How do the Struldbruggs challenge the idea that immortality would bring happiness?

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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 Gulliver’s Travels, the Struldbruggs serve as a grim satire on the human desire for eternal life. While Gulliver initially views their immortality as a blessing, he discovers that they do not possess eternal youth.

Instead, the Struldbruggs continue to age indefinitely, suffering from the physical and mental decay associated with extreme old age. They are described as wretched, losing their memory, teeth, and hair, and becoming incapable of enjoying life or forming meaningful relationships. By age 80, they are legally declared dead, stripped of their property, and left to live in a state of perpetual, miserable infirmity. Through this, Swift illustrates that immortality without vitality is not a gift but a profound curse, challenging the notion that endless life inherently equates to happiness.1