Swift ties his satire closely with Gulliver's perceptions and
adventures. In Gulliver's first adventure, he begins on a ship
that runs aground on a submerged rock. He swims to land, and
when he awakens, he finds himself tied down to the ground, and
surrounded by tiny people, the Lilliputians. "Irony is present
from the start in the simultaneous recreation of Gulliver as
giant and prisoner" (Reilly 167). Gulliver is surprised "at the
intrepidity of these diminutive mortals, who dare venture to
mount and walk upon my body" (I.i.16), but he admires this
quality in them. Gulliver eventually learns their language, and
arranges a contract with them for his freedom. However, he is
bound by this agreement to protect Lilliput from invasion by the
people of Blefuscu. The Lilliputians relate to him the following
story: In Lilliput, years ago, people once broke eggs on the big
end. However, the present king's grandfather once cut himself
breaking the egg in this manner, so the King at the time, the
father of the present