Post 3: Gulliver's Travels and the Archives

Gulliver overtly establishes his authority throughout the text, but I believe he is most concerned with his self-image in the fourth and final book of the novel, and subsequently, makes considerable effort to establish himself as a figure of authority. Throughout the novel, we see Gulliver’s reference history and medicine. But in the fourth book, he pays special attention to the politics of Houyhnhnm-land and emphasizes his outsider looking in status. He remarks that he has been enlightened by the Houyhnhnm lifestyle and worldview. He explains that he had discussed with his master the “nature of government in general, and particularly of our own excellent constitution, deservedly the wonder and envy of the whole world” in reference to the British constitution and form of government (238). From there, he goes on to describe the Houyhnhnm political structure and his eventual reverence for it. By the end of the book, Gulliver is completely disillusioned by humankind, and can’t help but view man as mere Yahoo. In the previous sections, Gulliver is more of a reporter, but by the end, the reader sees the real effect his travels have had on him. And I think showing this impact to the reader is a much sharper way of establishing authority than merely explaining what one saw. Not to say Gulliver is a mere commentator in the previous three books, but his journey comes to an end in the fourth and final section, so the reader truly sees how the combination of these journeys and specifically, his time in Houyhnhnm-land have ruined humankind for him. In the end, Gulliver requests to be left isolated from his society (280). This further demonstrates that he has become completely disillusioned by what he has seen, which in turn, emphasizes his authority. By providing this raw emotionality, Gulliver presents himself as someone who has the ability to speak on what he has seen. This is where his authority comes from.

Lylah Uttamsingh

Works Cited

Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels. Penguin Books, 2010.