The character of Yahoos in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels has long since been extrapolated to human beings. This extrapolation, done by both, Swift and his critics has resulted in several critics, notably George Orwell, characterizing Swift as a Misanthrope.
The principal feature of these fictional species that brings one to compare them is the fact that they both like ‘shiny objects’. Nifflers are said to be excellent diggers, and treasure hunters; while Yahoos are said to be ‘violently fond’ of certain shining stones. Arguably, it is possible, and very likely that the origins of these creatures, stemmed from the Yahoos portrayed in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. However, the primary difference is this: Swift portrays Yahoos as savages and threats to the Houyhnhnm society. This portrayal also results in the Houyhnhnms’ categorization of Gulliver as a Yahoo, being the principal cause of his identity crisis at the end of the novel.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call Swift a misanthrope, but would definitely agree that Gulliver’s Travels abounds in aggressive criticism of the human race at the time. For the first two parts of the novel, the criticism seems fairly constructive, as Gulliver suggests political and other improvements to both the Lilliputians and the Brobdingnagians, and English society at the time. However, as the reader moves through parts I to IV of the novel, his criticism becomes extremely destructive, to the point that Gulliver, from trying so hard to categorize himself as ‘not a Yahoo’, starts hating humanity, to the point that he tries as hard as he can to prevent his return to England, and even faints when he embraces his wife.
Several readers have felt the pathos that Swift invokes through his depiction of the human race, which is especially ironic since “Gulliver’s Travels” has been a popular children’s book since the time it was written. This brings me to question whether the novel in question, and its unedited reading to children could actually affect their perspective of society from an early age and whether this would actually affect society on the whole.
Rowling has therefore, through the inspiration for ‘nifflers’ created a positive and complete inversion of the themes and motifs that the Yahoos in “Gulliver’s Travels” represent. Although I enjoyed reading Gulliver’s Travels and thought it was extremely well written, I was put off by his at times, unfounded and unnecessary criticism of the human race through the various devices he utilizes to this end.