What Was Common Nature of the Yahoos in the Country of the Houyhnhnms?
Gulliver’s Travels is a notable literary work by Jonathan Swift. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Gulliver’s Travels.
Answer
What was the common nature of the Yahoos in the country of the Houyhnhnms?
In “Gulliver’s Travels” (1726), the Yahoos are strange, beast-like humans. They live in the land of the Houyhnhnms. They are wild, dirty, and without reason. Gulliver studies them closely and becomes deeply ashamed of being human. The Yahoos show the bad and ugly side of mankind. Their behavior shocks Gulliver and makes him prefer the life of the wise horses.
Dirty Body and Habits: The Yahoos are always filthy. Their bodies are hairy, and they smell bad. They do not care about cleaning themselves. Gulliver says they are very dirty and even throw their own waste at each other. He says,
“Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my Travels so disagreeable an Animal, nor one against which I naturally conceived so strong an Antipathy.”
Their way of eating is also disgusting. They eat greedily and messily like animals. Gulliver finds their lifestyle very shameful and inhuman.
Wild Mind and Behavior: The Yahoos do not have manners or reason. They fight with each other for no good reason. They are greedy, jealous, and full of bad emotions. Gulliver sees that they are always trying to steal shiny stones from the ground. They have no idea of right or wrong. Their behavior is foolish and shows the worst part of human nature.
Lustful Nature: One of the most shocking things about the Yahoos is their strong sexual desire. Gulliver says that the female Yahoos have low-hanging breasts and behave in a lustful way. Once, a young Yahoo girl even tried to attack Gulliver when he was bathing.
In the land of the Houyhnhnms, the Yahoos are seen as wild, dirty, and foolish creatures. They live without reason or virtue. Though they look like humans, they act like animals. Through them, Swift shows how low human nature can fall when it is ruled by greed, lust, and foolishness.