It is essential that when studying Animal Farm one should bear in mind that Orwell wrote Animal Farm entirely by means of symbolism, as people frequently read this book superficially as an out-of-the-ordinary story about farmyard animals. The reason for Orwell writing about such a serious topic in such a light-hearted way was so that Animal Farm would have worldwide appreciation by all people, no matter their age, and they could therefore heed the caution contained in Animal Farm.
If Animal Farm is to be relevant to children and have universal and timeless application, it must also be suitable for juveniles. Surely, the imagery created by Orwell at the 'Battle of the Cowshed' is unsuitable for a child's book. For example, Orwell writes, "…pellets scored bloody streaks along Snowballs' back…" (pp. 38) and, "…they were gored, kicked, bitten, trampled on…cat suddenly leapt off a roof onto a cowman's shoulders and sank her claws into his neck…" (pp. 38). When describing the scenes in which animals confessed to having betrayed their comrades, Orwell wrote, "... a sheep confessed to having urinated in the drinking pool..." In a society where it is thought children are already exposed to far too much violence in the media, it would be thought unnecessary for children's characters to be described in such graphic detail in books as well. Also, “…characters are animals, as in most fables, but this is no children’s story.” (handout: text miniguide) As can be seen, Animal Farm is unfit for reading by its target audience, and should therefore not be termed a modern classic.
Orwell also wrote Animal Farm as a direct parallel to the Stalinist regime in Russia "…the fable does follow, as I see now, so completely the progress, and development of the Russian Soviets and their two dictators, that it can only apply to Russia, to the exclusion of all other dictatorships." (Jonathon Carpe, handout: pp. 37). As can be seen, Animal Farm cannot be of universal application if it applies only to the situation in Russia in this period. In addition, by writing a humourless topic in a frolicsome nature, Orwell undermined the gravity of the situation in Russia, and the symbolism Orwell used is incomprehensible. Many adults have troubles in understanding the abstract messages expressed in Animal Farm, children cannot possibly be expected to understand the link between the fictional farm, and the development of the Russian Soviets or authoritarian political leaders.
The subordinate themes presented to the reader in Animal Farm are those of the hardship for working class people, 'man's dominion over man', and exploitation. However, these themes are present in many books not defined as modern classics, which contradicts the accepted classification of Animal Farm. "Galsworthy's Silver Box is not a classic, because it treats humanity in terms of a transient social prejudice: the strained and humiliating relationship between the servant class and the aristocracy…" (Handout: pp. 9). Orwell wrote Animal Farm not only as a warning, but also as a comment on how humans arrange themselves in the social order. The symbolism of farmyard animals thereby demonstrates transient social prejudice inherent to humanity. Certainly, Orwell's Animal Farm cannot then be termed a modern classic if it makes the same mistake as Galsworthy's Silver Box, which is not judged as such.
Another important factor to consider in deciding whether a novel can be deemed a modern classic is whether the setting is realistic or appropriate. It can be seen that the setting in Animal Farm is extremely out of reach and unsuitable. The notion of farm animals expelling their owner is improbable and treats the serious matter of totalitarianism flippantly. Animal Farm cannot be rated as modern classic because Orwell did not use a suitable setting for the subject matter on which this story is based.
Moreover, in considering a book's worthiness for inclusion to the class of modern classic novels is whether the author made use of typecast characters. Orwell assigned the animals in Animal Farm the qualities one would generally assume them to have. The sheep for example, whom most would regard as dim and conformists, Orwell described as such and wrote, “…stupider animals…sheep…unable to learn the Seven Commandments...” (pp. 30) Other animals illustrated in Animal Farm, such as Napoleon's guard dogs, which most would consider as vicious and intimidating were characterised as such “…they were huge dogs, and as fierce-looking as wolves..." (pp. 48). The pigs that mainly feature the in Animal Farm however are the most heavily stereotyped of all characters. Humans typically consider pigs as cunning, gluttonous, domineering and brutal. Orwell described the pigs as “Napoleon…rather fierce-looking…reputation for getting his own way…small fat pig named Squealer…round cheeks, twinkling eyes…” (pp. 15). Throughout the book it is stressed that the pigs were the most dominating and took over the administration of the farm, fostering themselves as the ruling class after the expulsion of Mr Jones. Hence, it can be seen that the characters Orwell employed were stereotyped, and Animal Farm is consequently a substandard novel.
The judgement of George Orwell's Animal Farm as a modern classic is inaccurate as it fails to fulfil the elementary criteria. The themes and issues contained in Animal Farm are no longer socially relevant and Animal Farm also fails to confront matters of wide relevance to humanity. Therefore, it is obvious that Animal Farm does not stand the test of time and cannot be rated as a modern classic. By Orwell using stereotyped characters and an inappropriate setting, it is blatantly clear that Animal Farm rates as an appalling piece of literary work and cannot possibly be deemed a modern classic.
