Sunday, March 25, 2012

What is the satire in book 4 of Gulliver's Travels?

In book four, Gulliver meets the Houyhnhmns, a race of very rational horses, as well as the Yahoos, humanoid animals that satirize the very worst aspects of the human race.  The Yahoos are personally foul, unclothed and uncouth, defecating on Gulliver from trees when they first see him.  They violently fight all the time, over insignificant disputes or items.  They are greedy and covetous, doing whatever they can to acquire, even killing one another for some small, meaningless object because it is shiny.  Even when they have plenty to share, more than they can possibly need, they still selfishly fight over it and take as much as they can.  The females are also sexually licentious, and one even tries to force herself onto Gulliver when she finds him bathing.  In short, they are morally reprehensible and disgusting in every way, and they are meant to point out our own very worst faults: our greed and selfishness, as well as our violence and lack of concern for one another.

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