US first edition cover |
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Animal Farm
By George Orwell
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US first edition cover |
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About the Book
Written as a "fairy story" (Orwell titled the book "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story"), the subject of Animal Farm is very much aimed at an adult audience. Orwell paints a vivid picture of a violent political revolution of farm animals against the farmer who owns all, works the animal population hard, sends their offspring to slaughter, and feeds them little. Arguably not critical of revolution itself, Orwell describes an all-too-familiar corruption that undermines the goal of the revolution: in which those leading the revolution rally the masses not so much for the good of the masses, but so that the leaders can assume the role of master, complete with all of the oppressive conduct that goes with an authoritarian regime.
The characters in Animal Farm were inspired by the Russian Revolution and the events that followed - the pig Napoleon is clearly the farm's Josef Stalin - but Animal Farm was not simply a satire on the Russian Revolution. Orwell's message was intended to be broader. In his own words: "I meant the moral to be that revolutions only effect a radical improvement when the masses are alert and know how to chuck out their leaders as soon as the latter have done their job. The turning point of the story was supposed to be when the pigs kept the milk and apples for themselves".
Food for thought, no matter what may be the intended goal of ones' revolutionary plans.
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