Gulliver's Travels Post

A Corrupt America: Societies in Gulliver’s Travels

In part two book four, Gulliver reaches Houyhnhnmland where he encounters the Houyhnhms and is drawn to their simplistic nature and core virtues of reason, honesty, and rationality and then attempts to integrate himself among their society. Within the other societies he travels to, Gulliver is seen as either praised for his physical differences or imprisoned for them. Additionally, the societies vary in their political structure and in the way power is determined among the inhabitants. After visiting the land of the Houyhnhms, he is unable to view even his own society of the Yahoo as a way of rational living, and states how, “I must freely confess the sight of them filled me only with hatred, disgust, and contempt; and the more, by reflecting on the near alliance I had to them” (Ch XI). In comparison to the other societies he visits such as Laputa, power is given through technology and the government floats over its people, unable to even properly govern them or benefit them in any way. The academy also includes ridiculous experiments that have no actual use or benefits making this society corrupt in its nature. The war between the Lilliputian and the Blefuscu also mock the hunger for power and superiority among societies as they fight for a ridiculous concept of how to properly break an egg. Similarly, this represents early American colonization where the integration of new societies was seen as a threat and power structure among societies was not rational causing those in power to fight for superiority. The integration and expansion of European culture brought in new ideas, people, and methods of living which compares to the differences among all of the societies Gulliver visits. All of the other societies except for Houyhnmland are corrupt in nature because of the Houyhnhm’s simple ways and equality among them.

Works Cited

Swift, Jonathan, 1667-1745. Gulliver's Travels. New York :Harper, 1950.