At the beginning of Animal Farm, Moses the raven introduced the make-believe place called Sugarcandy Mountain. He was Mr. Jones’s spy and used this vision to make the animals work harder. He said that if an animal works hard, then they would go to Sugarcandy Mountain when they die. Sugarcandy Mountain is considered utopia because it is impossible to go there. Moses said, “In Sugarcandy Mountain it was Sunday seven days a week, clover was in season all the year round, and lump sugar and linseed cake grew on the edges.” (37) He used false information and utopian vision hoping to promote the animals to work harder. Sugarcandy Mountain was believed the most by Boxer the horse. Boxer didn’t think for himself. Whatever he was told, he believed. The phrase “Ignorance is passivity” comes into play here. Since Boxer was so gullible, he thought if he worked hard all the time, when he died he would go to this perfect environment where every day is a great day. Boxer even said, “I will work harder!” (47) He would harness himself to a cutter or the horse rake and work as hard as he could all day with the utopian vision of Sugarcandy Mountain on his mind!
A good way to motivate someone is to connect with him or her throughout a sppech. Old Major was a very strong speaker and used this strength to apply utopia to the animal’s minds. The farm animals were very fond of Old Major and they listened to everything he said. When he made his speech about the animal revolution and animalism, the animals believed every word they heard. During his speech he said, “The soil of England is fertile, its climate is good, it is capable of affording food in abundance to an enormously greater number of animals that now inhibit it. This single form of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep – and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now beyond our imagination.” (28) The animals imagined life with the farm this way and they cheered and smiled. Old Major emphasized all of the unpleasant attributes of living under the rule of Mr. Jones. This made life seem more miserable than it really was making the animals want to work harder for their freedom. Old Major suggested many things in his speech such as animals are better than humans and animals deserve to be ranked higher than humans. He also predicted many things that would happen if the revolution occurs such as all animals would be treated equal and they would have a better life. These things are unlikely and the whole environment Major has created for the animals is utopia. After Old Major dies, his speech lives on and is molded into the animals’ minds. The pigs lead the revolution with all of the animals working hard and thinking of animalism.
Throughout Animal Farm, utopian vision is used to motivate the animals to work harder. Moses used Sugarcandy Mountain as an imaginary place where animals would go when they die, only if they worked hard. Old Major used his speech and the idea of animalism to ignite the animals to work hard. Both Sugarcandy Mountain and animalism are forms of utopia because they are impossible and can’t really happen. Even today after reading Animal Farm and this essay, people still work hard for things that are really utopia.
