Chapters 9-11

Pretending to be Dutch, Gulliver sets off on a journey to the island of Luggnagg. He hires a young interpreter on the island. Gulliver visits the king’s court situated at Trildrogdrib. He greets the king in accordance with the custom of the court: by crawling on his belly, licking the floor, and then praising him. This is a precautionary method used by the court to poison enemies. Gulliver and his interpreter are given permission to stay there for three months by the king.

As Gulliver stays on, he becomes privy to invaluable information about struldbrugs, the immortals who live in Luggnagg. Gulliver is excited by the prospect of immortality. He exclaims in joy that if he were to become immortal, he would use the time to accumulate knowledge and discuss important matters with wise struldbrugs. He imagines immortality would make it possible to witness exciting changes in the times, changes he would otherwise never be able to observe. The Luggnaggians are amused by Gulliver’s response. They tell him that struldbrugs couldn’t be more different from the account of immortal life Gulliver has just shared. Upon meeting them, Gulliver realizes that they are bitter and unfriendly; they are especially jealous of mortal youths. Luggnagg does not regard struldbrugs over eighty years of age as active members of society.

Gulliver sets sail from Luggnagg to meet the Japanese emperor while still pretending to be Dutch. He refuses to trample the crucifix, a maritime tradition, by citing his respect for the Luggnagg king. Though the crew is suspicious of him, he returns to his family in England after having been away for five years.

Analysis

Gulliver’s decision to lie about his nationality demonstrates traits we witness often in the novel: inventiveness and adaptability (even if achieved through lying). The floor-licking ritual is a demonstration of crass power. Immortals bear the symbol of immortality around their eye; the symbol’s placement seems to suggest immortality changes how one looks at the world. Gulliver’s notion that immortality would be a boon also quickly changes in this section. Upon seeing the embittered, sad, and angry immortals, Gulliver learns a lesson about the equanimity of death and life. It also shows him that humans’ conception of mortality is limited and unimaginative. The valorization of immortality can be linked to calls for the unimpeded progress of modern science.