ANIMAL FARM: A FAIRY STORY
A Book Review
Contents
☛ Plot………………………………………………………………………..3 ☛ Characters………………………………………………………………4 ☛ Setting……………………………………………………………………5 ☛ The Narrator…………………………………………………………..5 ☛ Figurative Language……………………………………………….6 ☛ Representation of Reality………………………………………..6 ☛ World-­‐view…………………………………………………………….7 ☛ The Language………………………………………………………….7 ☛ Characterization……………………………………………………...8 2 Plot
Animal Farm is a story about a group of animals that live on Manor Farm, run by Mr. Jones, the crummy and often intoxicated owner. These animals are often ill treated by Mr. Jones. One night, they are gathered into the barn by a well-­‐respected boar known as Old Major. In a speech, he tells the other animals of a strange dream he had had, in which animals lived freely without being oppressed by human beings. He talks to them about the need for a social revolt. With his death just three days later, three of the smaller pigs, Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer, devise the principles into a philosophy known as Animalism. One night, pushed beyond the brink, the animals finally revolt against Mr. Jones, driving him out of the farm. Taking over the farm, they rename it Animal Farm and come up with the Seven Commandments, the guiding principles behind Animalism. In the beginning, Animal Farm thrives. Snowball takes it upon himself to teach the animals to read, while Napoleon adopts a group of young puppies to educate them. As time goes by, Napoleon and Snowball begin to quarrel. A power struggle ensues as they both fight for power and influence over the other animals. When Snowball proposes a plan to build a windmill, it is opposed by Napoleon. Snowball is then expelled by Napoleon. As Napoleon assumes leadership of the farm, he declares only the pigs will make all the decisions for the good of all animals. When Napoleon changes his mind about the building of the windmill, the animals all set to work on it. One day, the nearly complete windmill is decimated by a great storm. Napoleon asserts that is Snowball who sabotaged the project. He conducts a massive purge, executing animals that were believed to be a part of Snowball’s alleged conspiracy. Napoleon begins to act more as a human being, defying the principles put forth by Animalism. He starts to sleep in beds, drink alcohol and conduct trade with human beings. As the other animals began to question these actions, Squealer, in a new found role as Napoleon’s propaganda minister, justifies his actions to the other animals, claiming Napoleon’s leadership is bringing great prosperity to them, when in truth common animals are underfed and overworked. As the years pass on Animal Farm, the pigs eventually become more like human beings. They begin to walk upright, carry whips and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments of Animalism are condensed to a single pronouncement; “All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others.” After a dinner with human farmers, Napoleon declares his intent to ally himself with them. He then changes the name of the property back to Manor Farm. The common animals, looking through the window, remark that they can no longer tell the pigs and human beings apart. 3 Characters
Old Major-­‐ He is the prize-­‐winning boar who dreamed of an utopia where animals lived unopposed by human beings. He dies soon after, leaving the other animals to put his philosophy into action. He is based on Karl Marx, the founding father of Communism and Russian revolutionary leader Lenin. Napoleon-­‐ The pig that assumes leadership of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. He uses military force and intimidation to establish his power and control. He is based on Joseph Stalin, the former leader of the Soviet Union. Snowball-­‐ The pig that contests Napoleon for leadership of the farm after the Rebellion. He is intelligent and pragmatic, giving eloquent speeches to explain his ideas to the other animals. He is based on Leon Trotsky, the founder of the Red Army who was expelled by Stalin. Boxer-­‐ The horse whose devotion and loyalty inspires the early prosperity of Animal Farm and subsequent construction of the windmill. A hard worker, but slow-­‐witted, he is dedicated to the ideals of Animal Farm but possesses little ability to think independently. Clover-­‐ A female horse and a close friend of Boxer’s. She usually suspects the pigs of violating the Seven Commandments, but eventually blames herself for forgetting the commandments. Mollie-­‐ A vain, female cart-­‐horse who pulls Mr. Jones carriage. She is obsessed with her looks and craves the attention of human beings. She loves being pampered and coddled. She has a hard time adapting to life on Animal Farm after the Rebellion. She represents the petit bourgeois class that fled Russia after the 1917 February Revolution. Benjamin-­‐ An old donkey that is unaffected by the Rebellion. He refuses to be inspired by the events. He believes that life will remain unpleasant regardless. He alone understands all of the events taking place, but seems unwilling to do anything about it. Muriel-­‐ The goat who helps Clover read the Seven Commandments when she suspects the pigs of violating them. Moses-­‐ The raven that tells stories of a mythical place known as Sugarcandy Mountain, where animals supposedly go when they die. He is allowed to stay on the farm after Napoleon assumes leadership. The author uses him as a metaphor to explain how Communism exploits religion in order to pacify the masses. Mr. Jones-­‐ The farmer who runs Manor Farm before the Rebellion. He is often drunk and abusive towards the animals, and indulges himself when the animals go hungry. He is representative of Tsar Nicholas II, who was ousted during the Russian Revolution. 4 Mr. Frederick-­‐ The owner of Pinchfield Farm. A no-­‐nonsense, tough-­‐talking farmer. He represents Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany. Mr. Pilkington-­‐ A gentleman farmer is the owner of Foxwood Farm, Mr. Frederick’s hated enemy. He represents the capitalist nations of the United Kingdom the United States. Mr. Whymper-­‐ The human middleman who is hired by Napoleon to facilitate trade between Animal Farm and human society. Jessie & Blueball-­‐ Two dogs who give birth early on, and whose puppies are adopted by Napoleon in order to ‘educate’ them. Minimus-­‐ The pig that writes poetry about Napoleon and pens the patriotic song, ‘Animal Farm, Animal Farm’ to replace the hymn ‘Beasts of England’. Setting
The story’s time period is not specified in the book. Due to it’s satirical commentary being based on the events of the Russian Revolution, it is believed to have taken place in that era, 1917-­‐1945. Since the novel was published in 1945, its message was highly significant, given the ongoing events at the time. It is set in Manor Farm, later known as Animal Farm, a fictional farm somewhere on the outskirts of London. The Narrator
The narrator/author, George Orwell, wrote the book towards the end of World War II. It was written based on his experiences during the Spanish Civil War, in which he participated. It was written as social commentary of the events of the Russian Revolution and the Stalin-­‐led Soviet Union, something Orwell was critical of. His experiences motivated him to condemn what he believed was the Stalinist corruption of original Socialist ideals. In the preface of the 1947 Ukrainian edition of Animal Farm, he explained the idea behind setting it on a farm: “...I saw a little boy, perhaps ten years old, driving a huge carthorse along a narrow path, whipping it whenever it tried to turn. It struck me that if only such animals became aware of their strength we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the proletariat.” 5 Figurative Language
“Four legs good, two legs bad.” • This quote essentially sums up the main principles of Animalism into an easy phrase for the less literate animals to understand. It is also one of the first instances of propaganda in the story, as it is a metaphor of how the elite abuses language to control the lower classes. “If you have your lower classes to contend with, “he said, “we have our lower classes!” • This is an interesting quote. It is mentioned by Mr. Pilkington toward the end of the book. Why it is so interesting is because it proves once and for all the idealistic corruption of the original principles has come full circle. The original notion of a divide between animals and humans had now become less defined. It was now split among classes, with Napoleon and the farmers sharing a common need of cutting down on labor classes. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” • This is perhaps the most defining quote of the book. It is the pigs’ final act of propaganda within the story. It once again shows their abuse of language to control the common animals. Despite initially stating that ‘all animals are equal’, this is not meant as a relative term. Instead, the term is merely used as a substitute for ‘superior’, meaning the pigs will always be on a higher plane of existence than the others. Representation of Reality
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Corruption of Socialist ideals in the Soviet Union The entire book is an allegory to the events of the Russian Revolution and the subsequent rule of Joseph Stalin. The story being told on the farm is a metaphor for the inequality and hypocrisy that stemmed from Stalin’s rule. The famous show trials which Stalin used to solidify his power is clearly detailed through Napoleon’s use of false confessions and executions to expel animals he distrusted following the collapse of the windmill. The eventual abandonment of the founding principles is then represented by the pigs’ violent governance and adoption of human traits. 6 • Social class divides The book comments on class structure and social divides. It illustrates how a class is unified in the face of a common enemy, but then internally divided after that enemy is defeated. The expulsion of Mr. Jones only sought to create a power vacuum and thus, created a division between intellectual and physical labor. The novel points this out, as a threat to democracy and freedom. • Abuse of language One of the key aspects that the author sought to point out was the abuse of language and rhetoric by the Soviet Union in order to justify their tyrannical abuse of power. The novel shows the pigs taking advantage of the less literate animals, by twisting their words and explaining it them sensibly. This references the sort of widespread propaganda used by the Soviet Union in order to control the oppressed. World-view
Animal Farm very subtly teaches us lessons about blind conformity and the misuse of power. The ideals put forth by Old Major was simple, that all animals should be equal and share power amongst them. As we see though, these ideals are quickly corrupted. The biggest relation to the real world we can still see is the use of language as a tool of propaganda, rather than a tool of communication. This is especially apparent in politics, even among democratic governments. It raises questions about whether people are being educated by their leaders, or simply being indoctrinated by fallacies. The Language
The book is written in simple English. The beauty of the language used is that it could almost pass off as a children’s book, because the underlying message of the story is so subtle. George Orwell simply tells the story without the need for strong poetic nuances. Instead, he lets the readers see things from an inside perspective, rather than from above. 7 Characterization
Napoleon embodies the key tenet of the story. He symbolizes the corruption of socialist ideals, together with greed and the hunger for power. Once he seizes power, he loses interest in Old Major’s prophecy. He is motivated by the same things that tyrants are, namely greed and power. He does not show concern for the other animals nor does he care about equality. He solidifies his power by crushing dissent and executing opposition. This is clearly demonstrated: “And so the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon's feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the time of Jones.” This references Joseph Stalin’s Great Purge in the 1930s, which he used to destroy his opposition. As Napoleon is an allegory for Stalin, they are one and the same. Cold, calculating, greedy and arrogant. 8