What is the role of size in Gulliver's Travels?

It's all about perspective. In Lilliput, he is 12 x the size of the Lilliputians. Everything looks great and fine to him because he's unable to see all the minute imperfections. After they betray him, he becomes a bit more jaded (he's relatively innocent and naive beforehand).

Then in Brobdingnag, Gulliver switches roles, and becomes the metaphorical 'lilliputian'. Everything is ugly and atrocious to him because he's seeing it through microscopic vision. It's at this point that he starts to become disgusted with the human race (something that will become -obvious- in Part IV).

All I can tell you is...pay attention to 'perspective' throughout the satire. Every time he mentions his eyeglasses, every time he mentions eyes...

EDIT: Oh, and the person above me is right--Gulliver (who was never extraordinary) is now larger-than-life. He's extremely proud of himself while in Lilliput, and sees himself as their protector. Manhood is brought into it when he's accused of raping one of the Lilliputian women, and again, he's proud of his penis size.

In Brobdingnag, however, he is helpless. And while Lilliput temporarily made him feel good about himself, Brobdingnag cuts him back down to size. This is exacerbated when the King is appalled by Gulliver's government when the tiny man tries to explain his homeland. The king goes so far as to say that Gulliver's people sound like the most horrendous and treacherous people that ever existed.

From my understanding is the treatment of the Lilliputions compared to his treatment at Brobaldingdag (Forgive my spelling of all these names) is a direct contrast.

Upon leaving Lilliput he takes the miniature sheep, cows, and others it basically turns them into animals at a zoo and charges a fee and then sells them when he's done.

Arriving at Brobaldingdag, he is paraded around for a profit and then sold to the queen.

When Gulliver was in a source of power and position his actions were ethical, profitable, and humane. But when he is the subject and lacks the power and position the same exact action is unjust, exploitable, inhumane, and is below the decency of a man.

In and of itself one can make an argument of how opinions differ when their position is different and not all claims to be right and just is a universal thought. But since the entire book was a satire of Europe (England for the most part) and I'm not versed in European history I cannot remark on that. But that is my best guess.

gulliver gets to experience how it feels to be large... he is helped by the small ppl