Gulliver's Family and Home Life

Gulliver's relationships with his wife Mary Burton, his children, and his home, which he leaves behind for his travels.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Marriage and Early Years

The Domestic Life The Marriage Gulliver marries Mary Burton, second daughter of Edmund Burton, a hosier, with a portion of four hundred pounds. They live in London, first in the Old Jewry, then in Fetter Lane, and finally in Wapping. The Children They have a son, Johnny, named after his uncle, and a daughter, Betty. Gulliver provides for them through his work as a surgeon and later through his travels. The Departure When he leaves on his first voyage, he takes leave of his wife and children with tears on both sides. He leaves his wife with fifteen hundred pounds and a house in Redriff. His family is the anchor he leaves behind.

The Return from Lilliput

The Brief Reunion The Profit from the Cattle Gulliver returns with miniature cattle and sheep, which he shows to people of quality and sells for six hundred pounds. He expects the breed to improve the woollen manufacture. He is a successful businessman. The Short Stay He stays only two months with his family. His insatiable desire to see foreign countries drives him to leave again. He takes leave of his wife and children with tears on both sides. The Neglect of Family Gulliver's love of travel trumps his domestic duties. He is a restless man. His family is a secondary concern. This is a character flaw that he acknowledges.

The Return from Brobdingnag

The Alienated Homecoming The Disorientation Gulliver returns with a distorted perception of size. He sees his wife and daughter as pygmies. He tells his wife she has starved herself. He behaves so unaccountably that his family thinks he has lost his wits. The Reconciliation After a little time, they come to a right understanding. His wife protests that he should never go to sea again. But his evil destiny orders otherwise. The Continuing Cycle Gulliver's family life is a cycle of departure and return. Each return is marked by estrangement. His attachment to his family is genuine but weak compared to his wanderlust. The reader senses that he will leave again.

before the first voyage, 1690s

April 1702, after the first voyage

June 1706