Book Review: ANIMAL FARM

When it is said that Animal Farm by George Orwell is a classic, it's nothing but absolute truth; for the book has a lasting significance. Written by the author during Nov 1943- Feb 1944, this book has endured the test of time, extremely relevant even today. 

I read this book last when I was in class 9 at school. Back then, I hardly grasped its import and Animal Farm to me was more like a fairy tale where animals residing in a farm talked, plotted and planned the ouster of their drunkard and tyrannical master. 

I grabbed this title and 1984 by George Orwell last year from a retail outlet in a sale on Penguin books, I re read this about two days back and the book worked on entirely new and different dimensions.

The book is an allegory, depicts the Stalinist regime. Mr. Jones owns the Manor farm where many animals stay and labor - pigs, sheep, horses, cows, geese, hens, mare, raven et al. Jones' drunken revelry, his bacchanal ways stir a rebellion among the animals as they grow tired of not being cared for, not fed for days together and tortured with excessive work and brutal punishments. The idea of a rebellion is ignited in their heads by Old Major, an old boar who envisions farms free from human parasites, farms where all animals are equal, animals toil for their own good, need not part with their produce for the sake of useless humans, where animals eat enough, work enough, rest enough and are most importantly, independent. Old Major does not live long enough to see his ideas materialize but Manor Farm is rechristened as Animal Farm with Mr. Jones kicked out of power by the animals. Now two pigs - Napoleon and Snowball frame Seven Commandments governing 'Animalism' in the farm, sing Beasts of England taught by Old Major, idolize him and vow to make the Animal Farm a heaven for all animals.  

Snowball imparts literacy to all animals though equines like Boxer, Clover fail to pick up more than four alphabets. Snowball's  ideals move towards an egalitarian society but they are always in stark contrast to those proposed by Napoleon. Arguments ensue between the two pigs and their views are least understood by the lesser intelligent animals on the farm except for a wise Benjamin, an old donkey who is too wise and equally pessimistic. The Rebellion seems just right for the animals on Animal Farm as they taste success against human enemies in the Battle of Cowshed. But all is not hunky dory.

Over time, the idea of rebellion gets lost with leaders losing their sense of rectitude. The novel presents how the concept of revolution is often corrupted by the power hungry, malicious and myopic leaders, how it's rendered void in its effect with ignorant masses who express profound allegiance to their lords without discernment. From "All Animals are Equal", the essence of Animalism  changes to "All Animals are Equal, But some animals are more equal than others".

A revolution dreamt of being effective lands in complete paralysis and the novel ends with the sentence below - 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. 

A brief note at the beginning of this book quotes Orwell saying that Animal Farm is primarily a satire on Russian revolution but has wider applications. as a satire, it shines with far reaching implications, all that stand relevant today.