In this blog post, I’d like to examine the perspective on humanity and society presented in Jonathan Swift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travels’.
Have you ever asked yourself, “What is a human being?” Have you ever wondered what it means to live in this world as a human being? We are born as human beings and live a single, irreversible life. Therefore, it is only natural to ask such questions. Living without asking them is akin to living blindly. If you find it too daunting to ask these questions yourself, it’s a good idea to read the works of an author who has seriously explored them. If the book happens to be entertaining as well, that’s the icing on the cake. Jonathan Swift’s ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ is the perfect example of such a work.
“Gulliver’s Travels” is an incredibly famous work. It is generally known as a fantasy travelogue. It is renowned as a novel depicting the adventures experienced while traveling through Lilliput, a land of tiny people; Brobdingnag, a land of giants; Laputa, the “flying island”; and Houyhnhnm, a land inhabited by horse-like creatures. Perhaps because of this content, it is also very popular as a children’s story.
However, few people know that Swift attempted to publish this book while concealing his true identity. Even fewer are aware that the publisher who first released the book, feeling uncomfortable with its content, arbitrarily deleted and altered parts of the work before publishing it. Furthermore, almost no one knows that this book was once banned. It seems the extreme mockery and satire directed at humanity offended the sensibilities of respectable people.
“Gulliver’s Travels” is a work that can be enjoyed as a fantasy tale. The reason it is loved by so many as a fairy tale is that it inspires readers to dream. Simply dreaming—while reading this work—of becoming a giant or a little person broadens the scope of our thinking.
But that alone is not enough. If we’re going to read it, we should do so by following Swift’s original intent in writing this work.
We are human beings. Because we are human, we assume we know ourselves best. But this is a misconception. The very thing we know least about is ourselves. This is because humans are more self-centered than any other animal in the world. It is precisely because humans interpret and distort everything from a self-centered perspective. Humans are the most prejudiced of all creatures. To put it a bit more technically, we are incapable of viewing ourselves objectively. We are prone to the arrogance of believing ourselves to be the most superior beings, and we delude ourselves into thinking that humanity is inherently beautiful and noble. We also become arrogant, believing that the human mind can solve everything. In short, we do not know how to see ourselves through the eyes of others.
“Gulliver’s Travels” is a “training ground for looking at oneself properly” to which the author Swift invites us.
We need to examine ourselves from a slightly higher vantage point. We need to realize from time to time just how insignificant the things we once considered great and important truly are. There is a Korean poet who sang, “O sand, how small I am!” This is a cry born from the realization that humans are tiny, insignificant beings. That cry does not plunge us into despair. Rather, it allows us to see and dream of greater things. Furthermore, the French philosopher Pascal said that humans are nothing more than reeds. He said humans are wretched beings. But at the same time, he said humans are great. He said humans are great precisely because only humans know that they are wretched beings. That is why he said, “Man is a thinking reed.”
The journey to Lilliput in ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ makes us realize just how much we get caught up in trivial matters. It makes us realize just how narrow our perspective is. The Lilliputians are not strange people one-twelfth our size. They are none other than ourselves. When we realize that they are us, trapped in self-centered thinking, we gain the ability to see something a little bigger.
Only then can we become “thinking reeds.”
But that alone is not enough. Having viewed ourselves from a broad perspective, we now need to observe ourselves in greater detail. We need to look closely at how many ugly things are hidden in every nook and cranny of our being. Gulliver’s journey to the Land of the Giants—where the inhabitants are twelve times our size—is intended to help us examine ourselves in minute detail. When viewed through such a small lens, the ugly side of things we usually consider beautiful is laid bare.
Gulliver’s journey to the land of the giants allows us to see ourselves in a relatively accurate light. It reveals that the values we believed to be absolute are, in fact, relative. It enables us to recognize the value of what others cherish. It makes us realize that what we cherish now may be trivial to others. As a result, our perspective broadens and we become more open-minded.
Parts III and IV of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ are composed of even sharper satire. In Part III, the people of “Laputa,” a flying island, have no interest in the practical realities of life around them. They gaze only at the sky and devote themselves entirely to absurd research. They are engrossed in utterly preposterous research, such as turning excrement back into food, raising hairless sheep, and extracting sunlight from cucumbers. All of these studies defy the laws of nature. It is a sharp warning against scientism.
The final Part IV is an account of a journey through a country ruled by horses called “Huynums.” In Part 4, the author seriously raises the question of whether humans can truly be called rational animals. In the land of the Houyhnhnms, the ugliest animal is the “Yahoos.” Yahoos are the most untamable animals; they are cunning, wicked, and greedy. They are arrogant, servile, and cruel. Yet it is precisely these Yahoos who are humans. To the Houyhnhnms, Europeans are animals—the ugliest of all—endowed with a modicum of imperfect reason. Humans have not used reason to improve their innate ugly nature; they have merely used it to make it worse. Therefore, Europeans are uglier than the Houyhnhnms. Through the Houyhnhnms, Swift gleefully satirizes the judicial system—including lawyers and judges—high-ranking officials represented by ministers, and the privileged class of nobility. This is why the book was once banned.
We cannot help but be astonished while reading ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, because the content of its satire remains just as relevant today. Has human society truly progressed? Are humans truly rational animals? We cannot help but ask these questions seriously. Since humans and human society are inevitably imperfect, the questions Swift posed remain valid at all times. And it is precisely through these questions that we can hold dear in our hearts the Land of Houyhnhnms, which Gulliver viewed as an ideal society.
Gulliver’s observations, which made people of his time uncomfortable, also make us uncomfortable today. In particular, Part IV of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ makes us feel deeply uneasy. How can we not feel uneasy reading a work that so starkly reveals that the animal humans detest most is none other than themselves? Knowing that this satire remains relevant today, and knowing that this criticism is true, how can we possibly feel at ease?
But there is no need to be pessimistic. This is because ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ tells us that it is precisely what it means to be human to boldly lay this truth bare. It is because the moment we feel that discomfort, we are able to reflect on ourselves. Confucius said, “To know what you know and to know what you do not know—that is true knowledge.” What does it mean to realize what you do not know? It means you have gained a broader perspective. Not knowing what you do not know—that is true ignorance. The real danger is remaining a frog in a well, oblivious to the world beyond.
Recognizing your own faults is the first step toward the right path. To live a truly meaningful life, you must not fall into complacency.
That is why Gulliver said that while he could tolerate all manner of vile human beings, he found it utterly unbearable to deal with those consumed by pride. For humans—nature’s ugliest creatures—to be consumed by pride! Gulliver says that is simply unbearable. In other words, he cannot forgive those who lack self-reflection.
Jonathan Swift exclaims, “Man is by no means a rational animal. If man were a rational animal, how could human society be so vile?” His outcry is not directed solely at the British society in which he lived. It is a cry that remains valid today for all human societies and will inevitably remain so forever. That is precisely why ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ is a timeless classic.
Sometimes, let’s become giants and see the big picture. Sometimes, let’s become Lilliputians and observe with precision. Sometimes, let’s reflect on ourselves and feel ashamed. Let’s nurture a mentor like Huinum within our hearts. Then, the path to becoming a different person than we were before will open up.
Jonathan Swift was born in 1667 in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, to English parents. Having lost his father before he was born, he was raised by his uncle. He studied at Trinity College and, in 1700, became a canon at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Ireland. While living in England, he published political writings. However, in 1714, when George I of the German House of Hanover ascended the British throne, he fled to Ireland.
Swift, who took on the role of Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, turned his attention to the reality of Ireland being exploited by British colonial policies. In 1724, he published ‘The Letters of D’Reyfer’, criticizing Britain’s plan to circulate currency in Ireland and forcing its withdrawal. He then published ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ in 1726, instantly becoming a famous author. His inspiration came from Daniel Defoe’s ‘Robinson Crusoe’, published in 1719.
A massive success at the time, ‘Robinson Crusoe’ sparked a trend in travel literature and greatly influenced Swift’s writing of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’. However, the content of the two books is diametrically opposed. “Robinson Crusoe” tells the story of an Englishman shipwrecked on a deserted island who overcomes his hardships through his own strength. He is a European with a strong sense of pride—an Englishman imbued with a pioneering spirit and a love of adventure. In contrast, “Gulliver’s Travels” is less a travelogue and more a work that borrows the travelogue format to offer reflection and criticism of England and, by extension, humanity itself. It is a fascinating phenomenon that two men who lived in nearly the same era could have such different perspectives on the world they inhabited. ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ enjoyed popularity rivaling that of ‘Robinson Crusoe’. The first edition of this novel sold out in just one week; 10,000 copies were sold within three weeks; and within two years, it had been translated into French, Dutch, and German.
There is another famous example that demonstrates just how paradoxical a writer Jonathan Swift was: the essay ‘A Modest Proposal’, published in 1729. In it, he makes the highly paradoxical suggestion that, to solve Ireland’s economic problems, Irish children should be sold to the British for food. This passage clearly illustrates the extent of his satirical and critical nature. He begins the essay by describing the reality of countless children being abandoned in Ireland. He then, in a very cold and calm manner, proposes exporting those children for food.
Swift died of a stroke in 1745 at the age of 78.
