Animal Farm by George Orwell - Book Report/Review Example

ANIMAL FARM By George Orwell Animal Farm Animal Farm is a story written by George Orwell which revolves around the happenings in a farm which is under the ownership of Mr. Jones. The animals plot against Mr. Jones for the achievement of their rights as they are mistreated at his hands. The animals take part in the revolution with the hope of achievement of a better life and a secure future but their dreams are not fulfilled. This is owing to the creation of classes amongst the animals and the pigs start ruling the other animals by means of their own force.

The story presents the occurrences on the farm and the treachery and lies with which the animals are ruled and oppressed by the pigs. Old Manor is a very sensible pig who leaves a message before his death for the animals on the farm to fight for their rights. The animals unite together under the leadership of the pigs and fight against their corrupted owner Mr. Jones and overthrow him. Snowball and Napoleon are the pigs who lead the animals. The name of the farm is changed to ‘Animal Farm’ from ‘Manor Farm’ to signify their success.

Meetings are arranged for all the animals and it is signified that the animals will live by their ways and that they are all meant to be treated on an equal level. Snowball works towards the achievement of these goals but Napoleon opts for the wrong path and overthrows Snowball to take over the farm. He has his force of dogs and his loyal pigs including Squealer who justify all his acts. Napoleon resorts to the older ways and marks the pigs as superior to the other animals. He increases the work for the animals and decreases the provision of basic necessities to them.

He totally changes the rules of the farm towards the end by changing the name of the farm to Manor Farm and by creating alliance with the humans. Furthermore, the pigs also start behaving and walking like humans and they openly declare their superiority to other animals. Snowball is a very dedicated pig who wishes to see the animals prosper. He devises the plan for a windmill so that the animals can progress and move ahead. The animals are devoted to him but the greed for power drives Napoleon to secretly work against Snowball.

He opposes his plans and uses his force of dogs to drive Snowball away from the farm. He then opts for corrupt ways and distorts the original dream that was seen by Old Manor for the farm. Squealer and the other pigs side with Napoleon and manipulate the thinking of other animals to justify the actions of Napoleon. Boxer is a horse who is a greatly dedicated worker of the farm. He does not think about the achievement of power but works sincerely for the good of the farm and puts in his hard work without any greed for reward.

The other animals tend to remain silent and passive to the occurrences on the farm and some of them are so naive that they do understand the strategies of Napoleon and become easily misguided. The story revolves around the theme of corruption and signifies the occurrences in the world. It highlights the failure of the communist thinking. This is clearly indicated by the fact that all the animals fight against humans for equality but the desire for power leads to corruption. This results in the deviation from the original cause and the animals who govern the farm mark themselves as superior to the other animals.

Furthermore, the story also highlights the fact that the creation of classes within the society is inevitable which is shown by the formation of sects within the animals where the pigs are superior to the rest of them. The story carries a strong theme and message. It points to the happenings on the farm which indicate the injustice and the corruption in the world. The story shows the class divisions that persist in the world and highlights the fact that the urge for power can make a person opt for the wrong path and drive him to neglect the needs of others.

References Top of Form Orwell, G. (1954). Animal farm. New York: Harcourt, Brace. Bottom of Form