How does Gulliver behave after returning to England from the land of the Houyhnhnms?

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Illustration of Lemuel Gulliver lying on the ground, tied down by tiny Lilliputians, with crowds and small buildings in the background, from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. — Gulliver’s Travels Lemuel Gulliver in Lilliput, illustration from an edition of Jonathan Swift's *Gulliver's Travels*.

Upon returning to England from the land of the Houyhnhnms, Lemuel Gulliver is profoundly changed by his experience. Having identified deeply with the rational and virtuous horses, he becomes so disgusted with humanity that he finds himself unable to tolerate the society of his fellow human beings.12

His behavior reflects a deep sense of alienation: he avoids his own family and prefers to spend his time purchasing and conversing with horses. This reaction highlights that Gulliver has become imbalanced; his disdain for humans and his proud identification with the Houyhnhnms suggest that he has lost the ability to reconcile his existence as a human with the ideal of rationality he witnessed during his travels.12