Gulliver and Glumdalclitch

The relationship between Lemuel Gulliver and Glumdalclitch, the nine-year-old daughter of the Brobdingnagian farmer who first captured him, is the most sustained and emotionally complex bond in Gulliver's Travels. It is a relationship defined by her unwavering care, his deep dependence, and a mutual affection that transcends their vast size difference, making her his sole protector and confidante in a world where he is otherwise a helpless curiosity. From the moment of his capture, Glumdalclitch becomes the central figure in Gulliver's survival, and their connection, which lasts the entirety of his two-year stay in Brobdingnag, is marked by tenderness, loyalty, and a shared vulnerability that sets it apart from all other relationships in the book.

Identity and Introduction

Glumdalclitch is introduced as the nine-year-old daughter of the farmer who discovered Gulliver in his barley field. She is described as "a child of toward parts for her age, very dexterous at her needle, and skilful in dressing her baby." Her mother and she contrived to fit up the baby's cradle for Gulliver as a bed, placing it in a small drawer cabinet on a hanging shelf to protect him from rats. She made him seven shirts and other linen, washing them with her own hands, and became his schoolmistress, teaching him the Brobdingnagian language by pointing to objects and naming them. She gave him the name "Grildrig," meaning "mannikin," a name that the family and eventually the whole kingdom adopted. Gulliver calls her his "little nurse" and acknowledges that to her he "chiefly owe[s]" his preservation in that country, stating that they never parted while he was there.

Arc Through the Plot: From Farm to Court

Glumdalclitch's role evolves from that of a caretaker to a constant companion and advocate. When the farmer decides to exhibit Gulliver for profit, she is the one who, having "cunningly picked out" the plan from her mother, tells him the whole matter, weeping with shame and grief. She apprehends that "rude vulgar folks" might squeeze him to death or break his limbs, and she is distressed that her parents, who had promised Grildrig would be hers, now mean to sell him as they had sold a lamb the previous year. During the journey to the market-town, she rides behind her father on a pillion, carrying Gulliver in a box tied about her waist, and she has lined it with soft cloth and furnished it with her baby's bed. At the exhibition, she stands on a low stool close to the table to direct his actions and take care of him. When the farmer decides to take Gulliver on a long journey to the metropolis, Lorbrulgrud, Glumdalclitch again rides behind her father, carrying Gulliver on her lap in the box. She complains of being tired by the horse's trotting to spare him, and often takes him out of his box to give him air and show him the country, always holding him fast by a leading-string. During the ten-week journey, she continues as his instructor, teaching him their alphabet from a small book she carries in her pocket.

The Sale to the Queen and Life at Court

The pivotal moment in their relationship comes when the Queen of Brobdingnag buys Gulliver from the farmer. Gulliver, recognizing his utter dependence on Glumdalclitch, begs the queen that she "might be admitted into her service, and continue to be my nurse and instructor." The queen agrees, and the farmer is glad to have his daughter preferred at court. Glumdalclitch herself is unable to hide her joy. At court, a convenient apartment is provided for her, and the King of Brobdingnag himself observes that she and Gulliver have "a great affection for each other" and orders that she continue in her office of tending him. The queen commands a cabinet-maker to build a wooden chamber for Gulliver, and Glumdalclitch takes out the bed every day to air it, makes it with her own hands, and locks the roof over him at night. She stands on a stool near his table at meals to assist him, and keeps his set of silver dishes and plates in a silver box in her pocket, cleaning them herself. When the queen's dwarf drops Gulliver into a bowl of cream, it is Glumdalclitch who runs to his relief and takes him out. After the monkey incident, in which the creature carries Gulliver to the roof, it is her footman who climbs up and brings him down safe. The king and queen send daily to inquire after his health, and the queen makes several visits during his sickness.

Change and Ending: The Separation

The relationship ends with a deeply poignant separation. After two years in Brobdingnag, during a royal progress to the south coast, Glumdalclitch falls ill and is confined to her chamber. Gulliver, longing to see the ocean, pretends to be worse than he is and obtains leave to go to the seaside with a page. Glumdalclitch consents with great unwillingness, giving the page a strict charge to be careful of him, and bursting into a flood of tears "as if she had some foreboding of what was to happen." While Gulliver sleeps in his box, an eagle carries it away and drops it into the sea, where he is eventually rescued by an English ship. In the midst of his own misfortunes at sea, Gulliver cannot forbear lamenting his "poor nurse, the grief she would suffer for my loss, the displeasure of the queen, and the ruin of her fortune." The separation is absolute and final, leaving Glumdalclitch's fate unknown but clearly marked by loss and likely disgrace.

Thematic Significance

The relationship between Gulliver and Glumdalclitch serves as a powerful counterpoint to the satire and misanthropy of the book. In a narrative filled with political intrigue, cruelty, and the pettiness of power, their bond is a rare instance of pure, selfless affection. Glumdalclitch's care is entirely without ulterior motive; she protects Gulliver not for profit or status, but out of genuine fondness. Her role as a child who mothers a grown man inverts the natural order and highlights Gulliver's complete vulnerability. The relationship also underscores the theme of perspective: to Glumdalclitch, Gulliver is a beloved pet-like creature, a "Grildrig," while to Gulliver, she is a giantess whose kindness is his only refuge. The emotional weight of their separation, and Gulliver's continued concern for her welfare even after his rescue, demonstrates that this bond has left a lasting impression on him, one that stands in stark contrast to the cynical view of humanity he later develops.