The Role Of Animalism In George Orwell's Animal Farm

Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is, no doubt, a notable piece of classic historical fiction and fantasy, and an elaborate allegory of the Russian Revolution. The story unfolds on an average farm, inhabited by oppressed animals under the ruthless rule of the farmer, Mr. Jones. Never had they thought to act upon their poor treatment, until Old Major, one of the prized pigs on the farm, dreams that the animals unite to overthrow the humans and lead the farm on their own. The animals are overjoyed at this idea, and label it “animalism”. Inspired by this philosophy, the farm, led by two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, chase Jones away from the farm and begin the animalist revolution. The animals are ecstatic at their victory, and the pigs, deemed the wisest animals on the farm, create seven commandments to ensure the happiness and equality of all creatures on Animal Farm, including rules such as “whoever goes upon two legs is an enemy”, “no animal shall

Though Snowball was a fair leader who truly believed in the raw ideas of animalism, Napoleon was a corrupt, sly tyrant, who would stop at nothing to achieve complete dominance over the farm. He takes advantage of the naivety of his comrades and slowly crawls his way to power, first by driving Snowball away from the farm and tricking the animals into believing that Snowball had malicious intentions, and then by steadily altering the rations of food so that the pigs result with the most. He breaks every commandment and entirely alters the definitions of animalism and equality, as the pigs are treated as higher beings than the others. The animals are helpless against Napoleon’s cunning wit, and before they can put a stop to the tyranny, Napoleon has already taken complete control of the farm, stating that “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than