problems in politics and religion.
Silly Egg Fight: The fight started over eggs. In the old days, people broke eggs at the big end. But the Emperor’s grandfather hurt his finger. So, a new law came. It said,
“That all true Believers shall break their eggs at the convenient end.”
Some people did not agree. They still broke eggs at the big end. These people became the Big Endians. The new rule followers were called the Little Endians.
Bloody Rebellions: The new egg rule caused anger. Six rebellions happened. One Emperor lost his crown. Another died. Many people refused the new rule. About eleven thousand died for it. Many ran away to Blefuscu for safety. This shows how silly rules can create real pain. Swift uses this to show how religion and politics often fight over small things.
Long War and Loss: This small egg fight became a big war. Lilliput and Blefuscu fought for thirty-six moons. Many ships sank. Many soldiers died. Still, no peace came. The Big Endians got help from Blefuscu. The Little Endians ruled Lilliput. The fight shows how silly pride and power can destroy peace.
In conclusion, the Big Endians and Little Endians were not just egg breakers. They stood for bigger things: religion, politics, and pride. Swift showed how such silly things cause great loss. Through this, he taught us to avoid useless fights. We should choose peace, not war, over small matters.