The novel tells the story of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship’s surgeon who travels to several strange and imaginary lands.
First, he arrives in Lilliput, where the people are extremely small. Then he visits Brobdingnag, a land of giants where Gulliver becomes tiny. In the third voyage, he goes to Laputa, a floating island where scientists are disconnected from real life. Finally, he reaches the land of the Houyhnhnms, intelligent horses who live rationally, while humans (called Yahoos) are shown as wild and irrational.
Through these journeys, Jonathan Swift uses satire to criticize human society, politics, and human weaknesses such as pride, war, and foolishness.