Family Structures of the Lilliputians and Houyhnhnms

If we study the family structure of the Lilliputians and the Houyhnhnms in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, we find out soon enough that they have some key similarities. But what are these? And just what are the differences? In my essay I am meditating on the answer for such questions.

To begin with, let us gather the main characteristics of the family model in Lilliput. Obviously the Lilliputians (just as Gulliver’s character himself) are a great subject for irony and satire, representing human kind with its every-day ”battles” shrank (Just like the exercise of the army held on Gulliver’s Handkerchief). Likewise, their family values are also satiric in a way. By the great Law of Nature, men and women of Lilliput join together because of their sexual needs and in order to keep up the population. Presumably they are enormous in numbers this way. Because of this whole process they believe that the ”result” of their joining does not owe his/her parents a single thing. The same reasoning serves as base for even further convictions: their Opinion is, that Parents are the last of all others to be trusted with the Education of their own Children (part I. chapter VI.). - Instead they are obliged to send their children into public nurseries at the age of twenty moons: still as an infant. Exceptions are cottager and labourer parents, who can stay with their children, making the reader believe that these families are probably the most healthiest considered in a social way. After the separation of children and parents, the youngsters are taught the basic principles of the Lilliputian Society: They are bred up in the Principles of Honour, Justice, Courage, Modesty, Clemency, Religion, and Love of their Country (part I. chapter VI.). During this time, the parents are only allowed to see them twice a year - yet for one hour - and they are forbidden to bring the children presents. The next time the family can get together is at the marriageable age of twelve years, when the parents actually bring their children home.

Deep satiric meaning are also to be found if looking at the family structure of the holly good Houyhnhnms: in a society, where human kind is altered by the superiority of the noble values of these horse-like creatures who do not even have a concept for evil things or one’s own opinion. In their utopian way of thinking the deciding factor is always reason. This is what mainly defines their every act, so thus their family models. In contrast with the Lilliputian society, the Houyhnhnms made up law, which controls the maximum number of children a family may have and even the gender they need to be: one of each sex. As everything else in the country, this also has its own purpose: This Caution is necessary to prevent the Country from being overburthened with Numbers (part IV. Chapter VIII.). Purity gets a huge importance here: In their Marriages they are exactly careful to choose such Colours as will not make any disagreeable Mixture in the Breed (part IV. Chapter VIII.). In the meantime, males are expected to be strong and females to be pretty. After giving birth to the children, the male and female Houyhnhnms would not stay together. In case the couple would not succeed in ”producing” a boy and a girl, a special solution is ordered: ...if a Houyhnhnm hath two Males, he changeth one of them with another that hath two Females... (part IV. Chapter VIII.). When the children are old enough they get together (by decision of the parents and friends) to start a family but never get married: they do not know such thing.

In the end we can see that both societies are largely grotesque in a way. Although their basic ideas of breeding differ, they have a common idea of separation: both the Lilliputians and Houyhnhnms leave their children during the time of studies, moreover, the Houyhnhnms even ”exchange” them. This proves a sense of estrangement in the families,the lack of affection and love to each other. It might be a mitigating cause in this social sense for the Lilliputians that their primary reason for breeding is joy and that they have several social gatherings to entertain themselves, but these are totally missing from the Houyhnhnms’ lives. On the other hand, teaching, learning and good morals are equally essential for both societies. Normally I wouldn’t like to live in any of these societies, but maybe I would still prefer Lilliput for obvious reasons: more liberty. Here people still have a need for enjoyment, as well as social needs and a bit more contact with the family. In the Houyhnhnm society this opportunity for free entertainment is gone with the lack of concept for own opinion. Meanwhile, the utopian pureness of the Houyhnhnms actually provides a crime free life for all, which Lilliput surely lacks for they have certain laws against criminals. I believe that none of the two societies are proper for a full life, but both offer good values and examples from which we humans could truly learn to make our own environment a better place to live.

Used sources:

"Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels - Houyhnhnms as Ideal ?." 123HelpMe.com. 05 May 2008
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"Essay on Swift's Gulliver's Travels and Orwell's 1984." 123HelpMe.com. 05 May 2008
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