ause it shows deep fear, anger, and mental tension. But this fantasy is not empty. Swift uses strange imagination to show real human problems. The book feels like a disturbed dream, but it is written with a clear purpose.

 

Strange Lands Like a Dream: In Gulliver’s Travels, everything feels unreal, like a dream of a troubled mind. In Lilliput, people are only six inches tall, but their pride is huge. They fight wars over how to break an egg. Gulliver says the Lilliputians are:

 

“Human creature not six inches high…”

 

In Brobdingnag, people are giants, and Gulliver feels like an insect. In Laputa, the island flies in the sky, and people forget simple life for useless science. These lands do not exist in reality. They feel like the strange thoughts of a restless brain. This dream-like quality makes the book look like a neurotic fantasy.

 

Fear and Confusion in Gulliver’s Mind: Gulliver himself often feels fear and confusion. In Lilliput, he is first treated like a hero. Then, the Lilliputian king plans to kill him. In Brobdingnag, he is always afraid of being crushed. In Laputa, he feels bored and mentally tired. His mind never feels calm. Each journey makes him more confused about the world. This shows inner mental struggle. The story moves like the changing thoughts of a worried man. This is why many see the book as neurotic.

 

Extreme Hatred of Humanity: The strongest sign of neurotic fantasy appears in the last voyage. Gulliver meets the Yahoos, who look like humans but act like animals. They are dirty, greedy, and cruel. Gulliver feels deep hatred and shame. He compares all humans with Yahoos. When he sees his own reflection, he hates himself:

 

“I turned away my face in horror and detestation of myself.”

 

This reaction is very extreme. Gulliver loses his balance of mind. He forgets human love and kindness. This hatred feels emotional and unhealthy. It shows mental disturbance, not normal thinking. This type of hatred makes the novel a neurotic phantasy.

 

Love for Houyhnhnms and Escape from Reality: Gulliver’s love for the Houyhnhnms, the wise horses, is also unnatural. He wants to live like them forever. He wishes to leave human society. When he returns home, he avoids people and talks to horses. This escape from human life feels like a mental breakdown. It is not realistic behavior. This strong desire to escape reality makes the story feel like a neurotic dream.

 

But Fantasy with a Purpose: Even though the book feels neurotic, it is not meaningless. Swift uses fantasy to criticize human pride, war, politics, and false knowledge. The strange lands help him speak freely. Behind every dream-like scene, there is a real message. The egg war shows religious conflict. The Yahoos show how low humans can fall without reason. Laputa shows useless science. For example, the scholars of Laputa try to extract sunbeams from cucumbers:

 

“He had been eight years upon a project for extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers.”

 

So, Swift’s fantasy is controlled and thoughtful.

 

In fine, Gulliver’s Travels can be called a neurotic phantasy because it is full of strange dreams, fear, hatred, and mental unrest. Gulliver’s mind becomes broken by his journeys. But this neurotic fantasy has a strong aim. Swift uses it to attack human pride and foolishness. So, the book is a neurotic fantasy, but a meaningful one. It shocks the reader to make them think and change.