The Use of Satire in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels

Jonathan Swift's story, Gulliver's Travels is very complex, with several layers of meaning. He is a master satirist, and Gulliver's Travels is both humorous and critical. He critiques almost every aspect of life, from the writings of his times to the politics. He also satirizes more encompassing topics that are still relevant today, such as the human condition, and the desire for overcoming inferior instincts.

The first satire we see in the story comes from chapter one, where it begins as a typical travel record of the time. We are provided with a description of Gulliver's education to establish his position in society, which would have resembled a real travel log at the time. This style is continued throughout the novel, which strengthens the satire. The factual way in which the story is told makes it seem much more realistic than if it was written in a fanciful way. The satire of the story would be ruined if it did not seem truthful or accurate because it would be irrelevant, but the factual style reinforces the satirical elements.

Gulliver's Travels was written at a time of exploration and expansion. England had a formidable fleet of ships, and people visited many new places, discovering new plants, new animals, new places, and most importantly, new people. Colonization had begun in 1607, and when Swift was writing, it would have just been gaining in popularity, and there would have been a keen interest in the new people found there. The new and radically different people that Gulliver encounters, such as the Lilliputians, are a direct reflection of the cultural differences of the new people being encountered.

The entire basis for the satire is the difference in the way that Gulliver sees the world compared to the way the reader sees it. Gulliver is naïve and gullible, obviously why he is named Gulliver in the first place. He is an honest man, and believes what he is told. He also expects others to be honest. Gulliver is the third son of an unimportant man. He is a good man, but unimaginative and unemotional. He was born in Nottinghamshire, a nice, but boring place. He attended Emmanuel College, a respected, but not ivy-league school. Gulliver is depicted as a typical, unextraordinary middle-class man. This was not so Swift's readers would identify with Gulliver, it is to make him seem more real, and more like everyone else. We aren't meant to relate to Gulliver, instead we are meant to view the things he encounters through his eyes, and form our own, contrasting opinions about them. Whatever we read from Gulliver's point of view is accurate, and we know that Gulliver is not always going to understand the meaning of what he sees. As a result, each scene is written from Gulliver's point of view. We receive a detailed, exact account of what goes on, devoid of any emotions, because Gulliver is very methodical. This contrasts with the situations as the reader interprets them, and is very often quite humorous. For example, Gulliver remains captive to the Lilliputians, when he could easily escape and crush them with a single stomp of his foot.

Swift makes the Lilliputians seem pretty ridiculous, having Gulliver compare them to dolls. They are six inches high, but they strut around as if they were full-sized men. They consider themselves to be very important and majestic. Gulliver certainly regards them as being terribly imposing, while the reader sees them as being quite silly. By having Gulliver take these tiny people seriously, Swift paints a satiric image that cannot be missed by the reader. The Lilliputians turn out to be cruel and manipulative, and unaware of their own insignificance compared to Gulliver. He could easily destroy them all. This is a clear critique of the human desire for power and significance. Swift is making fun of humanity's belief in its own importance.

Jonathan Swift satirizes government and people in general when the Lilliputians take an inventory of Gulliver's belongings. It is a terribly serious matter of great importance. The Lilliputians very carefully list each of Gulliver's belongings, and describe them in great detail. This contrasts with the simplicity of the actual items, making a mockery of the Lilliputians taking the task so seriously. This is a critique of all people who take themselves too seriously, and have delusions about their own importance.

Gulliver's Travels is a satirical masterpiece with many levels of meaning. On one hand, it is realistic and accurate true life story of travel and adventure, and on the other hand it is a purely fictional fairy tale. Beneath this, it is a caustic satire of Europe at the time and humanity in general, which is why it retains a timeless quality that everyone can relate to.