.
Swift uses the creature of the "Yahoo" from the land of the "Houyhnhms", to question animal instinct within human nature, asking why people kill and commit acts of violence. The "Yahoo's" themselves are portrayed as something wild and indecent, putting further emphasis on where humanity originated from and what it could be.
"They had beards like goats, and a long ridge of hair down their backs and the fore-parts of their legs and feet, but the rest of their bodies were bare" (Page 246, Paragraph 1).
Gulliver's description of the "Yahoos" derives from a complete resentment of the comparisons in which he can see between himself and the "Yahoo". The "Yahoos" themselves represent everything that is bodily, due to the fact that they are completely naked and they stand in human form. Gulliver combats this with an infatuating obsession with clothes, believing that people should be clothed and if so, they will remain civilized and human. However, the "Yahoos" sheer presence threatens his beliefs and combats the idea that there is a defining moment of shame (i.e. Adam and Eve covering their naked bodies). .
The "Houyhnhms" themselves represent the pure and decent aspect of humanity. Their primary objective is to demonstrate that form and appearance is completely irrelevant, and that it is the humanity inside a creature that is the defining characteristic, and it is only human- kind that can reason. .
"Upon the whole, the behaviour of these animals was so orderly and rational, so acute and judicious, that I last concluded that they must be magicians" (Page 249, Paragraph 2).
In this case, "Houyhnhms" (horses) are completely rational, resulting in complete confusion for Gulliver. Everything in his society that is considered both feasible and probable is turned upside-down, hence his reason for branding them "magicians". Due to the "Houyhnhms" vast sphere of influence and knowledge, Gulliver changes and begins to recognise that there is a significant connection in physicality between himself and the "Yahoo's".