Plot and political allegory
Animal Farm, a satirical novella by George Orwell, begins when Old Major inspires the animals to rebel against Mr. Jones and establish a farm of their own. The pigs, especially Napoleon, gradually take control. Napoleon drives Snowball away with the help of trained dogs, and the pigs’ privileges grow while the other animals continue to work.
The story is a political allegory commonly associated with the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union. Animalism evokes communist ideals; Napoleon is associated with Stalin, while Snowball is associated with Trotsky. The windmill can be read as an allusion to Stalinist industrialisation. These parallels help explain the novel’s critique of power, but the characters also function within the story as individuals.
Power, language, and the ending
- The pigs maintain control through violence and manipulation of language. Squealer persuades the animals to accept changes to the commandments, exploiting their limited education and uncertain memories. Boxer’s loyalty and motto, “I will work harder,” show how the working animals’ dedication is exploited.
- By the end, the pigs resemble the humans they displaced, and the animals can no longer distinguish between them. The changed rule, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” exposes the revolution’s betrayal of its original ideals. The fable form makes this political criticism accessible and memorable.