Gulliver's Travels
by Jonathan Swift
Table of Contents
Chapter 4 to Chapter 5
Chapter IV
Summary
Following his freedom, Gulliver heads to Mildendo, which is the Lilliputian capital. Although the town is only 500 square feet, it has the capacity to hold 500,000 people. Gulliver fashions himself a stool so that he can see the emperor’s palace from a seated position.
Reldresal, an official of the Lilliputian government, informs Gulliver that the Lilliputian kingdom has been threatened by inside and outside sources. Inside the kingdom, tensions exist because Tramecksans and Slamecksans—who are rival political parties in Lilliput—cannot get along. The Tramecksans support Lilliput’s ancient constitution, while the Slamecksans (who have lower heels than the Tramecksans) are favored by the emperor.
The nation of Blefuscu threatens Lilliput from the outside. The Lilliputians constantly fear an invasion from Blefuscu. Reldresal tells Gulliver that the tensions between the two nations began because of a disagreement over how to crack eggs properly. The “Little-Endians” believe that eggs should be broken on the smaller end, while the “Big-Indians” believe that the egg should be broken on the larger end. One Emperor has died because of the controversy, and many rebellions have taken place. The Lilliputians decide that eggs should be broken at the “convenient end,” but they interpret the convenient end as the small end of the egg. Gulliver is commissioned to defend Lilliput from Blefuscu. Although he does not wish to be in the middle of the conflict, Gulliver has no choice but to agree.
Chapter V
Summary
Gulliver asks for iron bars and cables. With the supplies, Gulliver makes hooks. He swims to Blefuscu, where he ties their ships together. The soldiers of Blefuscu shoot arrows at him, but he continues to work. Gulliver attempts to pull the ships, but they are tightly anchored. He cuts the ships away with a pocketknife. Gulliver then pulls the ships to Lilliput.
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