In a normal society, pigs say oink. In the cruel novel “Animal Farm,” by George Orwell, the common farm animal devises a plan to overthrow humans. The story is glorified by some, but is considered a disgrace by others. This is why pigs become bacon.
In the beginning, a pig, Major, has a dream. Because of this unconscious trance, he realizes all of a sudden humans are the enemy. All of the animals on the Jones’s farm just happen to have the ability to talk. Because of this talent, Major and his two accomplices, Napoleon and Snowball, conspire to overthrow Farmer Jones so they can take control of the farm. They even go as far as to write a song about how evil humans are. Every winged and four-legged mammal on the farm loves the idea. Even a falcon agrees with the senseless plan. The farmer and caretaker of the animals became an alcoholic, so from the animal’s perspective, that is enough reasoning to despise him.
The animals are depicted in very different ways. The pigs are the leaders. The equines are the species that is the embarrassment of the farm. One mare, Mollie, is represented as a dumb, hungry horse. Boxer is the lead stallion, so he is depicted as a bossy, demanding male. The falcon is the farmer’s best friend. It becomes painfully apparent that this story does not even attempt to be the slightest bit logical. Boxer is said to only be able to write letters A through D. Of course, the soon to be ham is a genius, but the animal with actual ability to survive independently is treated like nothing. To make matters even worse, the animals can sing! As stated earlier, there was a song written to celebrate the “overthrow the humans” plan. Including a giggle in a novel is innocent, but it usually helps to have the novel make sense first.
This attempt at an utopian society is not complete anarchy. There are seven commandments, and the idea of Animalism (I wonder how long it took Orwell to think of that one.) This was the animal’s attempt at communism. The commandments seem simple enough. The message is never to act like a human. Examples include never sleep in a bed, and never drink alcohol. There is one problem. Only the pigs educated themselves in the art of reading and writing. Yes, it could have been a scheme to stay in control. However, how did they expect the other animals to memorize the commandments? Also, Animalism is pathetic. It is a theory that farm animals and humans are sworn enemies, so the animals should never, in any way, represent any human. The animals actually become worse than Farmer Jones ever was. The lead pigs turn on each other and murder occurs, then all hope is lost. The novel was meant to make the farm seem like Stalin’s Russia. The one thing Orwell did decently in the story was to depict that thoroughly.
There is an extreme difference in opinions about “Animal Farm.” This was once required to be read in schools. Today it is obvious why it was deleted from the curriculum. It is actually painful to read. A first grader could easily read the basic vocabulary. It is no surprise that the novel is under 200 pages since it’s so predictable. Obviously barn animals need humans. This novel has been glorified for decades, but there is not a logical reason why. It is not shocking at all that this book is not required in schools anymore. Stalin’s actions were not meant to be taken lightly, so why is it okay when pigs do it? Since when is it okay to mock a dictator? Do not read this book if you like animals, or if you do not like wasting your time.
