The Main Character and Self-Image of Lemuel Gulliver Lemuel Gulliver is the main character in the novel, Gulliver’s Travels. He is very smart. He had studied medicine in Holland and England. He had also been a surgeon on apprenticeship under surgeon James Bates. He had two main gifts. Despite the fact that he was not a nobleman, he was extremely smart. He was very interested in individuals watching. This is illustrated by the phrase, “My hours of leisure I spent in observing the ways and dispositions of the people”. These traits are illustrated clearly.