Book Review Animal Farm
Animal Farm is a satirical allegorical novel written by George Orwell. The book, first published in 1944 is widely regarded as one of the finest literary creation of the 20th century. Orwell, being a democratic socialist was strongly against the Authoritarian rule of Stalin and this book seems to be an outlet of his strong dislike towards Stalin. The book is a dystopic take on the Russian revolution and early years of Stalinist era. The satire being a critique of the Communist regime, was banned in many Communist countries including Cuba, North Korea and Burma.
The book is set in a Farm in England – Mayor Farm. The owner of the farm, an alcoholic Mr. Jones, had reduced the farm to poverty, leaving the animals in hunger while he himself was indulged in drinking and gambling. Old Major, a prize-winning boar, gathers the animals and instills the spirit of rebellion in them by highlighting the atrocities committed by Mr. Jones and human species as whole. He teaches the song “Beast of England” to the animals, which becomes a symbolic representation for the freedom of animals from the tyranny of Man. Although, Old Major dies, two of his disciple pigs- Napoleon and Snowball takes over the responsibility of the rebellion and successfully overthrows Mr. Jones from the farm and renames it as “Animal Farm”. In the meantime – Seven Commandments of the Animal Farm are painted on the barn wall, the rules to which all animals must adhere to. Although, the rebellion was initially a success, soon Napoleon becomes power-hungry. He appoints Squealar to convince all the other animals of the superiority of the pigs and establish the pigs’ authority in formulating policies of the farm. After thwarting the repeated attacks of Jones to take over farm, Napoleon, to establish his sole dominion over the farm, chases Snowball away from the farm and makes him the scapegoat for all the ill-happenings in the farm. He starts murdering innocent animals who speaks against …show more content…
Mr. Jones relate to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who was overthrown during Bolshevik revolution. Old Major can be compared with Lenin, the force behind the initial Russian revolution. Napoleon, the protagonist/villain can be seen as Stalin, who to amass the power of the Soviet, sent Leon Trotsky (Snowball) to exile. Boxer can be compared with The Stakhanovite movement, whose ideologies lay in over-working themselves for the greater prosperity of the nation. The author beautifully fuses in animalism and symbolism into the context of Russian revolution through this novella. This book sets a mark in the field of political satire and has influenced future generation of authors. It has been included in several lists of greatest books in English …show more content…
The final commandment of the Animal farm was modified from “All animals are equal” to “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”, one of the most famous lines of the book, symbolizes the changes that followed the Russian revolution. Rather than overthrowing the capitalist class system, it reinstated another hierarchy. Although some critics may argue that rather than portraying a clear picture of the Russian revolution, the book displays the prejudices the author had towards the system, the beautiful imagery, animalism, symbolism and allegory makes this book a must read. I would rate this book a solid
Animal Farm is a satirical allegorical novel written by George Orwell. The book, first published in 1944 is widely regarded as one of the finest literary creation of the 20th century. Orwell, being a democratic socialist was strongly against the Authoritarian rule of Stalin and this book seems to be an outlet of his strong dislike towards Stalin. The book is a dystopic take on the Russian revolution and early years of Stalinist era. The satire being a critique of the Communist regime, was banned in many Communist countries including Cuba, North Korea and Burma.
The book is set in a Farm in England – Mayor Farm. The owner of the farm, an alcoholic Mr. Jones, had reduced the farm to poverty, leaving the animals in hunger while he himself was indulged in drinking and gambling. Old Major, a prize-winning boar, gathers the animals and instills the spirit of rebellion in them by highlighting the atrocities committed by Mr. Jones and human species as whole. He teaches the song “Beast of England” to the animals, which becomes a symbolic representation for the freedom of animals from the tyranny of Man. Although, Old Major dies, two of his disciple pigs- Napoleon and Snowball takes over the responsibility of the rebellion and successfully overthrows Mr. Jones from the farm and renames it as “Animal Farm”. In the meantime – Seven Commandments of the Animal Farm are painted on the barn wall, the rules to which all animals must adhere to. Although, the rebellion was initially a success, soon Napoleon becomes power-hungry. He appoints Squealar to convince all the other animals of the superiority of the pigs and establish the pigs’ authority in formulating policies of the farm. After thwarting the repeated attacks of Jones to take over farm, Napoleon, to establish his sole dominion over the farm, chases Snowball away from the farm and makes him the scapegoat for all the ill-happenings in the farm. He starts murdering innocent animals who speaks against …show more content…
Mr. Jones relate to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who was overthrown during Bolshevik revolution. Old Major can be compared with Lenin, the force behind the initial Russian revolution. Napoleon, the protagonist/villain can be seen as Stalin, who to amass the power of the Soviet, sent Leon Trotsky (Snowball) to exile. Boxer can be compared with The Stakhanovite movement, whose ideologies lay in over-working themselves for the greater prosperity of the nation. The author beautifully fuses in animalism and symbolism into the context of Russian revolution through this novella. This book sets a mark in the field of political satire and has influenced future generation of authors. It has been included in several lists of greatest books in English …show more content…
The final commandment of the Animal farm was modified from “All animals are equal” to “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”, one of the most famous lines of the book, symbolizes the changes that followed the Russian revolution. Rather than overthrowing the capitalist class system, it reinstated another hierarchy. Although some critics may argue that rather than portraying a clear picture of the Russian revolution, the book displays the prejudices the author had towards the system, the beautiful imagery, animalism, symbolism and allegory makes this book a must read. I would rate this book a solid