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Animal Farm
II OVERVIEW
Conceived and written as satire,
Animal Farm is generally
acknowledged as presenting many
of Orwell's views on humanity
and politics. The novel relates
the overthrow of a farmer's
tyrannical rule by the animals
in his barnyard and the animals'
aborted efforts to establish an
"egalitarian" society. Clearly
alluding to political events in
Russia from the Revolution to
World War II, Animal Farm
primarily attacks the extremes
of Stalinism, yet goes beyond to
dissect the anatomy of
revolution and the lure of
power. The ponderous political
implications of the novel,
however, are deftly interwoven
into a fantastic tale of animals
that talk, walk on their hind
legs, write laws, spout
propaganda, and commit crimes,
all in the name of equality.
Once the animals attain their
freedom and begin to organize
the farmyard, it becomes obvious
that their behavior parodies
human political and social
hierarchies.
III SETTING
The novel takes place on Manor
Farm, which is renamed Animal
Farm after the animals expel Mr.
Jones, the farmer, from its
grounds. It is a typical
barnyard, except that the
animals have assumed the
farmer's tasks. Their
aspirations are high; they write
seven commandments on the wall
of the barn, including "All
animals are created equal," and
"Whatever goes upon two legs is
an enemy," and thus stake their
claim. They build a windmill—an
object of much contention—that
is rebuilt several times after
being destroyed by a storm and
then by a band of farmers with
dynamite. Originally, the
animals pledge to preserve the
manor house as a museum, but as
the power structure becomes more
unbalanced, the pigs move into
the house, which becomes their
domain. The farmhouse symbolizes
the new totalitarian rule of the
pigs and is indeed indicative of
the "revised" commandment: "All
animals are created equal but
some animals are more equal than
others." Orwell, by restricting
all the action to the farmyard,
creates a microcosm of society.
IV THEMES AND CHARACTERS
Modeled on a relatively simple
premise, the novel begins as the
animals of Manor Farm unite
against farmer Jones to
overthrow his tyrannical rule.
Understandably ecstatic over
their sudden and rather
unexpected good fortune, the
animals create a new order for
the future based on equality and
equity. The paint is hardly dry
on their barnyard manifesto,
however, when the hated forces
and attitudes that triggered
their revolt begin to reemerge,
eventually to destroy their
dream of emancipation. Orwell
undoubtedly passes judgement on
the fate of revolution by
comparing ideological promises
with their practical
application.
In essence, Orwell does not
condemn revolution but agonizes
over the betrayal of its ideals.
Possessing superior knowledge,
the pigs assume leadership of
the farm, taking a first step to
replace the tyranny of the past
with a new and more terrifying
threat for the future. The pigs
learn to control the means of
communication and literally
create their own truth to
dispense to the inhabitants of
the farm; this is perhaps the
most pessimistic aspect of the
novel. In the end, pigs are
indistinguishable from farmers
and the ideals of the revolution
seem distant in the face of
terror, manipulation, and
despair.
Appearing in a dream, the birth
of revolution was the
inspiration of old Major, a pig
renowned for his wisdom and
benevolence. But as the dream
becomes reality, the
responsibility of the revolution
falls on the two most
"preeminent" pigs, Snowball and
Napoleon. Thinly disguised,
these represent the principals
behind the emergence of Soviet
Russia—Major and Snowball are
Lenin and Trotsky, and Napoleon
is Stalin.
Although a clear distinction is
made at the beginning of the
novel between Jones, as the
representative human, and the
community of animals inhabiting
the farm, the focus quickly
shifts to the animals once Jones
is overthrown and specifically
to the rivalry that develops
between Snowball and Napoleon.
The novel follows the ruthless
Napoleon in his quest for
individual power. Driving
Snowball into exile, Napoleon
imposes his oppressive authority
on the animals through his
manipulation of language, as
demonstrated by Squealer, the
voice of the revolution who is
capable of turning "black into
white," and the menacing
presence of a private army of
fierce watchdogs capable of
enforcing adherence to his
regime.
The failure of the revolution is
largely the result of
self-defeatism, cynicism, and
the inability of the animals
either to recognize or resist
the oppression imposed on them
by Napoleon. Even the basic
goodness of the animals, as
characterized by the horse
Boxer, the symbol of strength,
self-sacrifice, and trust,
cannot overcome the demise of
idealism into blind allegiance
and delusion.
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