Specifications and requirements overview

Gulliver's Travels: The Role Of Things

In Part IV of Gulliver's Travels, Gulliver arrives at the land of the Houyhnhnms. The Houyhnhnms are a noble race that resemble horses but seem to be as intelligent as human beings, even though they speak a different language. In many ways they seem to be more intelligent than human beings, because they place a high value upon nobility, trust, and kindness and have no notion of private ownership or discord. Even though Gulliver is a stranger, they treat him with compassion, unlike the previous, more human-like races he has encountered. Most remarkably of all, the Houyhnhnms seem to have no material wants or desires. They eat a very simple diet, and do not need to wear clothing.

Interestingly, Gulliver notes: "I cannot but observe, that I never had one Hour's Sickness, while I staid in this Island" (IV.2). He admits that he desires to eat meat, but it is not necessary to his survival, it is merely a custom he is used to, because of his upbringing. The animals he dwells around live a cruelty-free life, unlike the Yahoos. However, when it comes to clothing, it is a different matter. The Houyhnhnms do not need to own cattle, or even own farmland, to survive, as they live off of grains and grasses that they can graze upon. Gulliver finds the types of foods that he can get by possessing animals and farming land through ownership to be tastier, but he notes that he is able to live on the diet he is given by the Houyhnhnms, and even notes that many poor people survive on oats and vegetables back in his own country. But the Houyhnhnms are of course covered in fur, so they do not need to wear gloves or skins, and do not really understand what these things are, and when Gulliver takes off of his clothing and is inspected by the animals, he finds himself shivering, because unlike the horses and cows, he requires covering, and owning clothing to feel warm and survive in the elements.

The ownership of animals (and persons, one might add, given that slavery was still practiced when the book was written) also becomes a point of contention in Part IV. "My Master, after some Expressions of great Indignation, wondered how we dared to venture upon a Houyhnhnm's Back, for he was sure, that the weakest Servant in his House would be able to shake off the strongest Yahoo, or by lying down, and rolling on his Back, squeeze the Brute to Death" (IV.4). This reaction suggests that it is possible to survive without enacting tyranny over the freedom of another animal's will, and also that such a lifestyle where creatures and thinking beings are owned is not strictly necessary for survival.