Animal Farm by George Orwell

About the author:

Eric Arthur Blair, known as George Orwell was (1903-1950) is a novelist, essayist and critic was born in Bengal, and educated in England. He served with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma from 1922 to 1927 but left this job to devote himself to literature. He considered himself a democratic socialist, but he hated totalitarianism and became more and more disillusioned with the aims and methods of Communism. His political satires, Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) are immensely popular.

Orwell’s work

Orwell was a prolific writer on topics related to contemporary English society and literary criticism, which the British newsweekly 'The Economist' in 2008 declared "perhaps the 20th century's best chronicler of English culture. His non-fiction cultural and political criticism constitutes the majority of his work, but Orwell also wrote in several genres of fictional literature. Orwell used his fiction as well as his journalism to defend his political convictions. He first achieved widespread acclaim with his fiction 'Animal Farm' and cemented his place in history with the publication of 'Nineteen Eighty four', shortly before his death. These two novels are his best-selling works, having sold almost fifty million copies in sixty-two languages by 2007.Orwell wrote non-fiction—including book reviews, editorials, and investigative journalism. In his lifetime he published hundreds of articles including several regular columns in British newsweeklies related to literary and cultural criticism as well as his explicitly political writing. 

Introduction

Animal Farm is an allegorical novel by George Orwell. The novel was first published in England on 17 August 1945. The book 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. Ultimately, however, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon.

Presented novel reflects the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. Orwell, a democratic socialist, was a critic of Joseph Stalin.

Plot summary

The novel begins with an old boar named Major at the ‘Manor Farm’. He calls the animals in the farm for a meeting together. He refers to humans as parasites and teaches the animals a revolutionary song called ‘Beasts of England’. Two young pigs ‘Snowball’ and ‘Napoleon’ take over when the old major dies. They prepare for the Rebellion. The animals rebel and drive the drunken and irresponsible Mr. Jones from the farm. The name of Manor farm has been changed to "Animal Farm". They adopt Seven Commandments of Animalism, the most important of which is, "All animals are equal."Snowball teaches the animals to read and write, while Napoleon educates young puppies on the principles of Animalism. Food is plentiful, and the farm runs smoothly. The pigs elevate themselves to positions of leadership and set aside special food items for their personal health. Napoleon and Snowball struggle for prominence. When Snowball announces his plans to build a windmill, Napoleon has his dogs chase Snowball away and subsequently declares himself leader of Animal Farm. Napoleon enacts changes to the governance structure of the farm, replacing meetings with a committee of pigs who will run the farm. Through a young pig named Squealer, Napoleon claims credit for the windmill idea. The animals work harder with the promise of easier lives with the windmill. When the animals find the windmill collapsed after a violent storm, Napoleon and Squealer convince the animals that Snowball is trying to sabotage their project. Once Snowball becomes a scapegoat, Napoleon begins to purge the farm with his dogs, killing animals he accuses of consorting with his old rival. “Beasts of England” is replaced by an anthem glorifying Napoleon, who appears to be adopting the lifestyle of a man. The animals remain convinced that they are better off than they were under Mr. Jones. Mr. Frederick, one of the neighboring farmers, attacks the farm, using blasting powder to blow up the restored windmill. Though the animals win the battle, they do so at great cost, as many, including Boxer the workhorse, are wounded. Despite his injuries, Boxer continues working harder and harder, until he collapses while working on the windmill. Napoleon sends for a van to take Boxer to the veterinary surgeon, explaining that better care can be given there. Benjamin, the cynical donkey notices that the van belongs to knackers, and attempts a futile rescue. Squealer reports that the van was purchased by the hospital and the writing from the previous owner had not been repainted. But in reality, Napoleon has sold his most loyal and long-suffering worker for money to buy himself whisky. Years pass, and the pigs start to resemble humans, as they walk upright, carry whips, and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments are abridged to a single phrase: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others". Napoleon holds a dinner party for the pigs and local farmers, with whom he celebrates a new alliance. He abolishes the practice of the revolutionary traditions and restores the name "The Manor Farm". As the animals look from pigs to humans, they realize they can no longer distinguish between the two.