Student Essay on Elements in George Orwell's "Animal Farm"

Elements in George Orwell's "Animal Farm"

Summary:   Animal Farm has many mimetic qualities. One such quality is demonstrated in the use of symbolism. The animals, representing people, overthrow their authority. This is similar to the situation in the Russian Revolution. The people followed Lenin and overthrew the czar, the same as the animals overthrew Mr. Jones.

Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, depicts a group of animals who plot to destroy their master, Mr. Jones. The oldest and wisest pig on the farm, "Old Major," told the other animals a story about a revolt called, "The Rebellion." The pigs, which were considered to be the most intelligent of all the animals, devised a plan and successfully conquered Manor Farm. The animals ran the farm effectively, with the pigs overseeing and constantly developing new ideas. One pig, Snowball, was in favor of the improvements of the farm, while another pig, Napoleon, was seeking only personal success. They were both adamant about their viewpoints and often argued. When Snowball introduced a new plan to build a windmill, Napoleon disagreed and convinced the animals that snowball had ulterior motives, and that he should be banished from Animal Farm. The animals followed Napoleon who later adopted the windmill plan as his own. He slowly took over the farm by making subtle changes that boosted his rise in power. In the end, the pigs took on the characteristics of men, and the animals regressed into their former lifestyles.

Animal Farm has many mimetic qualities. One such quality is demonstrated in the use of symbolism. The animals, representing people, overthrow their authority. This is similar to the situation in the Russian Revolution. The people followed Lenin and overthrew the czar, the same as the animals overthrew Mr. Jones. A second mimetic example is in Napoleon's rise to power. He easily took control by making subtle changes and slowly turning all of the animals against Snowball. One way in which Animal Farm is unrealistic is that animals are not actually capable of taking over and running a farm. It is also unrealistic because pigs cannot take on human characteristics such as talking, reading, writing, and walking on two legs.

Animal Farm is didactic in many ways. It teaches that it is easy to be influenced if individuals do not take a stand for what they believe in. If the animals had been more educated, and had better realized what issues they stood for, they could have stopped Napoleon. The few who realized the danger were unable to convince the other animals because of the strong influence of Napoleon and Squealer. Another didactic element of Animal Farm is the importance of knowing and understanding history. The new generation of animals on the farm did not remember the Rebellion of Mr. Jones. Because they did not know what their ancestors fought for, they never protested Napoleon's power. A third didactic quality of Animal Farm is in the importance of hard work. In the early part of the book, immediately following the Rebellion, the animals work extremely hard, and get the farm in even better shape than it was in human hands. When greedy Napoleon became the leader though, the animals were cheated and digressed from their former ways. This is revealed through Napoleon's changing creed. He went from saying, "All animals are equal," to, "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

George Orwell added many aesthetic qualities to Animal Farm. The comparisons of this book to the Russian Revolution made it a masterpiece. Orwell makes clear analyses between the characters and the prominent figures of the Revolution. The events that took place on Animal Farm, although different in detail, were parallel to the Revolution. A second aesthetic element of Animal Farm is in the interaction between the animals. The conversations and descriptions that Orwell presents make Animal Farm very entertaining. Thirdly, this book was aesthetic in the characterization. It was interesting to see which animals were considered to be the hardest working, prideful, and intelligent.

George Orwell's novel, Animal Farm, is almost a direct parallel to the Russian Revolution. By using animals to tell the story, Orwell portrays the Revolution in a way that can be easily understood. He uses these animals to symbolize people or groups or people. He uses a pig named Old Major to represent Karl Marx, a pig named Snowball to represent Leon Trotsky, and a pig name Napoleon to represent Joseph Stalin. He also uses the farmer, Mr. Jones, to symbolize Czar Nicholas II, the tame raven for the idea of religion, and the animals as a whole to represent the people of the USSR.

In Animal Farm, Old Major, a pig, is portrayed as a wise character who introduces the idea of "animalism." He inspires the farm animals to begin a revolt referred to as, "The Rebellion." Old Major is used to represent Karl Marx. Marx was known as one of the men who, "defined communism," a term equivalent to animalism. He and Friedrich Engels wrote and published the book, Communist Manifesto, which showed the progression of a capitalist government to a communist utopia. The theory that Marx introduced was similar to the one in the Beasts of England, the song Old Major taught the animals, which told about what life would be like after the Rebellion. In the song, the animals have no master. They all work together and then share the profits equally. This is the same idea as communism.

Leon Trotsky is being represented by Snowball, a lively pig who is dedicated to the progression of animalism. Being second in power to Lenin, Trotsky held dominant positions in the new government. After Old Major died, Snowball and Napoleon, being the only boars, were the prominent leaders of the farm. When Snowball became a threat to Napoleon, by gaining the other animals' attention, Napoleon had him chased away from the farm. The same happened to Trotsky. When Stalin Realized that he was a threat, Stalin took over the government, forced Trotsky into exile, and eventually murdered him.

The character Napoleon was the equivalent of Joseph Stalin. Like Stalin, Napoleon's "followers" feared him. If he did not agree with the animals' opinions, he would have them murdered. When Snowball disagreed with Napoleon, he chased him away and took full control of the farm, eventually leading it back to its original state. When Stalin disagreed with Trotsky, he had Trotsky murdered and took total control of the USSR. Instead of leading the farm in complete animalism as originally planned, Napoleon only became the enemy they had just defeated. Stalin, instead of leading the USSR in communism, slowly led it into a totalitarianism government.

This allegorical novel serves as a clear interpretation of the Russian Revolution. Orwell's description of Snowball and Napoleon clearly depicts Trotsky and Stalin. Also, the comparable circumstances, such as the hatred for the farmer (the czar), and the overworked animals (the people), made the novel realistic. The characters are so similar that one can easily understand the connection between the novel and the revolution. This work can serve as a reminder of the suffering that so many people endured to protect their freedom.