Sympathy for Gulliver
In the novel, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, the main character, Gulliver, is in fact sympathetic. Gulliver is a very typical European man. He is middle-aged, well educated, and sensible. He takes four separate voyages to four fantastical societies. He can kind of be seen as a Goldilocks figure. He tries out a range of extreme societies. One too small, one too large, one too theoretical, and one too simple. He is attracted to the simplicity of the last society but is not allowed to stay. Of all the characters in the book, Gulliver is portrayed as the sympathetic character. His first adventure, in a country called Lilliput, the reader begins to sympathize with Gulliver. Everyone is no larger than six inches tall in this country. When he first arrives there, he is tied down but is later treated somewhat kindly. He admires the Lilliputians bravery, since they climb onto his body despite his great size. He eventually learns the language of the people and is allowed his freedom. Gulliver is seen as an enormously powerful force in Lilliput, and yet he is also viewed as merely another subject of the Emperor. Gulliver allows this treatment, even though it is obvious that he could kill the Lilliputians easily. His desire to be ac
cepted into Lilliputian society is probably a carry-over from his habits in Europe; he is used to being the subject of a monarch and to obeying orders, even when the person giving them is small enough to fit onto his palm. He is later supposed to be blinded by the Lilliputians, but escapes to Blefescu, who are the Lilliputians enemies. He has an easy time convincing both sides to let him leave to go back to his civilization. This is just the first time that Gulliver has such ill luck. Once again Gulliver sets out, is thrown off course, and ends up in Laputa, which is much more complex than Lilliput or Brobdingnag but where he is the same size as the natives are. The government floats over the rest of the country and their nobility and scientific thinkers are only interested in their own theories and daydreams. He can not carry a normal conversation because all they think about is mathematics and music. He readily yearns for a ship so he can return to England and is finally allowed to leave because he refused employment. Gulliver ends up a few months later on a new island that is inhabited by superior horses, called Houyhnhnms, and their inferior human-like servants, called Yahoos. He is soon is disgusted with his own race because he realizes that they are very much similar to the Yahoos. He admires the horse's simple ways and is drawn into their society and believes that his is profoundly flawed. Gulliver finds himself wanting to stay with the horses but is unfortunately not allowed to. The horses do not like the idea of a Yahoo staying with a Houyhnhnms so he is aske
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Approximate Word count = 1065
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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