Summary
Gulliver encounters the Struldbrugs, rare immortal beings born with a distinctive mark on their foreheads. Initially, he's ecstatic about meeting immortals, imagining them as wise sages who accumulate knowledge and wealth over centuries. He enthusiastically describes his own fantasy of immortal life: becoming the wealthiest person, mastering all sciences, and serving as an oracle of wisdom. However, the locals react with knowing smiles to his naive enthusiasm. They then reveal the brutal reality: Struldbrugs don't stay young forever. After age 30, they become increasingly melancholy and bitter. By 80, they're legally dead, stripped of property and rights. They lose their teeth, hair, memory, and ability to communicate as language evolves around them. They become isolated, envious creatures who can't even remember recent events or recognize friends. Rather than wise mentors, they're pitied outcasts who beg for tokens and are considered omens of bad luck. Gulliver is horrified when he actually meets several Struldbrugs, finding them the most mortifying sight he's ever witnessed. His romantic notions about eternal life are completely shattered. This chapter serves as Swift's savage critique of humanity's fear of death and our tendency to romanticize what we don't understand. It shows how our fantasies often ignore the practical realities of aging, isolation, and human nature itself.
Coming Up in Chapter 27
Having learned a harsh lesson about the reality behind his fantasies, Gulliver prepares to leave Luggnagg. His next destination will bring new adventures and perhaps new illusions to be shattered.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
The Luggnaggians commended. A particular description of the Struldbrugs, with many conversations between the author and some eminent persons upon that subject. The Luggnaggians are a polite and generous people; and although they are not without some share of that pride which is peculiar to all Eastern countries, yet they show themselves courteous to strangers, especially such who are countenanced by the court. I had many acquaintance, and among persons of the best fashion; and being always attended by my interpreter, the conversation we had was not disagreeable. One day, in much good company, I was asked by a person of quality, “whether I had seen any of their _struldbrugs_, or immortals?” I said, “I had not;” and desired he would explain to me “what he meant by such an appellation, applied to a mortal creature.” He told me “that sometimes, though very rarely, a child happened to be born in a family, with a red circular spot in the forehead, directly over the left eyebrow, which was an infallible mark that it should never die.” The spot, as he described it, “was about the compass of a silver threepence, but in the course of time grew larger, and changed its colour; for at twelve years old it became green, so continued till five and twenty, then turned to a deep blue: at five and forty it grew coal black, and as large as an English shilling; but never admitted any further alteration.” He said, “these births were so rare, that he did not believe there could be above eleven hundred struldbrugs, of both sexes, in the whole kingdom; of which he computed about fifty in the metropolis, and, among the rest, a young girl born about three years ago: that these productions were not peculiar to any family, but a mere effect of chance; and the children of the _struldbrugs_ themselves were equally mortal with the rest of the people.” I freely own myself to have been struck with inexpressible delight, upon hearing this account: and the person who gave it me happening to understand the Balnibarbian language, which I spoke very well, I could not forbear breaking out into expressions, perhaps a little too extravagant. I cried out, as in a rapture, “Happy nation, where every child hath at least a chance for being immortal! Happy people, who enjoy so many living examples of ancient virtue, and have masters ready to instruct them in the wisdom of all former ages! but happiest, beyond all comparison, are those excellent _struldbrugs_, who, being born exempt from that universal calamity of human nature, have their minds free and disengaged, without the weight and depression of spirits caused by the continual apprehensions of death!” I discovered my admiration, “that I had not observed any of these illustrious persons at court; the black spot on the forehead being so remarkable a distinction, that I could not have easily overlooked it: and it was impossible that his majesty, a most judicious prince, should not...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Fantasy vs. Reality
We romanticize unfamiliar experiences by projecting our desires onto incomplete information, setting ourselves up for crushing disappointment.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when we're filling information gaps with wishful thinking instead of facts.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you catch yourself fantasizing about a major change—then deliberately seek out someone who's actually living that reality and ask about the downsides.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Struldbrugs
Swift's fictional immortal beings who live forever but continue aging, becoming increasingly miserable and isolated. They represent the dark reality behind humanity's fantasy of eternal life.
Modern Usage:
We see this pattern when people chase anti-aging treatments without considering the social and emotional costs of outliving everyone they know.
Satire
A literary technique that uses exaggeration, irony, and humor to criticize human folly or vice. Swift uses the Struldbrugs to mock our fear of death and unrealistic expectations about aging.
Modern Usage:
Modern satirists like comedians and social media creators use similar techniques to point out the absurdity in our obsessions with youth and longevity.
Mortality paradox
The contradiction between wanting to live forever and the reality that death gives life meaning and urgency. The Struldbrugs show how immortality without eternal youth becomes a curse.
Modern Usage:
We see this in how people both fear death and complain about feeling stuck or bored when life feels too routine and endless.
Social death
When someone becomes invisible or irrelevant to society while still being physically alive. The Struldbrugs experience this when they're legally declared dead at 80 despite living on.
Modern Usage:
This happens today with elderly people in nursing homes, long-term unemployed individuals, or anyone society stops seeing as valuable or relevant.
Romantic idealization
The tendency to imagine something as perfect without considering practical realities. Gulliver fantasizes about immortality until he sees the actual Struldbrugs.
Modern Usage:
We do this with retirement, marriage, or any major life change - imagining only the good parts while ignoring potential downsides.
Cognitive decline
The gradual loss of mental abilities including memory, language, and recognition. The Struldbrugs lose the ability to communicate as language evolves around them.
Modern Usage:
We see this with dementia and Alzheimer's, but also how older generations struggle to keep up with rapidly changing technology and cultural references.
Characters in This Chapter
Gulliver
Naive observer
He initially fantasizes about immortality, imagining himself becoming wise and wealthy over centuries. His horrified reaction to meeting actual Struldbrugs shows how reality destroys romantic illusions.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who thinks retirement will be endless vacation until they actually retire and feel purposeless
The Luggnaggian gentleman
Knowing guide
He introduces the concept of Struldbrugs to Gulliver and smiles knowingly at his enthusiasm. He understands what Gulliver doesn't - that immortality isn't a blessing.
Modern Equivalent:
The experienced coworker who watches new hires get excited about things that will disappoint them
The Struldbrugs
Living warnings
These immortal beings represent the dark reality of endless life. They're bitter, isolated, and stripped of rights, showing how society discards those who live too long.
Modern Equivalent:
Elderly people in nursing homes who've outlived their families and friends, forgotten by a society that values youth
Key Quotes & Analysis
"I should then see the discovery of the longitude, the perpetual motion, the universal medicine, and many other great inventions brought to the utmost perfection."
Context: Gulliver fantasizing about what he could witness if he were immortal
This shows Gulliver's naive optimism about progress and his assumption that living longer automatically means seeing wonderful things. He doesn't consider that immortality might involve endless suffering or stagnation.
In Today's Words:
I'd get to see all the cool future technology and medical breakthroughs - flying cars, cures for everything, you name it.
"They were the most mortifying sight I ever beheld, and the women more horrible than the men."
Context: Gulliver's reaction after actually meeting the Struldbrugs
His horror reveals how completely his romantic fantasy has been shattered. The reality of immortal beings is so disturbing it becomes the worst thing he's ever seen in all his travels.
In Today's Words:
They were absolutely disgusting to look at - the most depressing, awful sight I'd ever seen.
"At ninety, they lose their teeth and hair; they have at that age no distinction of taste, but eat and drink whatever they can get, without relish or appetite."
Context: Describing the physical decline of the Struldbrugs as they age
This clinical description shows how immortality without eternal youth becomes a series of losses rather than gains. Swift emphasizes the physical degradation to make immortality seem repulsive rather than desirable.
In Today's Words:
By their nineties, they're basically falling apart - no teeth, no hair, can't even taste their food anymore.
Thematic Threads
Identity
In This Chapter
Gulliver's identity as a wise traveler crumbles when confronted with his naive assumptions about immortality
Development
Evolved from earlier pride - now his very sense of worldliness is questioned
In Your Life:
Your professional identity might blind you to areas where you're actually inexperienced
Class
In This Chapter
The Struldbrugs lose all property and legal rights at 80, becoming society's lowest class despite their unique status
Development
Continues theme of how society treats those without current utility
In Your Life:
Aging workers often face similar devaluation regardless of their accumulated experience
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Society expects immortals to be wise oracles, but reality creates bitter, isolated outcasts
Development
Builds on theme of how social roles rarely match reality
In Your Life:
People expect certain life stages or roles to bring automatic fulfillment that may not materialize
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Struldbrugs can't maintain relationships as language evolves and memory fades, becoming completely isolated
Development
Introduced here as extreme example of relationship breakdown
In Your Life:
Long-term relationships require active adaptation to changes in both people over time
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Gulliver's romantic notions are shattered by confronting actual immortals, forcing painful growth
Development
Continues pattern of Gulliver learning through harsh reality checks
In Your Life:
Real growth often comes from having your comfortable assumptions challenged by direct experience
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What did Gulliver initially imagine immortal life would be like, and how did the reality of the Struldbrugs differ from his fantasy?
analysis • surface - 2
Why do you think Gulliver created such an elaborate fantasy about immortality without considering the downsides of endless aging?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today creating similar fantasies about situations they've never actually experienced?
application • medium - 4
When you're excited about a major life change, what questions could you ask to reality-test your expectations?
application • deep - 5
What does Gulliver's reaction to the Struldbrugs reveal about how we handle having our cherished beliefs challenged?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Reality-Test Your Current Fantasy
Think of something you're currently excited about or working toward - a job change, relationship milestone, major purchase, or life goal. Write down your ideal vision of how it will unfold. Now deliberately seek the other side: what could go wrong, what hidden costs exist, what daily realities might you be overlooking?
Consider:
- •Focus on practical day-to-day realities, not just the highlight moments
- •Consider what people who've actually lived this experience might warn you about
- •Ask yourself what information you might be avoiding because it threatens your fantasy
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when reality didn't match your expectations. What warning signs did you ignore, and how could you spot similar blind spots in current situations?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 27: The Journey Home
The coming pages reveal to navigate cultural expectations while staying true to your values, and teach us the art of strategic storytelling to protect yourself. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.