Animal Farm, by George Orwell - reason for the story

In his introduction to the Animal Farm, George Orwell clearly makes no secret of the fact that his writing is single-mindedly focused on the obliteration of totalitarian regimes. In Animal Farm, Orwell comments on the history and rhetoric of the Russian Revolution, retelling the story of the emergence and development of soviet communism in the form of an animal fable. Animal Farm, while obviously referring to the general scope of all forms of totalitarian governments, is largely seen as a satire of the Russian Revolution, that people could only change the tyrants through revolting. Later these tyrants become worse than the previous regime. Judging from Orwell’s intentions for writing Animal Farm, Orwell would have responded to Gulliver’s Travels by criticizing the events in the land of the Lilliputians. Orwell would have criticized Pangloss’ philosophy, and how religion and government oppressed people in Candide. Finally, he would criticize the social inequality and societal tendency towards class stratification in the Notes from Underground.

The message in Animal Farm was received and interpreted differently by many people. Orwell clarifies himself in his article “Why I Write” that; “Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism… Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole.” Orwell portrays a reenactment of the Russian Revolution, with major characters cast as farm animals and communism renamed “animalism.” Similar to the historical story, the tyrants manipulated the ruled people, deceiving them with illusions of dignity and improved living conditions, while masterfully holding all of the power for themselves.

Old Major whose visionary dream inspires the animals with their first concept of a revolution can be compared to Karl Marx, whose ideologies and writings eventually led to the communist revolution. Marx developed not only an analysis of current conditions but also a plan for political action, together with a theory about the historical predictability of its success. He believed that philosophy ought to be employed in practice to change the world. His work described the class struggle between the proletariat and bourgeoisie, distinguishes communism from other socialist movements, proposes social reforms and urges all workers to unite in revolution against existing regimes. Most of his work was left unfinished during his death likewise to the Old Major who encouraged animals to take actions against the cruel owner of the Manor Farm. Shortly before the rebels he dies.

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Once old major dies, Napoleon takes over control. He carefully dismantles the system that the animals created through Old Major dream, by slowly altering the common symbols of freedom and patriotic commandments and established a deceitful government as unjust as its precursor. He never shows interest in the strength of the Animal Farm itself, only in the strength of his power over it. Thus, the only project he undertakes with enthusiasm is the training of the puppies, which he later used to put his order in the animals’ society. He does not educate them for their good, rather for his own good. The puppies become his own private army, a violent means by which he imposes his will on others. For instance, chasing Snowball who was a powerful influence to the society and Napoleon’s revile in power rising: “at this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed strait to Snowball… escaped their snapping jaws.” He could be compared with Stalin of Russia, who became greedy and power hungry, leaving equality of socialism behind. He gave himself all the power. Besides, Stalin lived in luxury while the common peasant suffered.

Orwell shows through the character, Boxer the horse, all of the good qualities of the exploited working classes, loyalty and the huge capacity of labor. In addition, he shows the working class’ major weakness as a naïve trust in the good intentions of the intelligentsia and their inability to recognize even the most blatant forms of political corruption. With his philosophy that “Napoleon is always right…I will work harder” regardless of oppression, boxer is exploited even more by pigs than Mr. Jones the overthrown owner of the farm. Therefore, he represents the peasants who are lied to and mistreated by political figures out for personal gain.

In addition, Orwell shows his contemporaries how totalitarian government used propaganda and manipulated language to deceive them. The sweet-tongued pig named Squealer abuses language to justify Napoleon’s actions and policies toward the proletariat by whatever means seemed necessary. By thoroughly simplifying language, he teaches the sheep to bleat “four legs good, two legs better.” He limits the terms by complicating language, thus confuses and intimidates the uneducated. He later uses perplexing vocabulary of false impenetrable about ever accessing the froth without the pigs’ mediation. Hence, Squealer’s lack of conscience and unwavering loyalty to his leader, along with his rhetorical skills, makes him perfect propagandist. However, Orwell criticizes the disaffected intellectuals like himself, who are potentially powerful because of their writing ability, but fail to use that power effectively.

Judging from views expressed in Animal Farm, Orwell would have responded in Swift’s views to Gulliver’s Travels by satirizing the events in the land of Lilliputians, at the same time, he would be skeptical of the utopian land of the “Houyhnhnms.” Orwell would satirize the lack of societal gratitude. This lack of gratitude is achieved when the emperor’s apartment catches on fire. Gulliver is aroused from sleep by the “Lilliputians” and asked to extinguish the fire. When he finds that the Lilliputians’ small buckets are doing very little, he simply extinguishes the flame by urinating on the apartment. Soon after the event, he is told that he is charged with treason. This act of ingratitude, Swift pinpointed, was performed daily by the British society the ruling class in particular, which could be compared to Orwell’s work in Animal Farm, where the pigs establish themselves as the ruling class in the new society and perform brutal acts towards other animals. Swift was against the cultural practices of the British society just as Orwell was against soviet intelligentsia. Like Swift, Orwell would disapprove of the utopian land of Houyhnhnms, the horses that live and act like human beings. He would have found them rather similar to the pigs in Animal Farm, a perfect dystopia.

In Candide, Orwell would have agreed with Voltaire’s views and criticized the oppression of people by the government and religion as well as Pangloss’ philosophy that all is for the best. Candide, a character in the novella witnessed the horrors of oppression by the authorities and churches. Governors obtained by threat sexual favors from their female subjects. They were corrupt, like when the Catholic authority burned heretics alive. These institutions seemed to do more harm than good to their defenseless subjects. Voltaire loudly protested against political injustice, which is similar to Orwell’s protest against totalitarian government. With that respect, Orwell would satirize the Pangloss’ philosophy that; “all is for the best” in the best of all possible worlds. Regardless of Pangloss’ encounters in the indifferent world, he still believes in his abstract philosophy. This could be compared to Boxer’s philosophy in Animal Farm, Napoleon in Boxer’s views was always right and he would work hard, regardless of Napoleon’s ruthless rule, Boxer still believes in him. He stands behind him through all the outrages Napoleon commits.

In Notes from Underground, Orwell would agree with Dostoyevsky’s comments on the class stratification, and power of tyrants in implementing this social inequality and the threats that they pose to democracy and freedom. The Underground man, the character in the novella was unable to socialize because of his class in the society, which was considered below the poverty line. He then separates himself and hides in his “mouse hole” away from the society, since social statues determines human interaction. In addition, Orwell would criticize the Underground man’s behavior towards Liza, who was a prostitute and willing to change to fit the society. The Under ground man dominates her to seek a position of power, which shows how Dostoyevsky’s contemporaries hungered for tyrannical power. Orwell would compare the Underground man’s superiority and pigs’ superiority, while he would admire Liza’s redeemable character. Thus, both authors’ comments on the development of a tyranny class that maintains and establishes class structures in the society.

In Animal Farm, Orwell warns against a fallacious solutions to the social problems criticized in the other three works. Swift criticized societal ingratitude especially from the British ruling class, while Voltaire commented on the religious and political oppression in England and France. On the other hand, Dostoyevsky talked about class stratification, and power of tyrants in implementing this social inequality and the threats that they pose to democracy and freedom. However, Orwell argues that the resolutions for the above problems are more dangerous than the problems themselves. As they are clearly demonstrated in, his novella, when the animals solved their oppression from man, but suffered a greater oppression from the pigs. Orwell seems to be saying some cures are worse than disease.