Lilliput is a fictional island empire that appears in Jonathan Swift's famous satirical novel "Gulliver's Travels," written in 1726. It is neighbored by another island empire called Blefuscu, with which it harbors deep-seated, yet trivial, political hostility.
Location
Lilliput and Blefuscu are adjacent islands fictionally placed in the South Indian Ocean; between them runs a channel about 800 yards wide. Mildendo is the capital of Lilliput, where the emperor's palace is located.
Inhabitants
The inhabitants of Lilliput are described as being self-important, austere and tiny ("not over 6 inches tall"). In the first chapter, Gulliver is washed upon the shore of Lilliput after a shipwreck and falls asleep. When he awakens, he finds himself bound to the ground by tiny threads and being scrutinized by the tiny Lilliputians. This is one of the most famous scenes in Gulliver's Travels. The emperor (also known as the imperial majesty) converses with Gulliver, after which a few Lilliputians shoot Gulliver with arrows to no avail. Gulliver later becomes a friend and ally to the Lilliputians, helping them win a battle against their rivals, the Blefuscudians.
Lilliput-Blefescu Conflict
The High Heel and Low Heel Parties are two political parties that disagree on a fundamental "religious" question: whether to break eggs at the big end or the little end. Blefuscudians break their eggs at the big ends; Lilliputians, at the small end. This stems from a saying by Lustrog the prophet, which states that "All true believers shall break their eggs at the convenient end." In Lilliput, Big-Endians are a rebellious faction, over 11,000 of which have been punished by death.
Symbolism
In Gulliver's Travels, the absurd political issues and self-important attitude of the Lilliputians and Blefuscudians---especially in light of their small stature---is meant to satirize the pretentious, intolerant religious and political views of Protestant England and Catholic France, respectively. The High Heel and Low Heel parties, meanwhile, represent the two English political parties, the Tories and Whigs.
