Animal Farm

    Animal farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 august 1945. It tells a simple and tragic story of what happened after animals drove out Mr. Jones, the farmer, and attempted to set up their own farm. What they wanted to achieve was a utopian communism. However, the book ends up with the dictatorship of pigs, which are the brightest animals. Power changed everything. The pigs learnt to walk upright, carry whips and wear clothes. Napoleon (the “conqueror” pig) announced an alliance with the humans and had a great party with humans, drinking and playing poker. The other animals, overhearing the conversation,”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”.

    Reviewing the book, I found that Boxer, a horse, makes the deepest impression on me. He is the most loyal and hardworking laborer in the farm. He repeats his motto “I will work harder”, and puts his heart and soul into making the farm a success. However, hard work doesn’t turn out to be the better reward. After he collapsed from overwork, the pigs sent him to the knackers’ yard instead of a veterinarian, in exchange for the money to buy the whiskey. Poor Boxer! He always insisted that “Napoleon is always right”. He didn’t know how vicious, cruel and vile pigs were until he was slaughtered. This pitiful character is considered as the reference to the overworked and mistreated workers who were betrayed by a leader they always believed in.

     “Seven Commandments”, the clue that throughout the whole novella is really unforgettable. The pigs Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer adapt Old Major’s ideas into animals’ so-called philosophy, Animalism. The “Seven Commandments” are laws that are supposed to ensure the elementary animalism and prevent animals from following humans’ evil habits, including walking on two legs and sleeping in beds. However, with Napoleon and other pigs having the increasing power over the farm, they gradually indulge in the vices of humans. The pigs even change the “Seven Commandments so that they are not accused of law-breaking. At that moment, all animals are not equal anymore, and communist theory has already been replaced with slavery.

     The book reminds me of some revolutions led by people who are dissatisfied with the corrupt government. The beginnings of the revolution were always good for people and society. However, as time passed by, the leader became selfish and vile. They abused their power and dictate people as their slaves. The new government was just another version of the old one. The revolutions were doomed to failure. All seems to be so horrible. The so-called fight for freedom was just an excuse of the vicious leaders. Maybe, the book just brings a hair-raising warning to all humankind.