Skip to main content

What is Animal Farm an allegory for?

Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian/Bolshevik Revolution in particular, and for the rise of totalitarian dictatorships based on communist principles in general. Orwell was a democratic socialist, and like many European (and American) leftists during the Great Depression, he viewed the Bolshevik Revolution and the establishment of a communist state with great interest and even hope. But as the decade wore on, he found himself deeply disillusioned as news of the brutality of...

Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian/Bolshevik Revolution in particular, and for the rise of totalitarian dictatorships based on communist principles in general. Orwell was a democratic socialist, and like many European (and American) leftists during the Great Depression, he viewed the Bolshevik Revolution and the establishment of a communist state with great interest and even hope. But as the decade wore on, he found himself deeply disillusioned as news of the brutality of Stalin's regime leaked out, and as he witnessed firsthand the death and destruction of the Spanish Civil War. Orwell's contempt for the Stalinist regime became complete when Stalin signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler in 1939. He wrote the book a few years later, and published it at the end of the war, in 1945.


So Animal Farm is replete with allegorical figures and events. Old Major, whose impassioned speech provides the basis for the ideas of Animalism, is meant to evoke Karl Marx. Napoleon, who rises to power by combining brutality and manipulation of the truth, is suggestive of Joseph Stalin. Snowball, his rival, is comparable to Leon Trotsky, who fled the Soviet Union and was eventually assassinated by Stalin's henchmen. Like Stalin's bloody purges, there are massacres of animals who are thought to be disloyal, and the windmill project is reminiscent of Stalin's program of forced industrialization. The central theme of this allegory is that power, even when wielded in the name of equality and economic justice, corrupts, and the people (animals) suffer.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more