Animal Farm - George Orwell

...story" however the subject of Animal Farm is actually aimed at the adult reader. The story is told in the third person narrative. Inspired by the Russian Revolution 'Animal Farm' is a story following the unique life of farm animals who revolt against their farmer after being overworked and underfed.

What strikes me about the novel is the characters; we first are introduced to the oldest pig on the farm- Old Major. Old Major brings ...
...a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any another animal.
7. All animals are equal

At first there is an atmosphere of contentment and calm. The rebellion is successful, however the loss of Old Major means there is a need of a leader (doesn't make much sense when all animals are supposed to be equal). ... more

I've only recently discovered this gem of a book by Orwell, which is quite strange as 1984 is among my favourite "classic" books. After reading it numerous times- I often have these reading binges where my brain gets hungry for new information and ideas. Oh dear I am digressing, back to the book…

GEORGE ORWELL
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George Orwell (born Eric Arthur Blair) is most famous for his books "1984" and "Animal Farm". In 1936 Orwell fought for the Republicans in the Spanish civil war, and was injured. During World War II, Orwell served in the British Home Guard, and later worked for the BBC Eastern Service.

THE STORY
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Orwell describes "Animal Farm" as a "fairy story" however the subject of Animal Farm is actually aimed at the adult reader. The story is told in the third person narrative. Inspired by the Russian Revolution 'Animal Farm' is a story following the unique life of farm animals who revolt against their farmer after being overworked and underfed.

What strikes me about the novel is the characters; we first are introduced to the oldest pig on the farm- Old Major. Old Major brings together all the animals to a secret meeting (all you cynics thinking this makes no sense- open your mind, it's a story- go with it). He inspires the animals into rebelling against farmer Mr Jones. Stating that "all animals are equal", Old Major speaks of wonderful visions of self-sufficiency and ripe profits (useless humans don't bring anything to a farm, do they?). As Old Major says "Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals". Three days later Old Major dies, but he leaves behind his ideas and the song 'Beast of England' which the gives the animals a new outlook on life. Surprisingly enough the revolution comes earlier than expected in the novel.

After Old Major dies we are introduced to three pigs- Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer. Snowball is an excellent dramatic speaker with a lot of ideas. Although Napoleon isn't a good speaker, he is big and is assertive- and with his well-spoken sidekick Squealer they create "Animalism" a set of rules for the animals to stick by. The rebellion begins when Mr Jones comes home drunk and forgets to feed the overworked animals. Mr Jones attempts to go for his shotgun, but it is too late. The animals overpower him and drive him off the farm. The animals celebrate their amazing feat with an extra ration of food. The (three little) pigs make up seven commandments based on Old Major's ideals which are for all the animals. These are written above the barn:
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
2. What goes upon four legs, or has wings is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any another animal.
7. All animals are equal

At first there is an atmosphere of contentment and calm. The rebellion is successful, however the loss of Old Major means there is a need of a leader (doesn't make much sense when all animals are supposed to be equal). Hence begins a beginning of the cracks in 'animalism', the ending is particularly poignant. As I don't want to spoil the book for anyone who hasn't read it yet (shame on you!) I'll stop there with the plot.

CHARACTERS
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Mr Jones is the original 'villain' at the beginning of the novel. Mr Jones is said to represent Czar Nicholas II, the Russian leader prior to Stalin. Jones is losing control of the farm and is drinking far too much.

Old Major is a kind, paternal type character. I think Old Major stands for German philosopher Karl Marx- he reminds me of Marxist theories about the bourgeoisie and proletariat. It is ironic to see neither Old Major nor Marx made an attempt to bring Communism into reality. Old Major inspires the rebellion among the animals, and sets an ideal of a peaceful life without humans.

The pig Napoleon is the real villain in Animal Farm. An appropriate name as the original French dictator was thought of in terms of the devil. As a central character on the farm, Napoleon represents the negative aspects that can (sometimes inevitably) arise of any revolution. In the beginning Napoleon seems to be a good leader (though the violent manner in which he usurps power suggests otherwise). The turning point is when the pigs decide to keep the apples and milk for themselves; thus being taken over by greed. Stalin became power crazy too, forgetting the principals of socialism, and living in luxury while the working class suffered. The negative side of Napoleon is apparent when he slaughters animals for plotting against him (the breaking of the 'no animal shall kill another animal' and 'all animals are equal' commandments).
The end of the book shows Napoleon for what he really is. But as this is a 'non-spoiler' review- you will have to read the book to find out what I mean…

Squealer is described as a shrill and whining pig with highly persuasive skills; "He could turn black into white." I'm told Squealer symbolises the Pravda (the 1930's Russian newspaper). Always flattering Napoleon, Squealer paints his portrait on the barn, and uses poems, songs and celebratory ceremonies to encourage adulation of their leader. Squealer imparts Napoleon's actions and guidelines to the other animals- often coating them with barefaced lies to put them in a positive light. Squealer uses many methods to persuade the other animals into agreeing to Napoleon's policies- from implying superior intelligence, charm to threatening violence.
"He repeated a number of times, 'Tactics, comrades, tactics!' skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions"
Squealer is skilled at twisting things and manipulating things to get his point across. For anything that goes wrong Snowball is blamed, and the threat of the return of Jones is used to suppress any conflict - "Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?". Squealer is very smart- he is clever enough to join with Napoleon and Snowball; yet shrewd enough not to oppose Napoleon. Squealer hides the true aims of the pigs, so they don't face any resistance and can continue capitalising on the other animals.

At first Snowball seems similar to Napoleon, both pigs are fighting to become a leader. This is paradoxical to their self-championed system of equality. Their shared interest results in many conflicts: "These two disagreed at every point disagreement was possible." Snowball represents Leo Dawidowitsch Trotsky; and the similarities of their situation are not a coincidence. Trotsky was also exiled (to Mexico) and spoke eloquently (it is pointed out several times how Snowball speaks well in debates in the novel).

A little research tells me the name Boxer is used as a metaphor for the Boxer Rebellion in China in the twentieth century. This rebellion spirals the start of communism in the country. Boxer and the other animals represent the proletariat (working class) in the story. They believe in Napoleon because it appears as if they will benefit from his ideas.

Mollie is a small character, but represents those people who don't care much about politics. Mollie just wants to eat sugar and put pretty ribbons in her hair. These human actions go against the rules of 'animalism' and the other animals are annoyed when she is seen being petted by a human.

Old Benjamin, the donkey is described as unaffected by the rebellion. Benjamin represents the older critical generation. He still acts and works the same way, not swayed by the Napoleon's promises. Having an excellent memory; "Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been, nor ever could be much better or much worse; hunger, hardship, and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life." It seems Old Benjamin is the most intelligent non-pig animal on the farm after all.

The dogs in Animal Farm symbolise the KGB and are a powerful force of Napoleon. Stalin also had a special police force to eradicate his rivals (most famously this is how Trotsky was disposed of).

CONCLUSION
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The writing style is simple and easy to read. It is reminiscent of a child's story book, using uncomplicated sometimes matter of fact language. Overall I'd describe this novel as a bittersweet story, with many different levels. In fact rereading the simple story will open up many new meanings and symbols. The characters are the biggest reason of my enjoyment of Animal Farm, you end up identifying with them (I know it sounds strange). Orwell makes almost all the characters have a personality.
Orwell himself says "I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job".
It's fascinating how Orwell uses animals to make a point about communism and society. Sixty years on, Animal Farm is still up to date. Many of the issues in the novel such as discrimination, power struggles, and social class structure are still disturbingly relevant.
I would recommend this book to everyone, it really opened my eyes to Communism in a way that I can't describe (I didn't learn this much when studying Sociology at college… many moons ago). So go on- go read it!

Thanks for reading!
 

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