The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
The above sentence captures the essence of the book. I have seen a few revolutions fizz out and become a part of the system as soon as they succeeded and got the power. I have seen the revolutionary ideals compromised every time the revolution leads to political or social power. A recent example is a newly formed political party. It is now difficult to differentiate it from the traditional political parties, it claimed to fight against.
Animal Farm is a story of a Manor farm of a drunken Mr. Jones. One day Mr. Jones forgets to feed the animals and thus starts a rebellion against Mr. Jones. Any revolution starts only when people and their families face hunger and are on the verge of dying due to lack of food. People tolerate the oppression of an autocratic leader or a king till the time it comes to their basic need of survival – the food.
The book takes the readers through how the farm animals plan a rebellion against Mr. Jones. The forming of a union of sorts of all the animals and the emergence of a leader among all those animals. The promises made by the animal leaders of the changes they will once they throw out Mr. Jones from the farmhouse and take care of themselves on their own. But as history tells us promises are only promises and remain as promises, it is the leaders at the top who benefit from any revolution.
This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.
After throwing Mr. Jones out of the farm all the animals were very enthusiastic about the Idea of Animal Farm and started following the instructions of the the leaders. But as time passed things started to change or we can say started to go back as they were. Some animals were not doing any work, some did not have time even to rest. Some of the animals were enthusiastic that they were part of change and working day and night, others started to feel skeptical. How things move from here is a tale of almost all the revolutions.
That’s what typically happens with any revolution. From the peak of idealism, it lands on the surface of the realities and realizes that if they follow the idealism they won’t be in power. Most of the “revolutionaries” choose power over idealism. Because without power they can not bring any change to the system and politics and with idealism it is very difficult to retain power. It is a very difficult situation to be in. The new political system believes that citizens and their views are important and they should be consulted before making any major decisions. But this just happens in speeches before elections.
“No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?”
Animal Farm is an allegory of the socialist revolution in Russia. How it started and inspired the common people of Russia and how once the socialists got the power, they were not able to manage it. Story of a historical revolution gone wrong told in a brilliant satirical way.
About the Author
George Orwell’s real name was Eric Arthur Blair. He was a very popular novelist, essayist, critic, and journalist. His works spoke out against the social injustice that was prevalent at that time. He was in favour of democratic socialism and was opposed to totalitarianism. He continues to be held in high esteem as one of the most influential voices of his time, who spoke out about the English culture, as it was, during his lifespan.
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