Wednesday, February 13, 2013

What is personality traits of Gulliver in Gulliver's Travels?

As his name indicates, Lemuel Gulliver's main personality trait is his gullibility. He easily believes what people tell him, and because he has a good memory, he can often recall their words verbatim. Much of the humor of the book comes from the deadpan way Gulliver will repeat the most absurd assertions he has heard or experiments he has witnessed, treating them as if they are sensible and reasonable. Gulliver also tends to be honest, which means he doesn't disguise the absurdity or cruelty he witnesses or has heard of. For example, he horrifies the Brobdingnagian king with his candid descriptions of the destructive power of European cannon balls.
Gulliver is an average person in many ways, though he learns languages very quickly and has an eye for detail. When he comes to believe in something, such as the superiority of the Houyhnhnms, he has a personality that clings passionately—and even irrationally—to his conviction.
Gulliver is also likable and humane. He accepts people on their own terms and does kind acts, such as peeing on the fire threatening the Lilliputian palace, a good deed that does not go unpunished.

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