Summary of Gullivers Travels

“Judges... are picked out from the most dexterous lawyers, who are grown old or lazy, and having been biased all their lives against truth or equity, are under such a fatal necessity of favoring fraud, perjury and oppression, that I have known several of them to refuse a large bribe from the side where justice lay, rather than injure the faculty by doing anything unbecoming their nature in office.”
― Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels

In the summer of 1982 Eugene R. Hammond, Associate Professor of English at the University of Maryland wrote and published his essay “Nature-Reason-Justice in Utopia and Gulliver’s Travels.” It is through his extensive research and studies, as portrayed within this article; we are able to understand not only the similarities of civic humanism to be found in both the Utopian societies of Thomas More’s Utopia, but also within Johnathan Swift’s Hoyhnhnms.  Hammond states in his opening paragraph the following “In both Utopia and Gulliver’s Travels, reason is intimately linked with the virtue of justice, and in each, the institutional injustice of contemporary society is pointedly satirized through comparison with the impressive (if not perfect) justice of an imaginary, rational society.” (Hammond, 1982) 

With More’s Utopia and Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels the reader encounters similar and yet unique journeys through not only distinguishable and fantastical lands, but we are introduced to races and governments that use three genres as a base for a logical foundation of thought and livelihood: Nature, Justice, and Reason.  It is through these three we encounter what each author was striving for beneath what appears to be simple, and yet complex tales far beyond their periods of time. 

We are able to summarize the intent of each author through their meaning by indexing how they use the words “Nature, Justice, and Reason” through each tale interchangeably.  For each it is simple.  They seek to show for Justice that the law is the law and this applies to all.  Nature on the other hand affects all, and is all.  One cannot exist without Nature; while the concept of Reason is more evolved and complex.  Reason involves thought and purpose.  Within both More’s Utopia and Swift’s GT we are introduced to ideology that is reasonably and unreasonable to the existing governments of both works. 

Both Utopia and GT focus upon the concept of entrenched injustice within the working governments at hand.  For Utopia, More points out how the administrators of the government are “Much more concerned with how, by crook or hook, they may win fresh kingdoms than how they may administer well what they have got.” (Utopia, p. 57) This form of injustice belies the idea of Justice under a ruling power as a solid form of democracy, as Hammond contends.  He further goes into detail by pointing out that similar aspects can be found within Gulliver’s travels by viewing the state of government of King of Brobdingnag and the Houyhnhnms.  In Brobdingnag you encounter a government that feeds off the life of the commonwealth and the poor, while the Rich gorge themselves. 

One could look to modern literature for similarities by beginning with Suzanne Collin’s trilogy “The Hunger Games.” This series of novels are laid out in very familiar patterns as both More and Swift, with the concept of entrenched injustice and the Rich feasting upon the life and blood of the poor.  Collins further uses both Utopia and GT as inspiration for her novels by not only bringing about ideals of Justice, but also Reason and Nature along with the first.  Her trilogy adapts and evolves without losing sight of its base reason – to gain freedom from a corrupt government and develop a democracy where children are not sacrificed for the amusement of the rich.  “Only I keep wishing I could think of a way...to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games.” (Katnis, The Hunger Games)

We again can look at the ideology of Hammond’s essay in the context of today’s society.  More importantly if one is to look back at the 2016 Presidential Election, with the platform of the “Greater Tomorrow,” as promised by Donald Trump we find similarities can be drawn between More’s Utopia and Swift’s GT with the idea of entrenched injustice once more outweighing the need for Democracy.  Hammond states “In both Utopia and Gulliver’s Travels, the authors point to numerous injustices; but at the same time they attempt to shock us into recognizing that these injustices have been cleverly institutionalized.  Government officials in both works show nothing but contempt for the justice they presumed to administer.”  Trump’s own views and speeches have voiced very similar concepts, pushing for the people to realize they have been deceived and manipulated by the government and its “officials” into believing a lie; a lie that the American people are tired of allowing, and it is time to once more make America what it was meant to be by the founding fathers.

Gulliver, himself, gives a description of Justice and Reason when encountering the Government of the Lilliputs: “The first I shall mention, relates to informers.  All crimes against the state, are punished here with utmost severity, but, if the person accused makes his innocence plainly to appear upon his trial, the accuser is immediately put to an ignominious death; and out of his goods or lands the innocent person is quadruply recompensed for the loss of his time, for the danger he underwent, for the hardship of his imprisonment, and for the charges he has been at in the making his defense; or, if that fund be deficient, it is largely supplied by the crown.  The emperor also confers on him some public mark of his favor, and proclamation of his innocence through the whole city.” (GT, p. 162)  Though this form of punishment seems harsh at first it brings back to ideas of Hammond’s essay

1.      The law is the law

2.      The Lilliput’s are not a democratic society, but rather a more entrenched society based upon the concept of injustice, with one possibly facing charges either false or true, but done in such a manner as to ensure either the defender or the accuser walks away with wealth that will expand upon their original state of being at the sacrifice of the other person. 

In conclusion, while More and Swift attempted to give us an ideology based upon reason it is the entrenched injustice of the multiple societies that stand apart shedding light not only upon the virtues of their characters souls, but also upon today’s more modern society and how we look at ourselves and our government as a whole. 

*Professor Eugene R. Hammond is currently on faculty and working as an Associate Professor of English at SUNY StonyBrook in Long Island, NY, where he continues to delve into the ideology of both Thomas More and Johnathan Swift’s works teaching utopian literature to new generations.

References:

1.      Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. NY, NY: Scholastic, 2008. Print.

2.      More, Thomas, Ralph Robinson, and David Harris Sacks. Utopia. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. Print.

3.      Swift, Johnathan. Gulliver's Travels. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

4.      Hammond, Eugene R. “Nature-Reason-Justice in Utopia and Gulliver's Travels.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 22, no. 3, 1982, p. 445. doi:10.2307/450241.