Book Review: ‘Animal Farm’ by ‘George Orwell’ – ‘A Corrupted Revolution’

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In literature, animal fables are written aiming to pass moral lessons and values in a creative and fun kind of way. They were used in the past as folklore to instruct people on what is good and evil, and also to identify principles one could live by. Is Animal Farm just another ordinary animal fable, or does the book carry more meaning than it shows to the reader? Keep reading to know more about this controversial book. 

Introduction

Book’s Name: Animal Farm

Author’s Name: George Orwell

Genre: Fable, Allegory, Political Satire

Language: English

About the Author

George Orwell was a novel and essay writer. He was mostly known for his novels Animal Farm and 1984. He was also known for having strong viewpoints upon prominent issues. Orwell did not miss out on talking about the widespread political movements his era witnessed such as communism.

About the Book

Written by the English author George Orwell, Animal Farm is a satirical allegorical novel published in 1945. This novel follows the story of the animals who decided to go against their farmer to achieve shared equality, freedom, and happiness between all the animals in the society.

Their revolution gets ultimately corrupted because of the power falling in the wrong hands. It is important to highlight that the novel is a pure reflection of the events of the Russian revolution of 1917. The animals were used to represent famous and influential Russian politicians and workers.

Plot Summary

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One day in Manor Farm, the animals gather together to listen to the speech Old Major is delivering to them. In his speech, Old Major announces the facts that the animals are fed up with their irresponsible drunken farmer, Mr. Jones, and that a rebellion is eventually coming. The animals chased and kicked Mr. Jones out of the farm later and became free, but that was only the beginning of the story. 

After that they have got their freedom, the animals changed the name of their place from Manor Farm to Animal Farm. They also decided to set some rules and established a code that ought to be respected by all of them. The animals approved a list of Seven Commandments that they were supposed to live by to keep the peace and harmony between everyone on the farm. 

However, this agreement gets betrayed by the pigs who start to break the rules and treat the other animals badly. Napoleon, who is the first pig to violate the rights of the animals, orders the animals to construct a windmill. The windmill collapses because of a human invasion and Boxer falls during the remaking of the second windmill. 

Though they agreed upon the prohibition of these acts, the pigs acquire the ability to walk on two legs. They also start to dress up as humans and act like them. Life in Animal Farm gets worse than how it used to be with the human Mr. Jones ruling it. Animals are then hungry, oppressed, and badly used by the pigs.

Major Characters

Old Major: An aged pig who inspires and fuels the revolution. He is used to representing both

Karl Marx, the co-creator of communism, and Lenin, the head of the Russian Revolution.

Napoleon: A pig who would do anything to meet his best interests. Napoleon was the leader

of Animal Farm and he is a representation of Joseph Stalin.

Snowball: Another pig leader whose life reflected the Russian Marxist revolutionary Leon

Trotsky.

Squealer: A young fat pig who serves as the main propaganda tool as he is the reflection of

Vyacheslav Molotov.

Mr. Jones: A drunken human who originally owned Manor Farm. He represents the Russian

Tsar Nicholas II took part in the 1917's revolution before getting murdered.

Boxer: An extremely hard-working horse who is representing the proletariat- employers who

work too much and get paid too little.

The sheep: not given names, the sheep are the herd who follow blindly.

Famous Quotes

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plow, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself.”

“The only good human being is a dead one.”

“Four legs good, two legs bad.”

“If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”

The Bottom Line

Animal Farm is a must-read informative novella that deserves your time. The involved themes of power abuse and greedy manners by both humans and animals make the book very significant to explore. Besides its allegorical nature which parallels the Russian revolution and its major contributors reflected it in a very creative way. 

My ratings for the book: 5 on 5

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Written By Khawla ACHIT HENNI