What happens when a bunch of animals overthrow their human masters and run a farm themselves? Does it result in a rib-tickling comedy or a satire? For anyone who has read or heard of Orwell’s masterpiece ‘1984’, this question would be a cakewalk. Orwell, who had participated in the Spanish Revolution and had seen the Bolshevik revolution successfully take over the reins of government in Russia, turned a socialist. Socialism was not accepted in his home country Britain at that time. But he was impressed by the ideals of socialism and saw it as an answer to the evils of capitalism. However, his dreams and hopes were shattered by the corrupt turn the revolution took after coming to power. ‘1984’ and ‘Animal Farm’ are his responses to this disillusionment.
Animal Farm is not as dark as 1984, yet is as effective. When Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital he thought a revolution can be achieved only by the industry workers and not by peasants. However, the Bolshevik revolution proved his prediction wrong. This same phenomenon is reflected in Animal Farm, in which the animals on a farm revolt against the drunkard, slave-driving owner. After chasing the owner away, the animals feel free to function the way they want and keep all the produce to themselves. But this is until power play comes into the picture. The pigs on the farm take over management and convince the other animals of their supremacy. The other animals, especially the horse, entrenched in the philosophy of the revolution, obey the pigs and slog for the betterment of the farm. However, the pigs use them to satisfy their own selfish ends. The tenets of revolution are changed, the original thinkers are black-faced and the younger ones are brain-washed to believe in the absolute supremacy of the pigs. Slowly the horse and other animals realize what’s being done to them but are too scared to revolt. The pigs start living like humans – they dress themselves, throw parties, drink and eat flesh. The last straw is drawn when they negotiate with the former owner of the farm and strike a deal with him. A very moving and touching novel, which highlights the disillusionment of an ideal gone wrong. Read it to understand that part of history, which had divided the world into two factions of Capitalism and Communism.