Animal Farm Essay

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegory about the state of the Soviet Union leading up to and during World War II. George Orwell’s novel is a scathing critique of the dystopian distortion of the socialist ideal. This book was written during Stalin’s rise to power and the growing influence of communism on the world. The leaders of the Soviet Union (Stalin, Trotsky) are depicted as animals on a farm in Britain. George Orwell’s classic novel is a study into the corruption of socialist ideals and the manipulation of the masses by the elite.

The story begins when Old Major gathers the animals of the Farm for a meeting and tells them of a dream he has had in which all animals live together with no human beings to oppress or control them. The

The book begins as a representation of early 20th century Russia with the working class (Animals) being ruled by the aristocrats (humans). Old Major (Marx, Lenin) promotes the principles of Socialism in which there is no ruling class but instead all Animals work together, as equals, for the common good. In theory this idea of leadership is noble and utopian, but as depicted in the novel its principles are perverted to by the pigs (ruling class) to manipulate the other animals (working class). Napoleon and the other pigs use the principles of Animalism to justify taking more power and gaining the obedience of the workers. The leader in this novel (Napoleon) possesses a variety of ‘skills’ that allow him to gain total control over his followers. First he is able to convince them to sacrifice their personal goals for the good of the farm. This is a fundamental principle of socialism in order to maintain equality and justice. Napoleon’s true motives are revealed when it is seen that the windmill will allow him to gain more power while doing nothing to better the lives of the other animals. He also uses fear mongering in order to eliminate his opponents. This is depicted by his re-writing of history to determine that Snowball in fact is an enemy and gain even deeper obedience from the

In the beginning all of the animals were equal and had the common enemy of the humans. However, when the animals eliminate the humans there begins to be a stratification of the classes. The pigs declare themselves “brainworkers” because they are educated and they know what is good for the physical laborers. This tactic of knowing what is best for the masses can be seen throughout history from leaders like Stalin, Mao and Castro. These leaders came to power by promoting socialist principles and overthrowing the tyrannical ruling class, but instead exploited their under-educated populations and themselves became