Gulliver's Travels: A Voyage to Lilliput

Summary of A Voyage to Lilliput

Chapters I - VIII
In Gulliver's Travels, Part one, Lemuel Gulliver begins the novel with background information about his
family history and education. He was born to a poor family of seven and, as a teenager, he was sent
to London to be a surgeon's apprentice. This is when he learned navigational skills and an interest in
travel under a man named James Bates. For three years he served as a surgeon on the ship named
Swallow. Following that he marries Mary Burton and becomes a London doctor. After his business
fails he goes back to sea and travels for six years. He then decides to take one last trip on the ship
called Antelope.

The Antelope hits a violent storm and crew members die. Few escape the sinking ship and soon all
separate. Gulliver finds his way safely to shore and passes out. He awakes to surprisingly find himself
tied to the ground by thread. He soon discovers that six-inch tall miniature humans have captured him.
He tries to escape but soon finds himself viciously attacked by the people with arrows. He lies still in
response, and watches as they build a stage for a little person to speak to him on. However he cannot
understand the persons language.

The people realize he is hungry and thirsty and provide both for him. He thinks of attacking the people
but feels grateful for their hospitality ad admires their bravery. The people decide to bring him to their
capital city by dragging him on a board on 22 wheels. It takes 900 of the little men to carry him. Once
they arrive, his leg is tied to a temple and he only has the freedom to move around and lay inside the
building.

In chapter two, after the Lilliputians chain Gulliver to the building, Gulliver is finally allowed to stand up
and view the entire countryside, which he the finds out is beautiful. The emperor visits on horseback
from his tower and orders his servants to give Gulliver food and drink. Although they cannot
understand each other, they still try to communicate. So Gulliver tries to speak every language he
knows, but is still unsuccessful. Gulliver is then left alone with a group of soldiers guarding him, but
some try to shoot arrows at him. The brigadier, as punishment, ties up six of the soldiers and places
them in Gullivers hand. Gulliver puts all soldiers in his pocket except for one. Gulliver pretends he is
going to eat this soldier but instead the soldier cuts loose Gullivers ropes. Gulliver then sets the soldier
free with the other five.

Since Gulliver treated the six offending soldiers so kindly, the emperor and his court decide to respond
with kindness as well. They supply him with large amounts of food and make him clothes. Every
morning Gulliver asks the emperor to set him free, but the emperor refuses, saying that Gulliver must
be patient. Gulliver also agrees to the Lilliputians to search him of any weapons. After two weeks, a
bed of 600 smaller beds were sewn together for Gulliver to sleep on. The news on Gulliver spread
quickly throughout the kingdom. Meanwhile, the government tries to decide what to do with him. They
are concerned that he might break loose, or that he will eat enough to cause a famine. Some suggest
to starve or shoot him in the face to kill him, but they would then be left with huge problem in doing so
because it would leave them with a giant corpse and a large health risk.

Through chapter three of the sequence, Gulliver has slowly been gaining the Lilliputians trust and
thinks he will soon be set free. They take care of him and entertain him. The entertainment is also an
audition for governmental positions. They walk on ropes two feet above ground. Gulliver invites
horsemen to exercise on a platform of sticks and a handkerchief on which he built after realizing how
dangerous it was. He poses like a giant statue for the troops to march under.

After awhile and some petitioning by Gulliver, the Lilliputians decide to set him free. Before he is let go
he had to agree to help the Lilliputians in time of war, check land area around them in time of war,
help build, and help send important messages. He agreed and was released from the chains.

In chapter four, Gulliver is released from captivity and goes to the capital city of Lilliput, called
Mildenda. After staying there for two weeks, a government official, named Reldresal, comes to see
him. Reldresal explains to Gulliver that a rebel group within the kingdom of Lilliput as well as a foreign
empire threaten the kingdom. He explains to Gulliver that the rebel group exists because the kingdom
is divided into two sections, called Trameckscan and Slameckscan. The two groups are distinguished
by the height of their heels. There are the High-heels and there are the Low-heels. Reldresal also
explains to Gulliver that the Lilliputians are in fear of an invasion from the island of Blefuscu. Reldresal
calls Blefuscu the Other great empire of the universe and describes the history and conflict between
the two nations to Gulliver. At the end of it all, Gulliver is asked to help defend Lilliput against its
enemies. He does not feel that it is his place, but he offers his services to the emperor anyway.

Gulliver, in chapter five, goes to Blefuscu and makes a plan. He uses iron and cable to make hooks
and he attaches their ships to one another and pulls them back to Lilliput. He is greeted as a hero. But
then people begin to turn against him when he would not go back. He did not want to encourage
injustice. He felt the conflict between the kingdoms were meaningless. Three weeks later, Blefuscu
surrenders to Lilliput. However, the Blefuscus also ask Gulliver to visit their kingdom. Gulliver
becomes a person of high rank in Lilliput, called a Nardac. He no longer has to perform all of the
duties assigned to him in his contract, but he is used to put out a fire in the emperors wifes bedroom
by urinating on it.

In chapter six, Gulliver describes in detail the ways of the people and everything else in Lilliput. He
notices how everything in their city is proportional to themselves including the plants and animals.
Even their eyesight is scaled to their size. He talks of how they are educated but write diagonally on
paper. Gulliver also talks about their funeral rituals as well as their criminal system. He is intrigued by
how they persecute people for committing fraud and treason. Those people recieved the worst
sentences of capital punishment and death. He also compliments their education system and their
socialist economic society which cater to good of the overall community rather than individual rights or
freedom.

Into chapter seven, Gulliver prepares to leave Lilliput but is so interested in their practices. Before he
leaves to Blefuscu, he finds himself being charged with treason by enemies in the government. He is
told that his sentence is to have his eyes taken out and starved to death. In fear of his near sentence,
Gulliver quickly leaves off to Blefuscu.

Gulliver finds a boat of his size in the water. He requests help from the Blefuscu emperor to help
repair it. The Lilliputians send a notice of Gullivers wanting to the emperor of Blefuscu but the emperor
denies the request and tells them Gulliver is departing. He sets sail after about a month of work on the
boat and arrives back in London. There he makes profits off of stolen miniature animals he took in his
pockets from Blefuscu.