Animal Farm George Orwel

Context George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Blair, a British political novelist and essayist whose pointed criticisms of political oppression propelled him into prominence toward the middle of the twentieth century. Born in 1903 to British colonists in Bengal, ndia, Orwell received his education at a series of private schools, including Eton, an elite school in England. !is painful e"periences with sno##ishness and social elitism at Eton, as well as his intimate familiarity with the reality of British imperialism in ndia, made him deeply suspicious of the entrenched class system in English society. $s a young man, Orwell #ecame a socialist, spea%ing openly against the e"cesses of governments east and west and fighting #riefly for the socialist cause during the &panish 'ivil (ar, which lasted from 193) to 1939. *nli%e many British socialists in the 1930s and 19+0s, Orwell was not enamored of the &oviet *nion and its policies, nor did he consider the &oviet *nion a positive representation of the possi#ilities of socialist society. !e could not turn a #lind eye to the cruelties and hypocrisies of &oviet 'ommunist ,arty, which had overturned the semifeudal system of the tsars only to replace it with the dictatorial reign of -oseph &talin. Orwell #ecame a sharp critic of #oth capitalism and communism, and is remem#ered chiefly as an advocate of freedom and a committed opponent of communist oppression. !is two greatest anti.totalitarian novels/ $nimal 0arm and 191+/form the #asis of his reputation. Orwell died in 1920, only a year after completing 191+, which many consider his masterpiece. $ dystopian novel, 191+ attac%s the idea of totalitarian communism 3a political system in which one ruling party plans and controls the collective social action of a state4 #y painting a terrifying picture of a world in which personal freedom is none"istent. $nimal 0arm, written in 19+2, deals with similar themes #ut in a shorter and somewhat simpler format. $ 5fairy story6 in the style of $esop7s fa#les, it uses animals on an English farm to tell the history of &oviet communism. 'ertain animals are #ased directly on 'ommunist ,arty leaders8 the pigs 9apoleon and &now#all, for e"ample, are figurations of -oseph &talin and :eon ;rots%y, respectively. Orwell uses the form of the fa#le for a num#er of aesthetic and political reasons. ;o #etter understand these, it is helpful to %now at least the rudiments of &oviet history under 'ommunist ,arty rule, #eginning with the Octo#er <evolution of 191=. n 0e#ruary 191=, ;sar 9icholas , the monarch of <ussia, a#dicated and the socialist $le"ander >erens%y #ecame premier. $t the end of Octo#er 39ovem#er = on current calendars4, >erens%y was ousted, and ?ladimir :enin, the architect of the <ussian <evolution, #ecame chief commissar. $lmost immediately, as wars raged on virtually every <ussian front, :enin7s chief allies #egan @oc%eying for power in the newly formed stateA the most influential included -oseph &talin, :eon ;rots%y, Gregory Binoviev, and :ev >amenev. ;rots%y and &talin emerged as the most li%ely heirs to :enin7s vast power. ;rots%y was a popular and charismatic leader, famous for his impassioned speeches, while the taciturn &talin preferred to consolidate his power #ehind the scenes. $fter :enin7s death in 19C+, &talin orchestrated an alliance against ;rots%y that included himself, Binoviev, and >aminev. n the following years, &talin succeeded in #ecoming the unDuestioned dictator of the &oviet *nion and had ;rots%y e"pelled first from Eoscow, then from the 'ommunist ,arty, and finally

from <ussia altogether in 193). ;rots%y fled to Ee"ico, where he was assassinated on &talin7s orders in 19+0. n 193+, &talin7s ally &erge >irov was assassinated in :eningrad, prompting &talin to commence his infamous purges of the 'ommunist ,arty. !olding 5show trials6/trials whose outcomes he and his allies had already decided/&talin had his opponents officially denounced as participants in ;rots%yist or anti.&talinist conspiracies and therefore as 5enemies of the people,6 an appellation that guaranteed their immediate e"ecution. $s the &oviet government7s economic planning faltered and failed, <ussia suffered under a surge of violence, fear, and starvation. &talin used his former opponent as a tool to placate the wretched populace. ;rots%y #ecame a common national enemy and thus a source of negative unity. !e was a frightening specter used to con@ure horrifying eventualities, in comparison with which the current misery paled. $dditionally, #y associating his enemies with ;rots%y7s name, &talin could ensure their immediate and automatic elimination from the 'ommunist ,arty. ;hese and many other developments in &oviet history #efore 19+2 have direct parallels in $nimal 0arm8 9apoleon ousts &now#all from the farm and, after the windmill collapses, uses &now#all in his purges @ust as &talin used ;rots%y. &imilarly, 9apoleon #ecomes a dictator, while &now#all is never heard from again. Orwell was inspired to write $nimal 0arm in part #y his e"periences in a ;rots%yist group during the &panish 'ivil (ar, and &now#all certainly receives a more sympathetic portrayal than 9apoleon. But though $nimal 0arm was written as an attac% on a specific government, its general themes of oppression, suffering, and in@ustice have far #roader applicationA modern readers have come to see Orwell7s #oo% as a powerful attac% on any political, rhetorical, or military power that see%s to control human #eings un@ustly. Historical Context <ussian society in the early twentieth century was #ipolar8 a tiny minority controlled most of the country7s wealth, while the vast ma@ority of the country7s inha#itants were impoverished and oppressed peasants. 'ommunism arose in <ussia when the nation7s wor%ers and peasants, assisted #y a class of concerned intellectuals %nown as the intelligentsia, re#elled against and overwhelmed the wealthy and powerful class of capitalists and aristocrats. ;hey hoped to esta#lish a socialist utopia #ased on the principles of the German economic and political philosopher >arl Ear". n Fas >apital 3'apital4, Ear" advanced an economically deterministic interpretation of human history, arguing that society would naturally evolve/from a monarchy and aristocracy, to capitalism, and then on to communism, a system under which all property would #e held in common. ;he dignity of the poor wor%ers oppressed #y capitalism would #e restored, and all people would live as eDuals. Ear" followed this so#er and scholarly wor% with ;he 'ommunist Eanifesto, an impassioned call to action that urged, 5(or%ers of the world, uniteG6 n the <ussia of 191=, it appeared that Ear"7s dreams were to #ecome reality. $fter a politically complicated civil war, ;sar 9icholas , the monarch of <ussia, was forced to a#dicate the throne that his family had held for three centuries. ?ladimir lych :enin, a <ussian intellectual revolutionary, seiHed power in the name of the 'ommunist ,arty. ;he new regime too% land and industry from private control and put them under government

supervision. ;his centraliHation of economic systems constituted the first steps in restoring <ussia to the prosperity it had %nown #efore (orld (ar and in moderniHing the nation7s primitive infrastructure, including #ringing electricity to the countryside. $fter :enin died in 19C+, -oseph &talin and :eon ;rots%y @oc%eyed for control of the newly formed &oviet *nion. &talin, a crafty and manipulative politician, soon #anished ;rots%y, an idealistic proponent of international communism. &talin then #egan to consolidate his power with #rutal intensity, %illing or imprisoning his perceived political enemies and overseeing the purge of appro"imately twenty million &oviet citiHens. Plot Overview Old Ea@or, a priHe.winning #oar, gathers the animals of the Eanor 0arm for a meeting in the #ig #arn. !e tells them of a dream he has had in which all animals live together with no human #eings to oppress or control them. !e tells the animals that they must wor% toward such a paradise and teaches them a song called 5Beasts of England,6 in which his dream vision is lyrically descri#ed. ;he animals greet Ea@or7s vision with great enthusiasm. (hen he dies only three nights after the meeting, three younger pigs/&now#all, 9apoleon, and &Duealer/formulate his main principles into a philosophy called $nimalism. :ate one night, the animals manage to defeat the farmer Er. -ones in a #attle, running him off the land. ;hey rename the property $nimal 0arm and dedicate themselves to achieving Ea@or7s dream. ;he cart.horse Bo"er devotes himself to the cause with particular Heal, committing his great strength to the prosperity of the farm and adopting as a personal ma"im the affirmation 5 will wor% harder.6 $t first, $nimal 0arm prospers. &now#all wor%s at teaching the animals to read, and 9apoleon ta%es a group of young puppies to educate them in the principles of $nimalism. (hen Er. -ones reappears to ta%e #ac% his farm, the animals defeat him again, in what comes to #e %nown as the Battle of the 'owshed, and ta%e the farmer7s a#andoned gun as a to%en of their victory. $s time passes, however, 9apoleon and &now#all increasingly Dui##le over the future of the farm, and they #egin to struggle with each other for power and influence among the other animals. &now#all concocts a scheme to #uild an electricity.generating windmill, #ut 9apoleon solidly opposes the plan. $t the meeting to vote on whether to ta%e up the pro@ect, &now#all gives a passionate speech. $lthough 9apoleon gives only a #rief retort, he then ma%es a strange noise, and nine attac% dogs/the puppies that 9apoleon had confiscated in order to 5educate6/#urst into the #arn and chase &now#all from the farm. 9apoleon assumes leadership of $nimal 0arm and declares that there will #e no more meetings. 0rom that point on, he asserts, the pigs alone will ma%e all of the decisions/for the good of every animal. 9apoleon now Duic%ly changes his mind a#out the windmill, and the animals, especially Bo"er, devote their efforts to completing it. One day, after a storm, the animals find the windmill toppled. ;he human farmers in the area declare smugly that the animals made the walls too thin, #ut 9apoleon claims that &now#all returned to the farm to sa#otage the windmill. !e stages a great purge, during which various animals who have allegedly participated in &now#all7s great conspiracy/meaning any animal who opposes 9apoleon7s uncontested leadership/meet instant death at the teeth of the attac% dogs. (ith his leadership unDuestioned 3Bo"er has ta%en up a second ma"im, 59apoleon is always right64, 9apoleon #egins e"panding his powers, rewriting history to ma%e &now#all a villain. 9apoleon also #egins to act more and more li%e a human #eing/sleeping in a #ed, drin%ing whis%y, and engaging in trade with neigh#oring farmers. ;he original $nimalist principles strictly for#ade

such activities, #ut &Duealer, 9apoleon7s propagandist, @ustifies every action to the other animals, convincing them that 9apoleon is a great leader and is ma%ing things #etter for everyone/despite the fact that the common animals are cold, hungry, and overwor%ed. Er. 0rederic%, a neigh#oring farmer, cheats 9apoleon in the purchase of some tim#er and then attac%s the farm and dynamites the windmill, which had #een re#uilt at great e"pense. $fter the demolition of the windmill, a pitched #attle ensues, during which Bo"er receives ma@or wounds. ;he animals rout the farmers, #ut Bo"er7s in@uries wea%en him. (hen he later falls while wor%ing on the windmill, he senses that his time has nearly come. One day, Bo"er is nowhere to #e found. $ccording to &Duealer, Bo"er has died in peace after having #een ta%en to the hospital, praising the <e#ellion with his last #reath. n actuality, 9apoleon has sold his most loyal and long.suffering wor%er to a glue ma%er in order to get money for whis%y. Iears pass on $nimal 0arm, and the pigs #ecome more and more li%e human #eings/ wal%ing upright, carrying whips, and wearing clothes. Eventually, the seven principles of $nimalism, %nown as the &even 'ommandments and inscri#ed on the side of the #arn, #ecome reduced to a single principle reading 5all animals are eDual, #ut some animals are more eDual than others.6 9apoleon entertains a human farmer named Er. ,il%ington at a dinner and declares his intent to ally himself with the human farmers against the la#oring classes of #oth the human and animal communities. !e also changes the name of $nimal 0arm #ac% to the Eanor 0arm, claiming that this title is the 5correct6 one. :oo%ing in at the party of elites through the farmhouse window, the common animals can no longer tell which are the pigs and which are the human #eings. Character List Napoleon . ;he pig who emerges as the leader of $nimal 0arm after the <e#ellion. Based on -oseph &talin, 9apoleon uses military force 3his nine loyal attac% dogs4 to intimidate the other animals and consolidate his power. n his supreme craftiness, 9apoleon proves more treacherous than his counterpart, &now#all. Snowball . ;he pig who challenges 9apoleon for control of $nimal 0arm after the <e#ellion. Based on :eon ;rots%y, &now#all is intelligent, passionate, eloDuent, and less su#tle and devious than his counterpart, 9apoleon. &now#all seems to win the loyalty of the other animals and cement his power. Boxer . ;he cart.horse whose incredi#le strength, dedication, and loyalty play a %ey role in the early prosperity of $nimal 0arm and the later completion of the windmill. Juic% to help #ut rather slow.witted, Bo"er shows much devotion to $nimal 0arm7s ideals #ut little a#ility to thin% a#out them independently. !e naKvely trusts the pigs to ma%e all his decisions for him. !is two mottoes are 5 will wor% harder6 and 59apoleon is always right.6

Sq ealer . ;he pig who spreads 9apoleon7s propaganda among the other animals. &Duealer @ustifies the pigs7 monopoliHation of resources and spreads false statistics pointing to the

farm7s success. Orwell uses &Duealer to e"plore the ways in which those in power often use rhetoric and language to twist the truth and gain and maintain social and political control. Ol! "a#or . ;he priHe.winning #oar whose vision of a socialist utopia serves as the inspiration for the <e#ellion. ;hree days after descri#ing the vision and teaching the animals the song 5Beasts of England,6 Ea@or dies, leaving &now#all and 9apoleon to struggle for control of his legacy. Orwell #ased Ea@or on #oth the German political economist >arl Ear" and the <ussian revolutionary leader ?ladimir lych :enin. Clover . $ good.hearted female cart.horse and Bo"er7s close friend. 'lover often suspects the pigs of violating one or another of the &even 'ommandments, #ut she repeatedly #lames herself for misremem#ering the commandments. "oses . ;he tame raven who spreads stories of &ugarcandy Eountain, the paradise to which animals supposedly go when they die. Eoses plays only a small role in $nimal 0arm, #ut Orwell uses him to e"plore how communism e"ploits religion as something with which to pacify the oppressed. "ollie . ;he vain, flighty mare who pulls Er. -ones7s carriage. Eollie craves the attention of human #eings and loves #eing groomed and pampered. &he has a difficult time with her new life on $nimal 0arm, as she misses wearing ri##ons in her mane and eating sugar cu#es. &he represents the petit #ourgeoisie that fled from <ussia a few years after the <ussian <evolution. Ben#amin . ;he long.lived don%ey who refuses to feel inspired #y the <e#ellion. Ben@amin firmly #elieves that life will remain unpleasant no matter who is in charge. Of all of the animals on the farm, he alone comprehends the changes that ta%e place, #ut he seems either unwilling or una#le to oppose the pigs. " riel . ;he white goat who reads the &even 'ommandments to 'lover whenever 'lover suspects the pigs of violating their prohi#itions. "r$ %ones . ;he often drun% farmer who runs the Eanor 0arm #efore the animals stage their <e#ellion and esta#lish $nimal 0arm. Er. -ones is an un%ind master who indulges himself while his animals lac% foodA he thus represents ;sar 9icholas , whom the <ussian <evolution ousted. "r$ Fre!eric& . ;he tough, shrewd operator of ,inchfield, a neigh#oring farm. Based on $dolf !itler, the ruler of 9aHi Germany in the 1930s and 19+0s, Er. 0rederic% proves an untrustworthy neigh#or. "r$ Pil&ington . ;he easygoing gentleman farmer who runs 0o"wood, a neigh#oring farm. Er. 0rederic%7s #itter enemy, Er. ,il%ington represents the capitalist governments of England and the *nited &tates. "r$ 'h(mper . ;he human solicitor whom 9apoleon hires to represent $nimal 0arm in human society. Er. (hymper7s entry into the $nimal 0arm community initiates contact #etween $nimal 0arm and human society, alarming the common animals. -essie and Blue#ell . ;wo dogs, each of whom gives #irth early in the novel. 9apoleon ta%es the puppies in order to 5educate6 them. Einimus . ;he poet pig who writes verse a#out 9apoleon and pens the #anal patriotic song 5$nimal 0arm, $nimal 0arm6 to replace the earlier idealistic hymn 5Beasts of England,6 which Old Ea@or passes on to the others.

Anal(sis o) "a#or Characters Napoleon

0rom the very #eginning of the novella, 9apoleon emerges as an utterly corrupt opportunist. ;hough always present at the early meetings of the new state, 9apoleon never ma%es a single contri#ution to the revolution/not to the formulation of its ideology, not to the #loody struggle that it necessitates, not to the new society7s initial attempts to esta#lish itself. !e never shows interest in the strength of $nimal 0arm itself, only in the strength of his power over it. ;hus, the only pro@ect he underta%es with enthusiasm is the training of a litter of puppies. !e doesn7t educate them for their own good or for the good of all, however, #ut rather for his own good8 they #ecome his own private army or secret police, a violent means #y which he imposes his will on others. $lthough he is most directly modeled on the &oviet dictator -oseph &talin, 9apoleon represents, in a more general sense, the political tyrants that have emerged throughout human history and with particular freDuency during the twentieth century. !is namesa%e is not any communist leader #ut the early.eighteenth.century 0rench general 9apoleon, who #etrayed the democratic principles on which he rode to power, argua#ly #ecoming as great a despot as the aristocrats whom he supplanted. t is a testament to Orwell7s acute political intelligence and to the universality of his fa#le that 9apoleon can easily stand for any of the great dictators and political schemers in world history, even those who arose after $nimal 0arm was written. n the #ehavior of 9apoleon and his henchmen, one can detect the lying and #ullying tactics of totalitarian leaders such as -osip ;ito, Eao ;se.tung, ,ol ,ot, $ugusto ,inochet, and &lo#odan Eilosevic treated in sharply critical terms.

Snowball
Orwell7s stint in a ;rots%yist #attalion in the &panish 'ivil (ar/during which he first #egan plans for a critiDue of totalitarian communism/influenced his relatively positive portrayal of &now#all. $s a parallel for :eon ;rots%y, &now#all emerges as a fervent ideologue who throws himself heart and soul into the attempt to spread $nimalism worldwide and to improve $nimal 0arm7s infrastructure. !is idealism, however, leads to his downfall. <elying only on the force of his own logic and rhetorical s%ill to gain his influence, he proves no match for 9apoleon7s show of #rute force. $lthough Orwell depicts &now#all in a relatively appealing light, he refrains from idealiHing his character, ma%ing sure to endow him with certain moral flaws. 0or e"ample, &now#all #asically accepts the superiority of the pigs over the rest of the animals. Eoreover, his fervent, single.minded enthusiasm for grand pro@ects such as the windmill might have erupted into full.#lown megalomaniac despotism had he not #een chased from $nimal 0arm. ndeed, Orwell suggests that we cannot eliminate government corruption #y electing principled individuals to roles of powerA he reminds us throughout the novella that it is power itself that corrupts.

Boxer
;he most sympathetically drawn character in the novel, Bo"er epitomiHes all of the #est Dualities of the e"ploited wor%ing classes8 dedication, loyalty, and a huge capacity for la#or. !e also, however, suffers from what Orwell saw as the wor%ing class7s ma@or wea%nesses8 a

naKve trust in the good intentions of the intelligentsia and an ina#ility to recogniHe even the most #latant forms of political corruption. E"ploited #y the pigs as much or more than he had #een #y Er. -ones, Bo"er represents all of the invisi#le la#or that undergirds the political drama #eing carried out #y the elites. Bo"er7s pitiful death at a glue factory dramatically illustrates the e"tent of the pigs7 #etrayal. t may also, however, spea% to the specific significance of Bo"er himself8 #efore #eing carted off, he serves as the force that holds $nimal 0arm together.

Sq ealer
;hroughout his career, Orwell e"plored how politicians manipulate language in an age of mass media. n $nimal 0arm, the silver.tongued pig &Duealer a#uses language to @ustify 9apoleon7s actions and policies to the proletariat #y whatever means seem necessary. By radically simplifying language/as when he teaches the sheep to #leat 50our legs good, two legs #etterG6/he limits the terms of de#ate. By complicating language unnecessarily, he confuses and intimidates the uneducated, as when he e"plains that pigs, who are the 5#rainwor%ers6 of the farm, consume mil% and apples not for pleasure, #ut for the good of their comrades. n this latter strategy, he also employs @argon 35tactics, tactics64 as well as a #affling voca#ulary of false and impenetra#le statistics, engendering in the other animals #oth self.dou#t and a sense of hopelessness a#out ever accessing the truth without the pigs7 mediation. &Duealer7s lac% of conscience and unwavering loyalty to his leader, alongside his rhetorical s%ills, ma%e him the perfect propagandist for any tyranny. &Duealer7s name also fits him well8 sDuealing, of course, refers to a pig7s typical form of vocaliHation, and &Duealer7s speech defines him. $t the same time, to sDueal also means to #etray, aptly evo%ing &Duealer7s #ehavior with regard to his fellow animals. Old Ea@or $s a democratic socialist, Orwell had a great deal of respect for >arl Ear", the German political economist, and even for ?ladimir lych :enin, the <ussian revolutionary leader. !is critiDue of $nimal 0arm has little to do with the Ear"ist ideology underlying the <e#ellion #ut rather with the perversion of that ideology #y later leaders. Ea@or, who represents #oth Ear" and :enin, serves as the source of the ideals that the animals continue to uphold even after their pig leaders have #etrayed them. ;hough his portrayal of Old Ea@or is largely positive, Orwell does include a few small ironies that allow the reader to Duestion the venera#le pig7s motives. 0or instance, in the midst of his long litany of complaints a#out how the animals have #een treated #y human #eings, Old Ea@or is forced to concede that his own life has #een long, full, and free from the terrors he has vividly s%etched for his rapt audience. !e seems to have claimed a false #rotherhood with the other animals in order to garner their support for his vision.

*hemes+ "oti)s , S(mbols *hemes *hemes are the ) n!amental an! o)ten literar( wor&$

niversal i!eas explore! in a

*he Corr ption o) Socialist -!eals in the Soviet .nion $nimal 0arm is most famous in the (est as a stinging critiDue of the history and rhetoric of the <ussian <evolution. <etelling the story of the emergence and development of &oviet communism in the form of an animal fa#le, $nimal 0arm allegoriHes the rise to power of the dictator -oseph &talin. n the novella, the overthrow of the human oppressor Er. -ones #y a democratic coalition of animals Duic%ly gives way to the consolidation of power among the pigs. Euch li%e the &oviet intelligentsia, the pigs esta#lish themselves as the ruling class in the new society. ;he struggle for preeminence #etween :eon ;rots%y and &talin emerges in the rivalry #etween the pigs &now#all and 9apoleon. n #oth the historical and fictional cases, the idealistic #ut politically less powerful figure 3;rots%y and &now#all4 is e"pelled from the revolutionary state #y the malicious and violent usurper of power 3&talin and 9apoleon4. ;he purges and show trials with which &talin eliminated his enemies and solidified his political #ase find e"pression in $nimal 0arm as the false confessions and e"ecutions of animals whom 9apoleon distrusts following the collapse of the windmill. &talin7s tyrannical rule and eventual a#andonment of the founding principles of the <ussian <evolution are represented #y the pigs7 turn to violent government and the adoption of human traits and #ehaviors, the trappings of their original oppressors. $lthough Orwell #elieved strongly in socialist ideals, he felt that the &oviet *nion realiHed these ideals in a terri#ly perverse form. !is novella creates its most powerful ironies in the moments in which Orwell depicts the corruption of $nimalist ideals #y those in power. 0or $nimal 0arm serves not so much to condemn tyranny or despotism as to indict the horrifying hypocrisy of tyrannies that #ase themselves on, and owe their initial power to, ideologies of li#eration and eDuality. ;he gradual disintegration and perversion of the &even 'ommandments illustrates this hypocrisy with vivid force, as do &Duealer7s ela#orate philosophical @ustifications for the pigs7 #latantly unprincipled actions. ;hus, the novella critiDues the violence of the &talinist regime against the human #eings it ruled, and also points to &oviet communism7s violence against human logic, language, and ideals. ;he &ocietal ;endency ;oward 'lass &tratification $nimal 0arm offers commentary on the development of class tyranny and the human tendency to maintain and reesta#lish class structures even in societies that allegedly stand for total eDuality. ;he novella illustrates how classes that are initially unified in the face of a common enemy, as the animals are against the humans, may #ecome internally divided when that enemy is eliminated. ;he e"pulsion of Er. -ones creates a power vacuum, and it is only so long #efore the ne"t oppressor assumes totalitarian control. ;he natural division #etween intellectual and physical la#or Duic%ly comes to e"press itself as a new set of class divisions, with the 5#rainwor%ers6 3as the pigs claim to #e4 using their superior intelligence to manipulate society to their own #enefit. Orwell never clarifies in $nimal 0arm whether this negative state of affairs constitutes an inherent aspect of society or merely an outcome contingent on the integrity of a society7s intelligentsia. n either case, the novella points to the force of this tendency toward class stratification in many communities and the threat that it poses to democracy and freedom. ;he Fanger of a 9aKve (or%ing 'lass One of the novella7s most impressive accomplishments is its portrayal not @ust of the figures in power #ut also of the oppressed people themselves. $nimal 0arm is not told from the

perspective of any particular character, though occasionally it does slip into 'lover7s consciousness. <ather, the story is told from the perspective of the common animals as a whole. Gulli#le, loyal, and hardwor%ing, these animals give Orwell a chance to s%etch how situations of oppression arise not only from the motives and tactics of the oppressors #ut also from the naKvetL of the oppressed, who are not necessarily in a position to #e #etter educated or informed. (hen presented with a dilemma, Bo"er prefers not to puHHle out the implications of various possi#le actions #ut instead to repeat to himself, 59apoleon is always right.6 $nimal 0arm demonstrates how the ina#ility or unwillingness to Duestion authority condemns the wor%ing class to suffer the full e"tent of the ruling class7s oppression. ;he $#use of :anguage as nstrumental to the $#use of ,ower One of Orwell7s central concerns, #oth in $nimal 0arm and in 191+, is the way in which language can #e manipulated as an instrument of control. n $nimal 0arm, the pigs gradually twist and distort a rhetoric of socialist revolution to @ustify their #ehavior and to %eep the other animals in the dar%. ;he animals heartily em#race Ea@or7s visionary ideal of socialism, #ut after Ea@or dies, the pigs gradually twist the meaning of his words. $s a result, the other animals seem una#le to oppose the pigs without also opposing the ideals of the <e#ellion. By the end of the novella, after &Duealer7s repeated reconfigurations of the &even 'ommandments in order to decriminaliHe the pigs7 treacheries, the main principle of the farm can #e openly stated as 5all animals are eDual, #ut some animals are more eDual than others.6 ;his outrageous a#use of the word 5eDual6 and of the ideal of eDuality in general typifies the pigs7 method, which #ecomes increasingly audacious as the novel progresses. Orwell7s sophisticated e"posure of this a#use of language remains one of the most compelling and enduring features of $nimal 0arm, worthy of close study even after we have decoded its allegorical characters and events. "oti)s "oti)s are rec rring str ct res+ contrasts+ an! literar( !evices that can help to !evelop an! in)orm the text/s ma#or themes. Songs $nimal 0arm is filled with songs, poems, and slogans, including Ea@or7s stirring 5Beasts of England,6 Einimus7s ode to 9apoleon, the sheep7s chants, and Einimus7s revised anthem, 5$nimal 0arm, $nimal 0arm.6 $ll of these songs serve as propaganda, one of the ma@or conduits of social control. By ma%ing the wor%ing.class animals spea% the same words at the same time, the pigs evo%e an atmosphere of grandeur and no#ility associated with the recited te"t7s su#@ect matter. ;he songs also erode the animals7 sense of individuality and %eep them focused on the tas%s #y which they will purportedly achieve freedom. State 0it al $s $nimal 0arm shifts gears from its early revolutionary fervor to a phase of consolidation of power in the hands of the few, national rituals #ecome an ever more common part of the farm7s social life. Eilitary awards, large parades, and new songs all proliferate as the state attempts to reinforce the loyalty of the animals. ;he increasing freDuency of the rituals #espea%s the e"tent to which the wor%ing class in the novella #ecomes ever more reliant on the ruling class to define their group identity and values. &ym#ols

S(mbols are ob#ects+ characters+ )ig res+ an! colors se! to represent abstract i!eas or concepts$ Animal Farm $nimal 0arm, %nown at the #eginning and the end of the novel as the Eanor 0arm, sym#oliHes <ussia and the &oviet *nion under 'ommunist ,arty rule. But more generally, $nimal 0arm stands for any human society, #e it capitalist, socialist, fascist, or communist. t possesses the internal structure of a nation, with a government 3the pigs4, a police force or army 3the dogs4, a wor%ing class 3the other animals4, and state holidays and rituals. ts location amid a num#er of hostile neigh#oring farms supports its sym#olism as a political entity with diplomatic concerns. *he Barn ;he #arn at $nimal 0arm, on whose outside walls the pigs paint the &even 'ommandments and, later, their revisions, represents the collective memory of a modern nation. ;he many scenes in which the ruling.class pigs alter the principles of $nimalism and in which the wor%ing.class animals puHHle over #ut accept these changes represent the way an institution in power can revise a community7s concept of history to #olster its control. f the wor%ing class #elieves history to lie on the side of their oppressors, they are less li%ely to Duestion oppressive practices. Eoreover, the oppressors, #y revising their nation7s conception of its origins and development, gain control of the nation7s very identity, and the oppressed soon come to depend upon the authorities for their communal sense of self. *he 'in!mill ;he great windmill sym#oliHes the pigs7 manipulation of the other animals for their own gain. Fespite the immediacy of the need for food and warmth, the pigs e"ploit Bo"er and the other common animals #y ma%ing them underta%e #ac%#rea%ing la#or to #uild the windmill, which will ultimately earn the pigs more money and thus increase their power. ;he pigs7 declaration that &now#all is responsi#le for the windmill7s first collapse constitutes psychological manipulation, as it prevents the common animals from dou#ting the pigs7 a#ilities and unites them against a supposed enemy. ;he ultimate conversion of the windmill to commercial use is one more sign of the pigs7 #etrayal of their fellow animals. 0rom an allegorical point of view, the windmill represents the enormous moderniHation pro@ects underta%en in &oviet <ussia after the <ussian <evolution 1e( Facts full title M $nimal 0arm8 $ 0airy &tory author M George Orwell 3pseudonym of Eric $rthur Blair4 type of wor% M 9ovella genre M Fystopian animal fa#leA satireA allegoryA political roman N clef 30rench for 5novel with a %ey6/a thinly veiled e"posL of factual persons or events4 language M English

time and place written M 19+3O19++, in :ondon date of first pu#lication M 19+) pu#lisher M !arcourt Brace P 'ompany narrator M $nimal 0arm is the only wor% #y Orwell in which the author does not appear conspicuously as a narrator or ma@or characterA it is the least overtly personal of all of his writings. ;he anonymous narrator of the story is almost a nonentity, nota#le for no individual idiosyncrasies or #iases. point of view M ;he story is told from the point of view of the common animals of $nimal 0arm, though it refers to them in the third person plural as 5they.6 tone M 0or the most part, the tone of the novel is o#@ective, stating e"ternal facts and rarely digressing into philosophical meditations. ;he mi"ture of this tone with the outrageous tra@ectory of the plot, however, steeps the story in an ever.mounting irony. tense M ,ast setting 3time4 M $s is the case with most fa#les, $nimal 0arm is set in an unspecified time period and is largely free from historical references that would allow the reader to date the action precisely. t is fair to assume, however, that Orwell means the fa#le to #e contemporaneous with the o#@ect of its satire, the <ussian <evolution 3191=O19+24. t is important to remem#er that this period represented the recent past and present at the time of writing and that Orwell understands the significance of the story7s action to #e immediate and ongoing rather than historical. setting 3place4 M $n imaginary farm in England protagonist M ;here is no clear central character in the novel, #ut 9apoleon, the dictatorial pig, is the figure who drives and ties together most of the action. ma@or conflict M ;here are a num#er of conflicts in $nimal 0arm/the animals versus Er. -ones, &now#all versus 9apoleon, the common animals versus the pigs, $nimal 0arm versus the neigh#oring humans/#ut all of them are e"pressions of the underlying tension #etween the e"ploited and e"ploiting classes and #etween the lofty ideals and harsh realities of socialism. rising action M ;he animals throw off their human oppressors and esta#lish a socialist state called $nimal 0armA the pigs, #eing the most intelligent animals in the group, ta%e control of the planning and government of the farmA &now#all and 9apoleon engage in ideological disputes and compete for power. clima" M n 'hapter ?, 9apoleon runs &now#all off the farm with his trained pac% of dogs and declares that the power to ma%e decisions for the farm will #e e"ercised solely #y the pigs. falling action M &Duealer emerges to @ustify 9apoleon7s actions with s%illful #ut duplicitous reinterpretations of $nimalist principlesA 9apoleon continues to consolidate his power,

eliminating his enemies and reinforcing his status as supreme leaderA the common animals continue to o#ey the pigs, hoping for a #etter future. themes M ;he corruption of socialist ideals in the &oviet *nionA the societal tendency toward class stratificationA the danger of a naKve wor%ing classA the a#use of language as instrumental to the a#use of power motifs M &ongsA state ritual sym#ols M $nimal 0armA the #arnA the windmill foreshadowing M ;he pigs7 eventual a#use of power is foreshadowed at several points in the novel. $t the end of 'hapter , immediately after the esta#lishment of the supposedly egalitarian $nimal 0arm, the e"tra mil% ta%en from the cows disappears, and the te"t implies that 9apoleon has drun% it himself. &imilarly, the dogs7 attac% on Bo"er during 9apoleon7s purges, in 'hapter ? , foreshadows the pigs7 eventual #etrayal of the loyal cart.horse.