Animal Farm is sinister and sad. However, it’s also the most thought provoking work of literature that I have ever read.
Although it is captioned a ‘fairy story’, Animal Farm is far from that. Sick and tired of mistreatment under their enslavement from ‘man’, the animals of Manor Farm revolt. Released from all chains, there is but one key rule: All animals are equal. However, as we progress through the story, we see that some animals are more equal than others.
Overview
The simplicity of Animal Farm is a huge factor that adds to its brilliance. It reinforces the notion that corrupt systems are intrinsically complex and for these reasons, the origins are equally inconceivable. However, with Orwell, this is definitely not necessarily the case. We see from its beginnings the cycle in which animals go through. However, if the reader isn't very versed with how political systems wok, they will be left with a bad impression of the book. Additionally, Animal Farm is a book that gracefully spells out what for us is obviously ‘not correct’.
Animal farm begins with a story of injustice. Mr. Jones is the owner of a farm however, the way he treats his animals is very questionable. He is very irresponsible with no considerations for the animals. The Animal have a dream, one of the animals starts spreading an idea. Old Major, was a prize winning boar whom was tired of the mistreatment. He constantly talked about a perfect utopia wherein animals were neither controlled nor oppressed by humans. It soon became a feverish dream that all the animals wanted to work towards.
In action of this, a violent revolution was executed against Mr. Jones, and the animals took over the farm. At this point, we can see the metaphor coming into play, of the bolsheviks overthrowing the monarchs in Soviet Russia; more specifically, in the case Mr. Jones is an allegory for Czar Nicholas 2. Old Major is Marx, a man with great vision and talent, who however did not live to witness the execution of his vision. As a reader we are super thrilled that the animals are claiming their rights and establishing a more just system for themselves.
My Thoughts
What I think makes Animal Farm really incredible is the fact that the reader requires no prior historical knowledge to understand the main ideas and themes of the novel. Since I was super interested into the russian revolution, I decided to research into the meaning and the main message of the story although the message was clear without require inquiry. The ending itself is so amazing because it reflects the flaws of a system that states everyone of us are equal.
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
The main message of Animalism was taken down to make some space for the benefit of others. Going back to the metaphor, this is also what happened with the communist system in Soviet Russia - in every country it had been attempted. Orwell was able to criticize this fact by a simple novel of animals trying to find a better solution for their problems. This brings us to the golden question, what makes us any different from them? The answer is nothing. We are also ‘animals’ trying to find solutions to our situations. However, it is our duty to not create a circle of repeated mistakes and learn from our history.
Written by Samarth Athreya
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