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Criticism In Gulliver's Travels And The Yahoos?

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In 1726, Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver’s Travels, unaware that it would become one of the most well-known satirical pieces, even centuries later. Part of the reason Gulliver’s Travels is still popular today is the appeal the plot has to a multitude of different audiences. Children become infatuated with the adventure and humor in Lemuel Gulliver’s hijinks, while adults are intrigued by the satirical and philosophical perspectives that are weaved into the novel. Some of the most eye-catching examples of these perspectives are in Part IV of Gulliver’s Travels, during which Gulliver becomes entangled with the Houyhnhnms and the race they enslave, the Yahoos. These two groups of peoples are as different as they could be, yet they both represent …show more content…
The Yahoos are, in the words of Mary P. Nichols, the author of “Rationality and Community; Swift’s Criticism of the Houyhnhnms”, “filthy, gluttonous, lewd, insolent, and violent” (1157). This is made obvious from the beginning of Part IV, during which Gulliver encounters the Yahoos for the first time. In this encounter the Yahoos “began to discharge their excrements on” (Swift 2589) Gulliver’s head. Gulliver also refers to them as the most “disagreeable” (Swift 2589) animal he has ever come across in his travels. The Yahoos are also known to “quarrel and fight” (Swift 2612) with each other frequently. These actions are examples of the Yahoos being without reason, for logically it would make more sense to talk to Gulliver than it is to defecate on him, just as it would make more sense to peacefully settle their differences than it would be to physically …show more content…
In reality, humanity is in between being ruled by passion and reason. Humans can use their emotions to fuel themselves and their logic to rein these impulses in. The enslavement of the Yahoos creates a picture that shows how corruptible human passions are. Kathleen M. Williams wrote an article entitled “Gulliver’s Voyage to the Houyhnhnms”, which states “the function of the Houyhnhnms may be to present an ideal of the true life of reason to be admired even if unattainable” (276). The lifestyle of the Houyhnhnms is unattainable for humanity, who cannot simply turn their emotions off, but aspects of the Houyhnhnms should be admired. While Gulliver is explaining war and lies to his master, it is made clear that the Houyhnhnms know nothing of either. Gulliver remarks that his master was having a hard time believing him because “doubting or not believing are so little known in this country” (Swift 2598). The Houyhnhnms are incapable of being dishonest, making doubt, and even opinions, something that they do not understand or place value

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