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Animal Farm (Paperback)
by George Orwell, Russell Baker
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Fiction |
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| MSL Pointer Review:
Thought-provoking and a sheer delight to read, this classic of political satire is one of the best allegorical novels we ever know. |
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Author: George Orwell, Russell Baker
Publisher: Signet Classics
Pub. in: January, 2004
ISBN: 0451526341
Pages: 144
Measurements: 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00428
Other information: 50th Anniv edition
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- MSL Picks -
Animal Farm is considered today to be a great satirical novella, and is often called a fable or allegory, but perhaps the best way to describe it is to use Orwell's original title Animal Farm - A Fairy Story. While it is considered a great and important work today, it had a difficult time being published. He wrote the story between November 1943 and February of 1944 (although he got the idea for the story in 1937), but he was turned down by four publishers before Secker and Warburg accepted the book. Even then it was not published until August of 1945. One of the publishers, Jonathan Cape, was originally going to publish the book, until he was warned against it by "an important official", who as it turned out was a Soviet spy.
This story is a masterful in the way it recreates many of the historical events of the Soviet Union in the context of the farm. The Russian Revolution, the Russian Civil War, Stalin's removal of Trotsky, putting Lenin's body on display, the Great Purge, the replacement of the Soviet national anthem, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact as well as the invasion by Nazi Germany are all portrayed in context of the story, and there are probably more examples as well. The characters as well have counterparts, in some cases they represent entire groups (e.g. the sheep represent the proletariats) and in other cases one or two individuals (e.g. Napoleon is Stalin, Snowball is Trotsky, Squealer is Molotov, Old Major is Karl Marx and Lenin, etc.). Even the humans in the story have counterparts, such as Mr. Jones (Czar Nicholas II), Mr. Frederick (Nazi Germany), Mr. Pilkington (The West).
George Orwell is the pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair, who was born on June 25th of 1903, and died on January 21st of 1950. He was a socialist for the majority of his life, and those who view Animal Farm or 1984 as a rejection of socialism are incorrect. He viewed totalitarianism as the opposite of true socialism, and while he probably approved of social revolutions he clearly thought that once the revolution was successful the best thing the people could do would be to take the power away from those who led the revolution. Some consider him a Trotskyist because of this story, but that too is incorrect. While Trotsky's character in the story is certainly not portrayed as badly as Stalin's, he is there for the initial corruption of the pigs.
While this book may have had difficulty getting published initially, and was criticized by many because of its anti-Soviet (i.e. anti-ally) message, things have changed. Today it is a book of critical acclaim. It is still being recognized as well. For example, in 1996 in was awarded the Retro-Hugo award for best novella from the year 1945.
The literary prose and profound symbolism found within so few pages is truly a reflection of a very talented and inspired author.
This book is to remain a classic for many years to come. A must read for anyone.
Target readers:
General readers
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George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, born in 1903. He produced an impressive and critically acclaimed body of work, including his two most famous novels, Animal Farm and 1984. He died in 1950.
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From Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
Anti-utopian satire by George Orwell, published in 1945. One of Orwell's finest works, it is a political fable based on the events of Russia's Bolshevik revolution and the betrayal of the cause by Joseph Stalin. The book concerns a group of barnyard animals who overthrow and chase off their exploitative human masters and set up an egalitarian society of their own. Eventually the animals' intelligent and power-loving leaders, the pigs, subvert the revolution and form a dictatorship even more oppressive and heartless than that of their former human masters.
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Stevie (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
Animal Farm by George Orwell is about animals that defeat their dictator-like owner, but there perfect paradise is soon threaened by another evil. The animals are strugglin durning and after the defeat, but as soon as things were getting better they fell apart in a long slow manner. The pigs in this book are very controling and think that all the animals should follow in their footsteps. George Orwell wants you to feel bad for the animals even after the defeat of Mr. Jones. He wrote this book in third person so that you see what is happening all around not just from one animals mouth. When the pigs run the farm just like Mr. Jones only a few of the other animals notice just like the horses and a few of the other animals. The Metophor to this book would be, don't turn into something that you didn't like in the first place.
If you like a story with a good moral, excitement and a book you can't put down that this book is for you. |
Relic (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
Animal farm is required reading for anyone who professes to know anything about the economy or politics or human nature in general. If you can read this book - which is very short indeed - then you too can learn what is wrong with our society. There is nothing else that needs to be said. The amount of wisdom packed into this fable cannot be overstated. See how a group of barnyard animals struggle to prevent their oppression from the Humans, with the aim of building a more utopian society where they may live in harmony. It all sounds so simple - but like most dreams of finding the ultimate reward, things get complicated. Read this story to see what happens when animals are left in charge of running a government. Then look at your own leaders and compare. |
Hui Tan (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
In Animal Farm, Orwell applies personification throughout the entire novella and shows the idea of Utopia. The animals aspire after a perfect farm where they could rule themselves and their work would be guerdoned rather than be given more tasks. The perfect farm is a flawless society where everyone is joyful and cooperated. Orwell ingeniously contextualizes the twice conversion of Manor Farm to imply the inauguration of Animal Farm and its downfall. Manor Farm was managed by Mr. Jones, who is a drunkard. Animals endure in an extremely terrible condition. Old Major, as the sainted initiator, deems that the farm without human is the solution of all the problems. He assembles the animals and tells them, "All the habits of Man are evil", such as living in a house, sleeping in a bed, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, touching money and engaging in trade. Then, they're getting preparation for the rebellion. However, the rebellion comes much earlier than they've ever expected. With desperation of Mr. Jones' deviltry, the animals can't suffer from the hunger of scarce of food and indignation of Mr. Jones' inhumanity any more. Eventually, they succeed and they are about to build a Utopia among the animals. Regrettably, the Mollie, who is a mare, defies working so hard and becomes the first one to leave the farm because she can't adapt the life style of Utopia. "Mollie...was no good at getting up in the mornings, and had a way of leaving work early on the ground that there was a stone in her hoof." Mollie is still concerned about the luxuries like eating sugar and wearing ribbons. However, she's told that the luxuries are the symbol of slave and are abolished in the Utopia. With disappointment of the new Utopia and the beguiling of sugar, Mollie finally leaves from the farm. This incident illustrates that Utopia is not as perfect as it seems, the system of Utopia is not able to please everyone such as Mollie. Similarly, the cat is not willing to volunteer, "when there was work to be done the cat cold never be found". The cat tries to goldbrick and when she's found she always has excellent excuses because she thinks she's never starved in the Utopia. Thus, this Utopia, which is in an effort of being perfect, results in the indolence of those like the cat, who never pains but wants to gain. It's the corruption of the Utopia since either human or animal, has an instinct of selfishness. In some extent, beings usually may need some impetus to contribute.
In Animal Farm, the pigs, who are considered as the cleverest animal in the farm, particularly Napoleon, who represents a totalitarian, has strong leadership, but he goes to depravity because of abusing power. At the very beginning of the story, Napoleon claims that the animals should not have maintained any habit of human and constitutes Seven Commandments to unify the Animal Form. However, it doesn't last for a long time, there's some discontent within the farm since the pigs drink milk and eat apple, which other animals can't regale on. The more ridiculousness is the pigs' chicanery, which they assert "We are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us". What they explain seems to drop a hint of their superiority, which is the violation of Utopia, among the animals. Moreover, they profess that they dislike the milk and apples, as other animals do, but they drink milk and eat apples because they preserve on their health, and "Milk and apples (this has been proved by Scientist,) contain substance absolutely necessary of well-being to a pig". From here, we could have an insight that the pigs like other beings, have instinct of selfishness, and when might is seized in one's hand, the Utopia must go to its perdition, instead of the rebirth of Totalitarianism. By bloting out the scandal of incident, the pig Squealer, who's the propagator of Napoleon, threatens the other animals with some deceit since Squealer learns the vulnerability of the other animals that they're afraid of the returning of Mr. Jones. |
Danny (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-08 00:00>
Recently, I read George Orwell's famous novel, Animal Farm. I was amazed at how much I liked reading it. Orwell has an uncanny ability to present a seemingly simple, entertaining story, and embed in it with deep philosophical and political issues. I have read two other works by Orwell, Shooting an Elephant and 1984, both of which possess the same type of political allegory that is demonstrated in Animal Farm. The use of allegory in Orwell's story about an animal uprising in a typical British farm serves to enlighten the reader about common political issues in society. When Animal Farm was first sold, some shop owners mistakenly place the novel in the children's section due to the simplicity and "fictional" nature of the book. In actuality, the novel was written as a political allegory concerning old Stalinist Russia.
Although the novel parallels perfectly with the Soviet Union's history, many social and political commonalities can be seen between the pigs and dogs and the governments of many modern countries. In the beginning of the story, all of the animals take over the farm and establish a society in which all of the animals are essentially equal. Each animal pledges to do equal amounts of work and do his/her part in creating a better life for themselves. Much like the theories of this politics of commonalities, the plan seems perfect, but as always, there are animals that strive to manipulate the system and gain more power than the other animals. In the initial stages of the creation of the new farm, the animals write the rules which they pledge to follow on a wall. As time progresses and the pigs want to gain power, they alter the rules slightly so that they will coincide with what the pigs desire. For example, the initial fifth commandment of the animals read "No animal shall drink alcohol," but after the pigs taste alcohol and decide that they like it, they alter the text so that it reads "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess." The other animals feel like something is different about the rules but the pigs convince them that the rule has always been written that way. Much like in 1984, the leaders (pigs) brainwash the other animals into forgetting about the true history so that it will not contradict what they say during the present. This element of Animal Farm instills a sense of doubt in the reader that maybe the history that has been taught to him during his entire lifetime is simply a biased or cleverly fabricated story created by the corrupt leaders of the past.
The most alarming twist of Orwell's novel is when the pigs decided to change the fundamental teachings of Major that four legs are bad, and two legs are good to the exact opposite. Although pigs walking on their hind legs might seem humorous on the surface, it is a quite disturbing example of how the beliefs of someone can be completely altered by corrupt people who desire power and strive to achieve their own personal goals rather than the goals of the community.
The fundamental purpose of Orwell's writings is to present politically and socially important issues disguised in well written stories to raise questions about our society and government. Raising such questions is sometimes harder to do when speaking about those issues directly. The use of literature to speak about important issues is very effective in that the reader can let his guard down while reading a work and see for himself the important issues presented in the work without having other people directly saying the same thing. In presenting the issues in symbolic or metaphorical ways, the impact will be greater and the viewpoints will be more highly understood. |
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