Jonathan Swift's: Gulliver's Travels

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Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels

Satire is the result of someone believing something is wrong with the world, and expressing the thought in a comical or humorous manner. Now, what does this word “satire” have to do with anything? Even though this term may seem vague, it is actually a common form of writing used by many authors to express feelings that should be talked about in public. One author, for example, was Jonathan Swift, who is, and was, one of the greatest satirical authors ever. Swift, having a tough life, was known for his funny and comical stories about a man lost at sea and meets all of these “odd” people, if you want to call them people. However, this courageous story has more meaning than meets the eye; this story, about a brave man, is actually a portrayal on society as a whole and the problems that affect it. Gulliver’s Travels is a satirical book based on the problems that faced the 17th-18th centuries. By writing this breakthrough novel, Swift expresses his personal beliefs on society as being: selfish, crude, and spoiled; which is seen through the eyes of the open-minded traveler, Lemuel Gulliver.
Most Critics that read Gulliver’s Travels have many things to say about the writing and the symbolism involved in the story. Gulliver is doctor, who always ends up being shipwrecked and finding his way to an island where the inhabitants are “odd”. However, each of these “odd” inhabitants, teach Gulliver a lesson that he will learn to understand at the end of the story. Most Critics say that Gulliver is the “persona” of author, Jonathan Swift (Scott; A Casebook on Gulliver among the Houyhnhnms; pgs. 81-82). Swift is believed to be conveying his thoughts of pre-modern European society in the eyes of Gulliver. The ignorance that Gulliver begins his journey with represents the ignorance of European society of the time. The more knowledgeable Gulliver comes represents people, suc...