Power and Corruption

Power, have you ever thought about it? A word so simple in nature yet the possessor of it has the ability to alter the world. In life humans are constantly affected by it one way or another. Whether it be through being controlled by it, desiring it, or containing the essentiality and presence of it in world cannot be discredited. Constantly throughout every day of life everyone must face an aspect of power in one way or another, however, the most prevalent and relatable example is the control of the government. The power of the government is an essential factor in ensuring the operation and success of a country. Without such a system to control and regulate society chaos would ensue. The problem, however, is if the government instead chooses to abuse their given power it results in deadly implications for the citizens of the country. In the famous novel Animal Farm, the author George Orwell explores the concept of a government consumed by power and the deadly implications it has on society through the perspective of animals. Through the usage of the characters of Napoleons and his savage abuse of power as well as his lackey squealers spreading of lies Animal Farm shows that power may seem harmless, but eventually it consumes the user. Ultimately this results in the corruption of the characters in the novel that are consumed with power.

At the start of the novel Napoleon seems devoted to improving the lives of the animals, but as time passes the power he is given consumes him and causes him to abuse it to fulfill his own selfish desires. Originally when the rebellion first began Napoleon dedicated himself to improving the lives of all the animals on the farm. He would “lead them back to the store-shed and [serve] out a double rati...

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... to be harmless, but over long periods of time and exposure it consumes the possessor and alters there being. Whether it be shown through the character of Napoleon and his tyrannical transformation from noble ruler to power crazed monster, or Squealer and his surprising change from respectable teacher to deceiving manipulator. In the end both characters turn out the same, by resorting to corrupt acts to maintain and increase their power. This outcome can be related to William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies in the sense both characters in each novel are consumed by power and in turn corrupted by it. Although both stories share similar ideas concerning power it is through Orwell’s novel that the topic is better portrayed as the use of animals allows for the reader to see the concept in a new and unique light. In turn strengthening the overall power of the message.