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A review by look_whos_reading
Animal Farm by George Orwell
5.0
I finally read and loved this book. I’ve always maintained that we mature into the books we read. This was one such novel that has been on my shelf forever and that I only got to appreciate now. Better late than never, though. I find myself taking to classics and stimulating books more recently. I owe it to the 52 books Reading Challenge I’ve undertaken this year and realize that perhaps, for some compartmentalized readers like me, this is the much needed push in the right direction. Reading finally serves its purpose to educate, entertain and enlighten.
Human Allegories:
Mr. and Mrs. Jones, owners of Manor Farm – represent Czar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra, who got Russia involved in WWI, later were ousted by the Bolsheviks and Liberal revolutionaries.
Mr. Pilkington, neighboring farmer – represents the US and UK, the 2 capitalist neighbors to Russia.
Mr. Fredericks, neighboring farmer – represents Hitler, the untrustworthy neighbor and enemy to the capitalist nations.
Animal Allegories:
Old Major, the pig who dreamed of an ideal ‘Animal Farm’ where all animals were equal and unexploited – represents Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx, who wrote the Communist Manifesto underlining the benefits of Communism over Feudalism and Capitalism.
Snowball and Napoleon – took over the cause from Old Major, they represent Trotsky and Stalin respectively.
Trotsky was Lenin’s second in command in leading the Russian Revolution and later became the head of the Red Army in Russia’s civil war. Trotsky was ousted by several other corrupt political leaders, prominent among who was Joseph Stalin.
Stalin created the KGB (very much like the highly trained ferocious pups kept secret by Napoleon in the book). He also led the Great Purge of the 1930’s (like Napoleon’s ruthless execution of animals on the farm). Napoleon begins by executing 4 pigs that represent Grigori Zinoviev, Lev Kamenev, Nikolai Bukharin, and Alexei Rykov.
Squealer – Napoleon’s loyal follower represents Stalin’s head of communist propaganda, Vyacheslav Molotov, also largely the Russian press.
Sheep – easily manipulated, these represent the classes easily swayed by the propaganda.
Boxer, the hardworking horse – represents the proletariat or working class.
Mollie, the vain and stupid horse – represents the Middle Class who didn’t support the revolution and fled to the West where Capitalism was thriving.
Benjamin, the donkey – represents the passing of time and loyalty.
Moses, the raven – sweet talker and a sneaky animal, he shows the animals dreams of paradise or ‘Sugarcandy Mountain’ where all animals go when they die; he represents Religion in that era
Object Allegories:
Seven Commandments of the Animal Farm – represent the ideals on which Utopia/Communism is based
Battle of Cowshed – a battle between the animals (Bolsheviks) and the owner Mr. Jones (Czar Nicholas II) hints at the Russian Civil War (1917-1922).
Windmill – represents Russian industry and technology.
The Battle of the Windmill - where Mr. Fredricks cheats Napoleon with a fake bargain, draws a parallel with the Battle of Stalingrad where Hitler went back on his word to the Soviet Government. The retreat of Hitler was a turning point for WWII.
For a meager 82 pages, this book has more food for thought than many books in publication. It continues to remain a popular and essential read to understand not just history but also contemporary politics and society. Highly recommended for reading and re-reading.
Human Allegories:
Mr. and Mrs. Jones, owners of Manor Farm – represent Czar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra, who got Russia involved in WWI, later were ousted by the Bolsheviks and Liberal revolutionaries.
Mr. Pilkington, neighboring farmer – represents the US and UK, the 2 capitalist neighbors to Russia.
Mr. Fredericks, neighboring farmer – represents Hitler, the untrustworthy neighbor and enemy to the capitalist nations.
Animal Allegories:
Old Major, the pig who dreamed of an ideal ‘Animal Farm’ where all animals were equal and unexploited – represents Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx, who wrote the Communist Manifesto underlining the benefits of Communism over Feudalism and Capitalism.
Snowball and Napoleon – took over the cause from Old Major, they represent Trotsky and Stalin respectively.
Trotsky was Lenin’s second in command in leading the Russian Revolution and later became the head of the Red Army in Russia’s civil war. Trotsky was ousted by several other corrupt political leaders, prominent among who was Joseph Stalin.
Stalin created the KGB (very much like the highly trained ferocious pups kept secret by Napoleon in the book). He also led the Great Purge of the 1930’s (like Napoleon’s ruthless execution of animals on the farm). Napoleon begins by executing 4 pigs that represent Grigori Zinoviev, Lev Kamenev, Nikolai Bukharin, and Alexei Rykov.
Squealer – Napoleon’s loyal follower represents Stalin’s head of communist propaganda, Vyacheslav Molotov, also largely the Russian press.
Sheep – easily manipulated, these represent the classes easily swayed by the propaganda.
Boxer, the hardworking horse – represents the proletariat or working class.
Mollie, the vain and stupid horse – represents the Middle Class who didn’t support the revolution and fled to the West where Capitalism was thriving.
Benjamin, the donkey – represents the passing of time and loyalty.
Moses, the raven – sweet talker and a sneaky animal, he shows the animals dreams of paradise or ‘Sugarcandy Mountain’ where all animals go when they die; he represents Religion in that era
Object Allegories:
Seven Commandments of the Animal Farm – represent the ideals on which Utopia/Communism is based
Battle of Cowshed – a battle between the animals (Bolsheviks) and the owner Mr. Jones (Czar Nicholas II) hints at the Russian Civil War (1917-1922).
Windmill – represents Russian industry and technology.
The Battle of the Windmill - where Mr. Fredricks cheats Napoleon with a fake bargain, draws a parallel with the Battle of Stalingrad where Hitler went back on his word to the Soviet Government. The retreat of Hitler was a turning point for WWII.
For a meager 82 pages, this book has more food for thought than many books in publication. It continues to remain a popular and essential read to understand not just history but also contemporary politics and society. Highly recommended for reading and re-reading.