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Rationality in excess: Swift’s critique in Book four of Gulliver’s Travels
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ENG150 essay on Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" for the University of Toronto. Essay received an A+ as the final grade.

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  • May 30, 2024
  • 6
  • 2023/2024
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‭1‬

‭ENG150: Literary Traditions‬

‭Rationality in excess: Swift’s critique in Book four of‬‭Gulliver’s Travels‬

‭Book four of‬‭Gulliver’s Travels‬‭, by Jonathan Swift,‬‭discusses the topic of rationality;‬

‭namely, the failings of excessive rationality. Through demonstrating the irrelevance of‬

‭Houyhnhnm reason to Gulliver, the flaws in Houyhnhnm reason, and portraying Gulliver as an‬

‭unreliable narrator Swift conveys that excessive rationality is both inapplicable and flawed, and‬

‭thus should not be pursued.‬

‭Book four’s Houyhnhnmland, unlike Gulliver’s previous destinations, presents two races:‬

‭The Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos, who are in direct contrast with each other. The Houyhnhnms‬

‭are the embodiment of complete rationality, a race with a maxim of “to cultivate reason, and to‬

‭be wholly governed by it” (Swift, 324). Their behaviour and thought is described to be “ not‬

‭mingled, obscured, or discoloured, by passion and interest” (324) In contrast, Yahoos are the‬

‭embodiment of instincts and passions. They are demonstrated to be lustful, gluttonous, and‬

‭greedy in their behaviour: Their females are described to often seduce the males “with a‬

‭counterfeit show of fear” (320), they are described to have an “appetite to devour every thing‬

‭that came in their way” (317), and be “violently fond” of “certain shining stones” (316). Thus,‬

‭each respectively demonstrates a rational life at its extreme, and a passionate life at its extreme.‬

‭However, humanity is at a balance of both the rational and the passionate, having several‬

‭characteristics of both the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos. Gulliver himself is initially identified‬

‭by the Houyhnhnms as a Yahoo in appearance but a Houyhnhnm in demeanour, where he is‬

‭described by the Houyhnhnms of the neighbourhood as: “a wonderful Yahoo, that could speak‬

‭like a Houyhnhnm” (292). However, Gulliver is neither completely Yahoo or Houyhnhnm-like in‬

‭either aspect. Gulliver is assessed to only be limited to “glimmerings of reason” by the‬

‭Houyhnhnms and is able to physically differentiate from the Yahoos through his cleanliness and‬

, ‭2‬


‭hairlessness (292). Regarding the latter, Gulliver states that he often rolled up his sleeves to‬

‭demonstrate to the Yahoos that he was not one of their kind. Additional distinctions between‬

‭Gulliver and Yahoos in terms of demeanour are also acknowledged, although briefly. The‬

‭Houyhnhnm Master states that “he could find little or no resemblance between the Yahoos of that‬

‭country and those in ours. . .” in terms of “learning, government, arts, manufactures, and the‬

‭like” (318). Thus, humanity is neither completely rational, as the Houyhnhnms, or completely‬

‭governed by passion, as the Yahoos. Thus, the way of life of both extremes demonstrated by the‬

‭Houyhnhnms and Yahoos are wholly irrelevant and inapplicable to humanity.‬

‭This difference is further emphasised by the fact that, unlike the previous races that‬

‭Gulliver has encountered, the ones of Houyhnhnmland are strikingly different from humans in‬

‭physiology. In contrast to the Lilliputians or Brobdinagians who simply differ in size, the Yahoos‬

‭initially appear to Gulliver as animals rather than human and the Houyhnhnms are a different‬

‭species entirely. Hence, not only is Gulliver’s belief that humans are Yahoos incorrect and‬

‭ridiculous, but Gulliver’s attempts to emulate the Houyhnhnms both in ideals and “gait and‬

‭gesture” are also (335).‬

‭Gulliver is attempting to unattainably emulate a completely different being from himself:‬

‭a race of passionless horses. Unlike the Houyhnhnms, humans are not created passionless, and‬

‭hence their impersonal and ‘rational’ manner of living cannot be applied. Gulliver himself, in the‬

‭final chapter, recognizes this fact when advising that individuals only maintain “vices and follies‬

‭only which nature has entitled,” indirectly acknowledging that, unlike the Houyhnhnms, we‬

‭naturally possess “vices and follies,” that is ‘irrational passions’ (“vices” in Houyhnhnm‬

‭perspective) (353).‬

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