This voyage is known as the microscopic view of man. The human beings, their actions, behaviour, merits and demerits are seen from very near. Throughout this voyage, by drawing out different sketches of examples, Swift informs us that man is helpless in this powerful world.
In this voyage Gulliver is six feet tall where as the people of Borgdingnag are of 72 feet. Gulliver looks very small in front of them. People of that place were feeling very much strange to see Gulliver because he is not even the size of pigmy. Even pigmy of that area was of 30 feet. When the farmer saw him, he talked with him but the voice the farmer, Gulliver said, “voice pierced my ears like that of a water-mill.” But when in reply Gulliver talked him, his voice was so weak that it could not reach to farmer’s ear. He did great effort but in vain.
By drawing sketch of this example, Swift wants to say that human beings are helpless. Especially Gulliver represents that human beings of lower status, small in size and insignificant in the hands of those big people of Brobdingnag, who represent the upper class or the people of high status.
One more concept also comes before us through this point in which ‘Gulliver is represented as the subject of a country and the huge farmer represented the king or the government. In this way it is seen that what ever the people shout or cry is of no use and value for the government.
The next point where Gulliver is feeling himself weak and helpless is, “In the midst of dinner my Mistress’s favourite cat leap into her lap. I heard a noise behind me like that of a dozen stocking weavers at work, and turning my head, I found it proceeded from the purring of this animal.”
This time again Swift is talking about the helplessness of human beings. He has no power but still he thinks that he is the terror of universe.
The incident in which the mother took Gulliver with love and gave him to his son and the son took Gulliver in his mouth; at that time again he felt that how small the man is. He is a creature of no value in the big hands.
As Gulliver was a unique personality among the people of Borbdingnag, different people from different places came to see him and he was presented as a toy and has to do what was said to him by his master (king of Borbdingnag).
This indicates that small people or the poor people or the people without power are like toys in the hands of the powerful men or the government.
In third chapter of this voyage Swift is talking about the filthiness of man. The entire body and all the features of the body are filled with filth and dirtiness.
He even uses the word “Relplum Scalcath”, said by the doctor of Borbdingnag, which means joke of nature. This is the pathetic condition of man that he is known as the joke of nature.
Then Swift talks about the absence of moral values. People have no moral values. All morality is for the relatives. This is a satire on the morality of Swift’s age. All virtues are for the relatives not for the strangers. Morality does not exist and there is no moral.
This allegory is used for the females. Swift says that female body is a very ugly spectacle.
Swift also says that man is not safe from anything. He has dangers from everything. Stating the condition of Gulliver, he said that he was not safe from the frog which was found in his bathing tub, he was not safe from the monkey who caught him and climbed up the tree, he was not safe when an eagle took him away in his claws. So, man is not safe any where. He is always in danger.
Swift had stated all these matters in a very interesting and lightly manner. This politeness also relates for Swift’s being a philanthropist.
Then swift talks about the judges and orators who do not perform their duty properly or honestly. He said that they were unjust, vexatious or oppressive.
There are also found a big number of religious and political sects. There is found no unity among all of them.
According to swift, one should be united and firmly connected with each other.
The education must also be reformed. Here Swift said that they had only one thousand books but their rules were good but we are having countless books in library but we have no proper system to derive in the society.
Swift is also against the production of modern and dangerous weapons. According to him, one should research on such a production and should invent such things which prove useful to the humanity but not for their destruction.
The art of government should also be transparent. Nothing should be hidden from the people. If the government is made for the people then why its affairs should be hidden from the people.
Swift also opposes the making of army and the institutions of army. His point of view is that man should not fight and should live peacefully.
Swift also opposes the plenty of death. If a person commits a crime by killing another person, consequently, he should not also be killed but should give some other kind of punishment. One should never kill anyone. He condemns killing any person killing is the most terrible and horrible act near Swift.
In short, in this voyage, Swift has again given the concepts of good life which should scatter in this society, he is trying his best through his writing to reform the society.
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