I
keep on reading (listening) to the classics.
This time it was Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s
Travels. The story of an Englishman who
takes great voyages to far away regions of the world, sharing lessons learned
about culture, people, and his experiences.
The book is broken into four parts, the first (my favorite) tells of
Gulliver being washed ashore when his ship capsizes. He finds himself stranded on the island of
Lilliput where he is the giant amongst a land of “little people” and is
captured until he assists in the battle against a neighboring clan of rivals. After Gulliver helps in the battle, he is
seen as a hero to the villagers and receives some accommodations by the King.
Gulliver’s
trips take him on a number of voyages including: Brobdingnag, Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, Glubbdubdrib, Japan, and his
last (as the captain of the ship) to Houyhnhnms. The last, and my favorite, is where he meets
the savages, called the Yahoos!, after his crew desert him. At first he adjusts to their culture, but
finally is driven away and rescued once again by a ship heading to his
homeland.
Back home, he reconciles with his
family, who he has spent minimal time with due to his travels around the
globe. Gulliver’s days at home are not
easy as he can’t seem to let go of his time away. He slowly becomes insane as he is incapable
of speaking to family and starts to communicate with animals. Lots of metaphors presented by Swift, whose
prose is outstanding and story-telling abilities top-notch. Some of the themes center on issues Swift
encounters in his own life and society, such as, are people really good or bad,
what should the role of government be in how it manages its people, is there a
better society and should we be looking for it ourselves? Thoughtful commentary on Swift’s day. A great read.
No comments:
Post a Comment