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How do high-heeled and low-heeled shoes represent English political factions in Lilliput?

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Illustration of Lemuel Gulliver lying on the ground, tied down by tiny Lilliputians, with crowds and small buildings in the background, from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. — Gulliver’s Travels Lemuel Gulliver in Lilliput, illustration from an edition of Jonathan Swift's *Gulliver's Travels*.

In Jonathan Swift’s satirical novel Gulliver’s Travels, the division between high-heeled and low-heeled shoes in Lilliput serves as a parody of the intense and often petty political factionalism in 18th-century England.12

The two shoe styles represent the opposing political parties of the time:

High-heeled shoes: Symbolize the Tories, the more conservative faction.2
Low-heeled shoes: Represent the Whigs, their political rivals.2

By portraying these political affiliations as a ridiculous, arbitrary disagreement over footwear, Swift mocks the small-mindedness of politicians who prioritize party loyalty and trivial disputes over the welfare of the state. This satire highlights the absurdity of the deep-seated conflicts between the Whigs and Tories, which Swift viewed as destructive to the stability and reason of the nation.12