Lemuel Gulliver, the first-person narrator of the text, begins with a brief biographical sketch of his life. Gulliver was apprenticed to a surgeon, James Bates, for four years, then worked as a ship’s surgeon for several years before returning to England and marrying. After Mr. Bates died, Gulliver was overcome by his urge to travel, so he spent six years at sea. He returned home for three years before joining up with another ship, the Swallow.

Gulliver says narrating his adventures on the Swallow would “not be proper,” so he begins with the story of one fateful voyage in which he is shipwrecked. In this account, Gulliver struggles to stay alive at sea until he eventually finds his way to shore and collapses from fatigue. When he awakes, he realizes that he has been tied up. Disoriented, Gulliver soon discovers tiny human-like beings walking on him. When Gulliver shouts in surprise, some of the beings fall off Gulliver’s body. More of the tiny figures arrive and attempt to subdue Gulliver, who soon agrees to behave peacefully in exchange for food and water. His requests are met, though the project of satisfying his hunger and thirst is monumental for

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