The growth of Gulliver's madness in Part IV of Gulliver's Travels Essay

The growth of Gulliver's madness in Part IV of Gulliver's Travels - Essay Example He descends further into madness because he cannot (and does not want to) think clearly. Indeed, Gulliver’s madness is a result of pride that is founded in disception. Gulliver refuses to accept the truth about his race because it means accepting the truth about who he is. He would rather live a liar and in deception. Discussion Gulliver’s madness started when he becomes unable to control events. His madness started slowly and with his interaction with the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos. In a sense, his madness is the result of his inability to accept and discern what he has encountered. He knows what is happening but he cannot make real sense of it other than wants he wants. Gulliver’s madness becomes evident when he begins to think of his own â€Å"kind† as less than acceptable. His interaction with the Houyhnhnms makes Gulliver to admire them greatly. He tells us that their ideas and viewpoints â€Å"opened my eyes and enlarged my understanding, that I bega n to view the actions and passions of man in a very different light† (250). He admires the Houyhnhnms and, as a result, begins to despise anything else, including those of his own race. The fact that Gulliver wants to be accepted as a Houyhnhnm is also an indication that he is slipping into insanity. Gulliver believes, â€Å"the Yahoos . . . were observed to be the most unteachable of all brutes† (227). Indeed, Gulliver belittles himself when he belittles the Yahoos. Gulliver knows what he is but believes that he can change because of the Yahoos repulsive nature. Gulliver is an example of what can happen to us when we allow our minds to become clouded and refuse to think for ourselves. Gulliver loves the Houyhnhnms and essentially begins to hero-worship them. For example, as he continues to stay with them, he begins to think of his friends, family, and the â€Å"human race in general† (272), as â€Å"Yahoos in shape and disposition† (272). It should come a s no surprise then, when Gulliver’s master tells him that he is considered to be a Yahoo that his mind snaps. His master has no choice but to â€Å"employ† (273) Gulliver like the â€Å"rest of his species† (273) and orders him to â€Å"swim back† (273) to the place from which he came. Because Gulliver has already disassociated himself from the Yahoos and his own race, this news is unacceptable and too much to live with. Gulliver has already gone too far in his appreciation of the Houyhnhnms and cannot go back to the way things were. Gulliver thinks too much of himself to consider life as a Yahoo. Further evidence of Gulliver’s madness can be seen in his thoughts regarding Don Pedro of whom he considered â€Å"like an animal which had some little portion of reason† (281). Gulliver does not want to return home to those that he considered Yahoos. When he does return home, he brings himself to â€Å"tolerate the sight of yahoos† (284). H ere we see how Gulliver’s has taken him over because he does not consider himself a Yahoo but better than them and the ultimate sign of his diseased mind is when he considered that fact that by mating with one of the Yahoos and fathering more of them causes him the â€Å"utmost shame, confusion, and horror† (284). He does want to touch the Yahoos and admits that he cannot â€Å"endure my wife or children in my presence; the very smell of them was intolerable†