Gulliver, the Lilliputian Gargantuan, as a Representation of the Absurdity of Power

Gulliver is most obviously represented as an authority figure when he visits Lilliput, which is described in part I of the book. Initially, Gulliver is feared by the Lilliputians, but eventually, they revel him for his gargantuan size as they are much smaller than him: “... when bending mine Eyes downwards as much as I could, I perceived it to be a human Creature, not six Inches high, ...” (8). Throughout the book, Swift frequently calls attention to Gulliver’s size, but in part I, it is particularly significant because it is that distinct feature that gives Gulliver such power and authority in Lilliput. However, Gulliver’s latitude of authority seems almost as minuscule as the Lilliputians because they still regard him with a degree of skepticism, trying to use him as a tool more so than acknowledging him as either a friend or foe. Although the Lilliputians do appease Gulliver in many ways, such as providing him food and entertainment, they mostly treat him as though he is beneath them, almost like a slave— he is always tied up and all of his personal possessions were taken from him. The Lilliputians eventually free him, but only if he signs a contractual agreement that states he will work alongside them in times of war and perform other necessary tasks. In this way, the Lilliputians view Gulliver as a means of achieving certain ends, and that is the way in which they try to assert their dominance over Gulliver despite the physical differences between them. This irony is exactly what Swift wants to call readers’ careful attention to. The Lilliputians’ refusal to acknowledge the ways in which Gulliver is more powerful than them suggests the overwhelming presence of his dominance, that the potential of Gulliver’s power is so much that the Lilliputians would rather live in denial than acknowledge the likelihood that they are no longer in control. It is the Lilliputians’ astounding level of deniability that demonstrates the absolute absurdity of concepts like power and control. Even when confronted with the possibility of losing control, the Lilliputians would rather try to stop the impossible rather than acknowledge that power is relative and fickle.

Works Cited

Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels. Benjamin Motte, 1726.