Despite ruling a
physically isolated kingdom that has no real need to be concerned with anyone else because it
has no neighbors, the king of Brobdingnag is very interested to learn about the laws and culture
of Gulliver's home. He is horrified when Gulliver begins to acquaint him with the customs of
England, and he comes to believe that the British are selfish and warlike and dishonest
"vermin." However, even beyond his disgust, the king develops a rather violent
antipathy to both Gulliver and his countrymen when Gulliver tries to tell him about the
wonderful virtues of an invention called gunpowder. Gulliver describes the great damage it can
do in almost gleeful terms, speaking about men's limbs positively raining from the skies after
their owners have been blown apart by gunpowder's awe-inspiring power. The king is less than
impressed.
The king's response to Gulliver shows just how gentle and wise he
is. Fundamentally benevolent, honest, and peace-loving, the king seems to assess the British in
the way that Swift would like the reader to do; it's a rather harsh way to characterize the
reality he wished to satirize, butis often caustic.
No comments:
Post a Comment