Brobdingnag

Gulliver’s travels really always involve the strangest twists. First he had arrived in nation where he was a giant, which meant that every Lilliputian were about one-twelfth his size. And now he is once again washed up ashore in a deserted bizarre new land. Except instead of waking up to minuscule humanoids strapping him down he is almost decapitated by a scythe. A very large one at that! For you see this time Gulliver has found himself in the wondrous new world known as Brobdingnag. When Gulliver had finally had enough of the torment of waiting for a very large foot to come down he had screamed as loudly as he could. One of the giants working in the corn field finally takes note of Gulliver and proceeds to pick him up. Though now Gulliver having “shrunk” and within the presence of giants even the smallest pressure can inflict pain. (pg. 42) This is a very amusing turn of events since now it seems that Gulliver’s position has changed. He was first the once high and mighty giant to the Lilliputians but now he is nothing more than a mere toy to these Brobdingnagians.
Gulliver’s initial stay in Brobdingnag turns out to be a virtually horrid experience. He’s nearly trampled on in the beginning and then later on he is degraded into a lowly position for the greed of one giant. He is made into a nothing less of a “freak” on display for people to jeer at and to be made the object of scorn and ridicule. This goes to prove how much size (and not just physically but also in position) is a matter of importance within Gulliver’s world. When Gulliver had lived within Lilliput his giant size had made him into almost deity-like within the eyes of the Lilliputians. He was rewarded with awe and respectful wonderment whereas within Brobdingnag he is showered with only curious glances for the enjoyment of his spectators. As if he was nothing better than a caged animal useful with only the purpose of making his master rich. Another seemingly ironic situation given that after Gulliver had returned from Lilliput he had smuggled away a few farm animals From Blefuscu to be put on display for the sake of the gold which he could earn for presenting such rare oddities (pg. 40).
Though soon after Gulliver is forced into performing “tricks” to entertain his viewers he begins to seriously fall ill due to the all emotional and physical strain demanded upon him from having to travel and presented so frequently. His health deteriorates to the point that he becomes extremely fragile and thin because of losing so much weight. And yet like with any other toy, the owner only regrets the losing of his fun or prosperity rather than for the object itself. Gulliver’s “master” hardly shows any remorse at being the cause of Gulliver’s ill health. Instead he only regrets losing the money that Gulliver could bring in for him if he were to live much longer and thus determines to use Gulliver to all of his ability before the time of death would occur (pg. 51). And during the whole trial of reading these passages I couldn’t help but feel deep disgust for such a morally-lacking character. I had with all my will for that whole 3 hours greatly detested the cruel treatment of which any “humans” –term used vaguely- would treat another with even if that other person be tiny or insignificant. It reminded me of how selfish one could really be when they do not or can not view another as an equal but as a person of lesser value than their own. That person then could only put themselves ahead of everybody else for which they deemed “unworthy” or basically trash. And that just makes my blood boil by the fact that any person could see some else as insignificantly as did this farmer with Gulliver, and especially with a life at stake. I can’t help but be angered that a life was considered to be of less important that something as trivial as money. (And even though I know that many times reality is much the same as is depicted fictiously albeit a little more exaggerated, I can’t help the fact of wanting to deny that claim. I have already known of numerous of instances where money and maybe even less trivial objects are greatly adored above a life. Take any robbery for example that would have ended fatal. Or any kidnappings. Even war.)
Fortunately though for Gulliver, the queen of Brobdingnag had taken such a fancy with him that she had bought him from the farmer using a thousand gold pieces. And so he comes to live within the palace bringing with him Glumdalclitch who was the farmer’s daughter and one of the few persons to show him compassion during his “enslavement”. The queen grows quite attached to him and but he finds her instead as somewhat repulsive. In fact when he is invited over to the housings of the ladies at the court he often finds them to be unattractive stating that “their skins appeared so coarse and uneven” and he could also hardly bear their stench, “wherewith I was much disgusted because, to say the truth, a very offensive smell came from their skins” (pg. 60). But he also concludes that it was due to his tiny stature that every blemish or imperfection was made vividly acute. He as well notes that if he was in the same proportions as they were he would have found them as lovely as any fine English woman. Although most of his distaste for these ladies are due to the way that they treat him. They treat him as a mere toy, playing with him and using him as a source of amusement. Here I find much of the same problem as I did earlier. There was little to no respect at all for Gulliver. Also the details of how Gulliver finds the ladies of the court to be quite appalling showed how many things that may be perfect to one of the same group- in this case the Brobdingnagians- may not be as attractive to another. He explained that he would have found them as agreeable as any other well pampered ladies if he were to be in the same position as any Brobdingnagian male but he wasn’t and therefore he was able to see more of their flaws then they would have otherwise seen in each other. This kind of explains how one would see another differently than they would see someone of their own. You’re always more quick to see someone else’s flaws when that person is someone unlike you. Mainly because you (unconsciously or not) don’t want to point out someone’s imperfections that you your self may exhibit.