Free Essays - Animal Farm

Animal Farm

By George Orwell

The theme of Animal Farm is not difficult to follow with in the book. The allegory of history that was during the time of the books development, Orwell intended to criticize the communist regime he saw sweeping through Russia and spreading to Europe and even the United States. Though he agreed with many Marxist principles, Orwell was unable to accept the communist interpretation of socialism because he saw many similarities between the communist governments and the previous czarist regimes in old Russia. Communism, he thought, was inherently hypocritical.

In his book, Orwell uses his allegorical farm to symbolize the communist system. Though the original intention of overthrowing Mr. Jones (who represents the Czars), is not inherently evil in itself, Napoleon’s subsequent adoption of nearly all of Mr. Jones’ principles and harsh mistreatment of the animals proves to the reader that indeed communism is not equality, but just another form of inequality. The pigs and dogs take most of the power for themselves, thinking that they are the best administrators of government. Eventually the power corrupts them, and they turn on their fellow animals, eliminating competitors through propaganda and bloodshed. This is of course a reference to Stalin, who murdered many of his own people in order to maintain his dictatorship of Russia.

Because Animal Farm was written, it opened the eyes of the Western world to finally realize the danger of communism. Soon a Cold War began between the world’s greatest superpowers— the Soviet Union and the United States. In the end, America would prove that capitalism and democracy could outlive a system of government-mandated equality.

As Orwell’s presentation within in the book, many animals were used to symbolize different public figures in that time frame. Each animal had an outstanding role through out this book from the pigs to the pigeons each with their own mischief characters.

Mr. Jones: Mr. Jones is Orwell’s chief villain in Animal Farm. Of course Napoleon is also the major villain, however much more indirectly. Orwell says that at one time Jones was actually a decent master to his animals. At this time the farm was thriving. But in recent years the farm had fallen on harder times (symbol of the world-wide Great Depression of the 30’s) and the opportunity was seen to revolt. The worldwide depression began in the United States when the stock market crashed in October of 1929.