Changing Identity of Gulliver

Gulliver’s Changing Identity

·      Introduction:

            “Gulliver’s Travels” is a beautiful novel by Jonathan Swift. He was an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, poet and critic. He is very famous by his some amazing works like “The battle of the Books” and “Gulliver’s Travels”. “Gulliver’s Travels” is a satirical fiction. It was first publish in 1726. This novel is Swift’s hunter-like satire upon society, religion, politics etc. This novel is divided into four parts, they are:

1.      A Voyage to Liliput

2.    A Voyage to Brobdingnag

3.    A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarb, Luggnag, Glubbdubdrib and Japan.

4.    A Voyage to the country of Houyhnhnms.

Lemuel Gulliver is here a protagonist and narrator also. With these four voyages Gulliver’s identity is also changing. We do not find the same Gulliver at the end, which we saw in the beginning. Here Gulliver constantly searches his identity and his belongingness.

In real life also, no one can live with one identity. With time a person’s identity defiantly changes. In Gulliver’s case his identity goes in the hand of the land in which he lives. By this Swift wants to show that A person’s identity is ruled by society.

In this novel, with these four voyages, not only his psychological identity but his physical identity also changes. His psychological identity goes from optimism to pessimism, symbolically his physical identity also.

·      Gulliver’s Identity in Liliput:

When he wakes up, he finds himself surrounded by tiny people. They are people of six inches. Gulliver is too giant for them. And for Gulliver, they are too small that Gulliver cannot even hear them. They ties Gulliver by their ropes. For them he is God-like figure. So, after some time all Liliputians come under Gulliver’s influence. In this world of pygmies Gulliver’s identity is as a powerful and unique person. Here he enjoys his existence. The originality of Gulliver is lost here. He is not a person of the sophisticated society of London. Here he is mighty person and full of confidence, while in his society he was only a common man. No one gave such consideration to him in his society. His physical size and strength give him unique position and identity. He feels proud on himself. And now Gulliver also identifies himself by the eyes of Liliputians.

The second thing is the point of language. Language is the only source for Gulliver to remember his earlier identity. But Liliputians speaks different language. And they arrange a teacher for Gulliver to teach their language. So, Gulliver loses his this identity also. So, this is the first game that Swift plays with Gulliver’s identity.

·      Gulliver’s Identity in Brobdingnag:

Gulliver’s second voyage is in Brobdingnag. We find totally changed Gulliver here. Here Gulliver is a tiny person and this is the land of Giants. Here people are of 70 feet. Even grass is too giant for Gulliver. This is his second changed identity which stands in contrast with the first changed identity. How do you feel when your identity is constantly losing and you are gaining new identity totally different?

Here in the land of Giants he is merely a creature or rather insect. A sudden and huge change in his identity! He becomes almost voiceless, while in Liliput he is given powerful voice. He is too small for Giants that he is spaced between two fingers of Giants.

Here also he is given more consideration than his own society. But the different is here he is not enjoying his identity and existence. On the contrary he fears. As Liliputians, for Giants also Gulliver is unique but perspectives change! Here also Gulliver is given consideration, but situations changes!

In Liliput, he can be identified as ‘a big fish in a small pond’ while here he is like ‘a frog in ocean’. Here he becomes a thing for entertainment and exhibition. A farmer makes money from Gulliver. No one considers him as a living human being. In Liliput he was ‘a God-like figure’, while in Brobdingnag he is ‘a slave-like creature’. Here as a thing he is bought and sold. People make money from him. Here he almost loses his identity because identity is made when people consider you as a human being. Another thing is with identity Gulliver’s attitude towards his original society and nation also changes.

Gulliver, who enjoyed his identity in Liliput, now hates his living in Brobdingnag. His two voyages show the importance of physical size and power in one’s identity.

·      Gulliver’s Identity in Laputa :

This is his third voyage. Here he finds very surprising world. This is a floating island. Here Gulliver finds himself in dim and gloomy atmosphere because absurdity is more powerful here. Nothing is clear and understandable here. So, Gulliver has to do struggle for making his identity.

Laputa is floating island. It doesn’t remain joined with earth. It is quite symbolic with Gulliver’s identity. Here Gulliver’s identity is also gone in absurdity. A person’s identity is joined by something. Here with whom, with which thing he can join himself? Everything is baseless here. Gulliver sees himself surrounded by complexity. With changing identity his mental state also changes. He feels neglected in Laputa. Here his identity is in danger because without base nothing can be possible.

In Liliput he enjoys, in Brobdingnag he fears while in Laputa he becomes frustrated. These all feelings come from his changing identity. Here, in Laputa he is like ‘a man in sky’, who cannot fly but have to fly for existence. Here ‘sky’ is in a negative meaning. It is attractive, yet not useful. For us, ‘reality is earth, sky is merely an illusion’. Here Gulliver can’t find himself within. This is third and higher level of game Swift plays with Gulliver’s identity.

·      Gulliver’s Identity in the Land of Houyhnhnms:

         This is his forth voyage. Here the biggest change comes in Gulliver’s identity. This is the land of horses not of humans. So, here Gulliver is identified not as a human, but as an animal. This is the greatest transformation of Gulliver from human to animal.

         Here horses are rational and intellectual, while humans are like animals- ugly, dumb and wild. Horses are the ruler of the humans. The interesting thing is here for Gulliver horses are animal, and for horses Gulliver is an animal. Horses can think, speak and rule like human beings. They are called ‘Yahoos’. So, now Gulliver is also coming in yahoo’s category. Swift very rudely twists Gulliver’s identity.

         Only one thing remains same with his identity, throughout his journey. That is “in all four lands, he remains like alien for the people of that land.”  They people decide Gulliver’s identity.

         How swiftly Swift changes Gulliver’s identity! Gulliver’s identity is a progress from optimism to pessimism, transformation from human to an animal. This is the changing identity of Gulliver.