Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm is a short novel written by George Orwell during World War II and published in 1945. The story is an allegory based on the Russian Revolution and its betrayal by Joseph Stalin. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. However, they are betrayed, and the farm ends up as bad as it was before.
The novella offers commentary on the development of class tyranny and the human tendency to maintain and reestablish class structures even in societies that allegedly stand for total equality. The main themes of the book include the corruption of socialist ideals in the Soviet Union, the societal tendency toward class stratification, the danger of a naïve working class, the abuse of language as instrumental to the abuse of power, and the failure of intellect.
One of Orwell’s central concerns, both in Animal Farm and in 1984, is the way in which language can be manipulated as an instrument of control. In Animal Farm, the pigs gradually twist and distort a rhetoric of socialist revolution to justify their behavior and to keep the other animals in the dark. The animals heartily embrace Major’s visionary ideal of socialism, but after Major dies, the pigs gradually twist the meaning of his words. As a result, the other animals seem unable to oppose the pigs without also opposing the ideals of the Rebellion.
Useful takeaways from the book include the idea that power can induce corruptibility, the importance of questioning authority, and the need for courageous individuals to spread the truth and stand up for those who cannot fight for themselves.
What I Liked
Everything – it’s smart, concise, and lives up to its reputation.
What I Did Not Like
The pigs are weird. I guess that’s the point. But still.
- Smart and concise narrative
- Powerful commentary on class tyranny
- Timely themes about corruption and authority
- The pigs are weird.