Jonathan SwiftÆs GulliverÆs Travels provides the account of Lemuel Gulliver, who encounters a number of different cultures and peoples during his sea travels. GulliverÆs journey is one of self-discovery as he must adjust to the different people, cultures, and ways of life he encounters in different geographic locations. As Gulliver informs us, ôMy hours of leisure I spentàwhen I was ashore, in observing the manners and dispositions of the people as well as learning their languageö (Greenberg 71). During his travels, Gulliver encounters many individuals and different groups of people, from the Lilliputians and Houyhnhnms to the Brobdingnagians and Struldbuggs. While there are a number of sympathetic individuals and cultures portrayed in the novel, it is the King of Brobdingnag who appears the most sympathetic and ideal character in the novel.
There are a number of sympathetic characters or cultures portrayed in GulliverÆs Travels. Among these must be counted the Houyhnhnms, a breed of beings that resemble horses. The Houyhnhnms are a rational and civil culture that Gulliver respects for their virtues and lack of capacity for evil. As MacKeracher (17) notes, ôThe Houyhnhnms were the most well-adjusted of any æpeoplesÆ Gulliver had metàHe describes their society as emanating æentirely from the dictates of reasonÆ where æfriendship and benevolence. Decency and civilityÆ are prized about all else.ö Despite their virtues, the Houyhnhnms are flawed. They have no capacity for distinguishing lies or evil and they are poor parents, showing ôno fondness for their colts or folesö (MacKeracher 18). Loveless parents, the Houyhnhnms raise their children purely on the dictates of reason.
The Yahoos are perhaps the least sympathetic characters in the novel, basically SwiftÆs thinly disguised representatives of the human race. The Yahoos are described by Swift as ôthe most unteachable of all Animalsàcunning, m...