“All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others.” – George Orwell.
When one reads Animal Farm for the first time, one might completely miss its allegorical nature. The book is a fictitious story about animals who speak, and who decide to rebel against their masters. The tale is interesting, humorous and simple. Or is it?
Few writers have been able to think as far ahead of their time as George Orwell, and Animal Farm is the perfect example of that. In this 90-page novel that draws heavily on political satire and allegory, Orwell drives home the point that an idealistic society that we may envisage in our mind is far removed from reality. In his essay, ‘Why I Write’, Orwell noted that Animal Farm was the first book in which he consciously tried to “fuse political and artistic purpose into one whole.”
The story is set in the fictional ‘Manor Farm’ in England. The farm is owned by Jones, a human who takes maximum work from the animals and offers them very little food. So, the farm animals get fed up of their enslavement. Their collective unrest gets a boost when Old Major—the prize-winning middle white boar—gets a dream. Later in the day, away from Jones’ prying eyes, the animals gather to hear the boar’s dream. As Old Major narrates his dream, the animals realise the true nature of Jones and his tyranny. This sets the stage for rebellion, and the animals succeed in overthrowing Jones from his own farm.
After years of being slaves, the animals are finally free. Manor Farm is renamed ‘Animal Farm’, and the animals gear up to build a utopia of their own. They frame rules in the form of Seven Commandments to help them prosper. Soon, the need for a leader arises. Pigs Snowball and Napoleon—both with opposing views—wish to lead the animals. While Snowball wants to educate all animals, Napoleon intends to solely uplift his own kind. In the end, a conniving Napoleon manages to overthrow Snowball. With that, power play seeps in and the story unravels as the utopian dream turns into dystopia.
The hunger for power makes Napoleon a dictator. Eventually, he shifts all the pigs to Jones’ house and allows them the privilege to sleep on beds. The pigs get fatter by the day, while the other animals starve without sufficient food. The illiterate horse Boxer blindly takes instructions from Napoleon and toils hard in the hope of a good life of retirement, only to be taken to the slaughterhouse when he falls ill.
Though Animal Farm is a political satire mainly aimed at the Russian Revolution, it is still relevant today. Through simple storytelling, Orwell attempts to educate his readers on how societies get ruined when power becomes absolute. The book also suggests how noble ideals and intentions can easily be turned upside down by greed, ignorance and dishonesty. The concept of an ‘idealistic’ society is, in the end, an unrealistic dream. Orwell captures this essential reality check in Animal Farm, making it a must-read for thinkers and leaders.
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