Marxism Animal Farm

George Orwell’s figurative novel, Animal Farm is a fairy-tale where he uses powerful language to give life to the animals of the Manor Farm. By the use of these animals, Orwell also displays a representation of the Russian Revolution. Great emphasis is placed upon these animals to characterize them as human beings. This is to show that Animal Farm is really an exemplar for the Russian society in the twentieth century. Orwell’s criticism of Animal farm has little to do with the Marxist ideology that goes along with the Rebellion but rather the corruption of that ideology displayed by later leaders. Old Major, who represents Marx, serves as the source of the ideals that the animals continue to uphold even after their pig leaders betray them.

He is depicted as a manipulating pig who is Napoleon’s spokesman and brainwashes the rest of the animals. Napoleon, who is the ‘leader’ of the crowd uses his power stance as a way to override the farm animals and take control. Snowball, who is viewed as the sympathetic yet outstanding boar, is overthrown by Napoleon and his dogs and thereafter used as a guinea-pig for the animals’ troubles. Through the analysis of Old Major and his philosophy of the tyranny of Man, Squealer and his use of hollow convincing rhetoric, Napoleon and his fearful persona, and Snowball with his devoted actions, the use of language and power are seen in the novel Animal Farm.

Old major, who is depicted as the German political economist, Karl Marx, visions a socialist utopia and serves as an inspiration for the Rebellion. Though Orwell’s portrayal of Old Major is mostly positive, Orwell does include a few small contradictions that allow the reader to question the venerable pig’s intentions. For instance, in the middle of his long rant on how the humans mistreat the animals, Old major is forced to accept that his own life has been long, full, and free from the terrors he has vividly sketched for his rapt audience. He seems to have created a false bond with the other animals

His idealism, however, leads to his destruction. By relying solely on his own logic and rhetorical skill to gain his influence, he proves that he is no match for Napoleon’s show of manipulated force. Although Snowball is described as relatively appealing, his character is not idealized, making sure that he empowers certain moral flaws. For example, Snowball accepts the rest of the farm animals, as well as himself, are inferior to the pigs. Moreover, his passionate, single-minded enthusiasm for ambitious projects such as the windmill might have erupted into full-blown authoritarianism had he not been chased from Manor Farm. By doing so, Orwell has implied that we cannot eliminate government corruption by electing principled individuals to roles of power; he reminds us throughout the novel that it is power itself that