Gulliver's Travels

 

Gulliver's Travels was written by Jonathan Swift in 1726 (adapted 1735)

The book consists of four parts:

  • a voyage to Lilliput  (physical part of man)
  • a voyage to Brobdingnag (political part of man)
  • A voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, etc. (intellectual part of man)
  • a voyage of country of Houyhnhnms (moral part of man)

 

The satire throughout the book is directed against the follies, vices and stupidities of men, and the abuse of reason in politics, religion and science. 

In order to achieve his end Swift often makes use of irony, i.e. he means the opposite of what he actually says. 

Part 4: The Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos

 

 

Swift positions Gulliver midway — figuratively and literally — between the super-rational, innocent horses (the Houyhnhnms) and the filthy, depraved Yahoos. Gulliver, however, reacts to the Yahoos with immediate and overpowering detestation and is horrified by the Yahoos' similarity to him. He lacks the humility to see himself as a sort of Yahoo. Rather, his pride leads him to try to become a horse. Gulliver will try with admirable determination to improve himself; he will try to change himself into a more horse-like state, but he will fail. He is, simply, more of a Yahoo than a Houyhnhnm.

 

source: www.cliffnotes.com