driven purely by reason. Although Gulliver so admires them, Swift does not mean us to take this admiration seriously.When Gulliver first encounters the Houynhnms, he takes an immediate liking to them, saying “Upon the whole, the behaviour of these animals was so orderly and rational, so acute and judicious, that I at at last concluded they must needs be Magician.” This admiration grows and grows until he quickly comes to believe that these creatures are perfect in every way possible. The fact that these creatures are horses, not humans, symbolizes how Swift believes that no humans can be so perfect. The extent to which Gulliver worships these creatures is further delineated by his self-loathing; “When I happened to behold my Reflection of my own form in a lake or a Fountain, I turned away my face in Horror and Detestation of myself.” Gulliver even tries to imitate them in a ridiculous attempt to be accepted in their society. Gulliver can be looked upon as a human, trying (in an effort to escape his animal tendencies) to become supremely rational which is a futile effort. Man can never be purely rational because man is an animal. Being face to face with man in his animal form (the Yahoos) further propels Gulliver into his futile effort to be completely reasonable and logical eventually leading to his insanity. Once Gullivar leaves the island, he is disdainful towards the rest of his race who he sees as vulgar Yahoos. His new attitude towards his fellow man is displayed in his treatment of Don Pedro. Don Pedro treats Gulliver with nothing but kindness and affection, and yet Gulliver repays him with disgust. The same happens when he is reunited with his wife and children. He has so adopted the belief system of the Houyhnhnms that he views them as primitive, ugly beast-like creatures and he is filled with contempt for them. In an effort to gain some form of Houyhnhmn companionship, he buys two horses and converses w...
