Major themes in Book IV of Swift's Gulliver's Travels

¶ … Gulliver's Travels

Book IV of Swift's Gulliver's Travels begins with an overall description of the orderly nature of the kingdom in which the giant finds himself, now at liberty. The community is large and well laid out, orderly and logical, with many happy 500,000 souls. The theme of the Book, seems to be a comparative example of how most conflicts of empires can be broken do to relatively small grievances and that the reader can see these conflicts as parallel to many they see in their own worlds. The challenge within the book comes when Gulliver learns of the discord within an without the kingdom and the nature of the concerns associated with the wearing of low or high heals (Tramecksans and Slamecksans internal ideological division) and the cracking of eggs from the small or large end and external conflict of ideology regarding Lilliput and the island of Blefuscu (the external ideological threat), the only other recognized empire, which plays host to rebels from Liliput who believe that eggs should be cracked from the large end, or by the desire of the cracker. Though to Gulliver and the reader such concerns might seem trivial, there is a comparison drawn between the minimalism of the size of those in the two kingdoms and the nature of their conflict. Yet, probably the most interesting fact would be a comparison drawn between Gulliver's giant world and that of the "universe" of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Each believes that they are the core and only civilizations in the world and that their problems are as bad as humanly possible. Each draws their traditions and concerns from historical challenges made by the emperor (or king) and both also draw their foundation from religion and conflict over dogma. In the case of the internal threat the two internal factions are responding to an edict, made by the emperor that he and his followers should wear low heals, likely to elicit ease of walking and working and create greater progress, yet the concern and challenge is one of a new tradition vs. An old tradition, not unlike the daily challenges of the European world.

It is alleged, indeed, that the high heels are most agreeable to our ancient constitution; but, however this may be, his majesty has determined to make use of only low heels in the administration of the government, and all offices in the gift of the crown, as you cannot but observe; and particularly, that his majesty's imperial heels are lower at least by a drurr than any of his court (drurr is a measure about the fourteenth part of an inch). The animosities between these two parties run so high, that they will neither eat nor drink nor talk with each other. We compute the Tramecksan, or High-heels, to exceed us in number; but the power is wholly on our side. We apprehend his imperial highness, the heir to the crown, to have some tendency towards the High-heels; at least, we can plainly discover one of his heels higher than the other, which gives him a hobble in his gait. (43)

Within this internal conflict one can see a challenge to tradition, as well as a demonstrative schism between the emperor and his heir, a challenge that is not unlike many that occur in the court of the European Giant. There is a clear sense that Swift means to compare the nature of many courtly and therefore political struggles to very small matters of tradition that have gone on to become foundational ideological challenges to unity.

Moving on to the external ideological threat, which has now become an expensive military threat and a threat to the very existence of the two kingdoms of Lilliput and Blefuscu the nature of the conflict is equally if not of lesser importance than the ideological conflict of high heals, which can be connected to an ideal of progress, as the ease of walking in low heals could precipitate a greater ability to work and shadow an ideal of progress, even though the edict of the leanings of the emperor are not known, not unlike edicts in other places in the world. The conflict over which end of the egg to crack demonstrates an ideal of what would seem limited importance, and is the result of a personal bad experience that was had by a small boy whose family was in power, and has culminated into a full blown and expensive foreign war.

A two mighty powers have, as I was going to tell you, been engaged in a most obstinate war for six-and-thirty moons past. It began upon the following occasion: It is allowed on all hands, that the primitive way of breaking eggs, before we eat them, was upon the larger end; but his present majesty's grandfather, while he was a boy, going to eat an egg, and breaking it according to the ancient practice, happened to cut one of his fingers; whereupon the emperor, his father, published an edict, commanding all his subjects, upon great penalties, to break the smaller end of their eggs. The people so highly resented this law, that our histories tell us there have been six rebellions raised on that account; wherein one emperor lost his life, and another his crown. These civil commotions were constantly fomented by the monarchs of Blefuscu; and when they were quelled, the exiles always fled for refuge to that empire. It is computed that eleven thousand persons have, at several times, suffered death, rather than submit to break their eggs at the smaller end. (44)

The plot becomes even greater when a foreign body enters and then even greater when theology becomes a foundational aspect of the argument over the end of the egg to crack. There is secrecy and intrigue as books are banned and conversations halted.

Many hundred large volumes have been published upon this controversy; but the books of the Big-endians have been long forbidden, and the whole party rendered incapable by law of holding employments. During the course of these troubles, the emperors of Blefuscu did frequently expostulate by their ambassadors, accusing us of making a schism in religion by offending against a fundamental doctrine of our great prophet Lustrog, in the fifty-fourth chapter of the Blundecral, which is their Alcoran. This, however, is thought to be a mere strain upon the text; for the words are these: That all true believers shall break their eggs at the convenient end; and which is the convenient end seems, in my humble opinion, to be left to every man's conscience, or at least in the power of the chief magistrate to determine. (45)

Despite the fact that a logical man, being the Secretary general of the empire and likely many others feel that egg cracking ia personal choice of convenience it still fuels a costly war between not only two parties in one nation but with a neighboring empire, who is no doubt covetous of the property and power of Lilliput.