The Use of Size as a Metaphor in Gulliver's Travels - Research Paper Example

05 May The Use of Size as a Metaphor in Jonathan Swift's “Gulliver's Travels” Throughout the of his groundbreaking fantasy novel “Gulliver's Travels”, Jonathan Swift makes use of metaphors in order to share his ideas with the reader. One of these metaphors is the varying size of the title character Gulliver as he travels throughout the world. From being a giant among the Lilliputians to being an insect among the Brobdingnagians, Gulliver experiences life from both ends of the size spectrum. Like everything else in this book, Gulliver's changes in size do not occur simply to provide a diverting plot exercise for the reader but instead are intended to be part of the metaphorical and satirical ideas presented within it. “Gulliver's Travels” was written as political satire with a decidedly anti-monarchical bent; some of the most potentially dangerous passages were removed or altered, while some positive passages were added by the publisher prior to printing the work (Swift, xxxiii). Gulliver's size in relation to the Lilliputians and the Brobdingnagians was first a way to show the ridiculousness of the English court through an outside vantage point, but also to represent the political and martial strength of warring nations. Swift was using Gulliver and his size to show the realities of life under a much more powerful ruler and how easily those realities can be missed by the powerful party. The first section of “Gulliver's Travels” deals with Gulliver's time among the Lilliputians. Gulliver is much bigger and more powerful than the Lilliputians, nearly completely resilient to their weaponry and their attempts to control him. This is evidenced by his escape attempts during his initial capture and his thought processes during the same time period: “I had reason to believe I might be a match for the greatest army they could bring against me, if they were all of the same size with him that I saw” (Swift, 9). Although Gulliver acts politely and civilly toward the people after they provide him with food and wine, he still knows that he could easily pick up several of them at a handful and bash them against the ground (Swift, 9). Despite this massive difference in size and strength, Gulliver is temporarily held prisoner by the Lilliputians. This is partly out of fear of the pain of their arrows and hypothetical worse weapons they might possess, and partly due to Gulliver's own sensibilities about how his hosts should be treated (Swift, 9). The Lilliputians do recognize, however, that if Gulliver were to decide to break loose, there would be very little they could do to prevent it or stop him from harming their country. Their fears about Gulliver's acceptance of his capture being the only reason they can hold him are proven valid by the fact that he allows a search of his belongings, but he is able to hide a whole pocket of goods from them (Swift, 15-19). Without Gulliver's co-operation, the Lilliputians would not be able to hold him for long. This mutual acceptance of control seems to be a metaphor for the British practice of colonization. In this metaphor, the British are the Lilliputians and the native populace of the colonies are Gulliver. Gulliver is, in actuality, more powerful than the entire Lilliputian army, but they frighten him into submission with an initial show of weaponry. Out of fear, Gulliver allows himself to be taken prisoner and controlled by the Lilliputians, though he could likely easily escape. He is only freed from imprisonment under the control of a very strict peace contract with the Lilliputians, which stipulates that he does not have freedom of movement around the city, that he is not allowed to leave the domain of the Lilliputian ruler, and other rules that mean he really doesn't have any freedom at all (Swift, 25-26). This is very similar to the rule under which the British historically held their colonies. The natives were made to think that there was no reason to fight back, because fighting back would end in pain and worse treatment than before, exactly what Gulliver feared might happen to him. In the same way that colonies are of strategic importance during wartime, Gulliver proves to be a formidable weapon for the Lilliputians (Swift, 32). After leaving the land of the Lilliputians, Gulliver is then stranded in Brobdingnag. Unlike in Lilliput, in Brobdingnag Gulliver is much smaller than the natives. Instead of being resistant to their weapons and their warriors, Gulliver is now subject to capture by any one of the citizens. Gulliver is suddenly made aware of the fear of those that are smaller and weaker: “I apprehended every moment that he would dash me against the ground, as we usually do any little hateful animal, which we have a mind to destroy” (Swift, 64). Instead of being a powerful weapon of war, Gulliver is seen as a child's plaything or a carnival sideshow (Swift, 69, 74). Gulliver is constantly in danger from animals and malicious children throughout this segment of the book, and is always dependent on the kindness of others for his protection. Gulliver's experience with the Brobdingnagians is, of course, another political metaphor by Swift. This time, Swift is showing the relationship between a stronger nation and a weaker one. Just like Gulliver in the hands of a Brobdingnagian child, smaller nations with less technology and fewer troops are in danger of being crushed at any moment (Swift, 67). Only through continued humility and agreeableness to the demands of his captors, the neighboring nations in this comparison, can Gulliver (or the smaller nation) survive. The relationship is extremely unbalanced in favor of the more powerful party. This is evidenced by Gulliver's fervent entreaties on behalf of the son of the first family that located him: despite the boy's mischief toward him and the high level of danger into which he puts Gulliver by waving him around, Gulliver needs them to have an amiable relationship and fights to avoid the boy being punished (Swift, 67). The political angle of this section is easy to see, in that smaller and weaker nations are constantly fighting to maintain a positive relationship with stronger nations that can protect them as allies or crush them as enemies. Many readers of Jonathan Swift's “Gulliver's Travels” recognize the satirizing of the English governmental system throughout the book, but it is much more than that. Swift also effectively satirizes the entire setup of international relations within Europe and between Europe and the rest of the world. Using Gulliver's changes in size relative to the people around him, Swift is able to show power struggles in relationships from multiple angles. He uses size to make Gulliver first powerful and then weak, but he also shows that might alone is not enough; Gulliver's capture by the Lilliputians shows that fear is also an extremely effective weapon. The differing cultures with which Gulliver interacts make for an entertaining story, but they also show the reader important realities about international relationships and power differentials. Works Cited Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s travels. London: Puffin, 1997. Print. Read More