“Animal
Farm” is George Orwell’s fable and it’s the first British post-war novel
published in 1940s. The novel draws on a tradition of the political allegory
about Russian Revolution and the power of authority under the Stalinist regime.
George Orwell frames the satirical and political rage with the Russian
revolution throughout the tale. As it’s also a didactic tale, Orwell emphasis
about the allure of power, control and the corruption of power.
This
article examines about the influence of leadership and power in the society,
who sees leaders as pace setters and the role models to the next generations. A
leader should eradicate corruptions in the system of government and the
society. Power is the tool, which easily can control and influence over
behaviors of the people. Power can be seen in contrast ways of legitimation,
where it fabrics a negative connotation when the evilness of the authority
arises. For instances: Napoleon and Mr. Jones. On the other hand, it can be a
positive suggestion, where the power is used to promote a peaceful and
corruption free society. For example: Old Major and Snowball.
Power is misused when it is used in the
illegitimate ways according the selfish purpose of the leaders. Hence, this
article intends to paint the theme of power and corruption, social
stratification, leadership and authority in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”. Hence,
this article mainly explores about the main themes in the novel. Orwell
captured his novel to symbolize not only the totalitarian leaders, who
corrupted the power of nation but also, the leaders who tries to develop equal
system among everyone with the Marxist ideology. So, animals are the
representations of the leaders. The writer of this article addresses the
research problem through the depiction of the characters and the themes in the
novel as well. He talks about George Orwell’s goal in writing ‘Animal Farm’ was to fabricated
the Russian Revolution of 1917 and many of the characters of Russian revolution
are parallel to the novel’s plot.
The
novel intends to spots light on the theme of power and corruption, by the
portrayal of the key characters. For instance: Old Major and Snowball are the eminent
figures, who contributes to confer equality among all the animals. On the other
hand, Mr. Jones and Napoleon, both have the lofty goal to get the rule over
their hands.
Old
Major is the animal version of Lenin and Karl Marx. As a matter of fact, that,
Lenin was inspired by the great philosopher Karl Marx and his theory of
communism provokes the working-class people to rebel against to their economic
dictators. Old Major outlines the principles of Animalism which is the communal
way of life all animal to live a life of economy equally. Old Major is absolute
in his hatred of man and he inspired animals to transform Manor Farm into
Animal Farm and rebel against to the oppressors.
Mr.
Jones can be reflecting as Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1919), the last Russian
empire, whose rule was marked by insistence and he was believed to be the
obvious ruler of the nation. During his period, the people of Russia
experienced the terrible poverty where this reflects Mr. Jones character that
he does not feed his animals properly.
Another
remarkable revolutionist in the fable is Snowball, is modelled as Trotsky. As
Trotsky was exiled from the U.S.S.R, Snowball was also chased off from the farm
by Napoleon ad his dogs. From that time
on Napoleon, gains control under the guise of developing the animals’ lives but
he uses his well-trained dogs against to the other animals who stands against
in his way. Napoleon represents the role of Stalin who is the capitalist
dictator in the Russian Revolution. He values the power for his own sake of
assume the complete control of communist people through the actions of
brutality and cruelty. Napoleon’s dogs are also paralleled to be like Stalin’s
KGB (his secret police). Napoleon has used a great deal of propaganda similar
to Stalin who gains control under the guise of improving working class people’s
lives.
So
this article implicits the dystopian abuse of power through different
characters and tools which are used to control their power. Whereas, pigs are
weilding the instrument of power of authority,
shows the animal hierarchy and degenerated leadership which exercises
power. Animalism, Communism, Fascism all are illusions used by the pigs as
means of satisfying their greed and lust for power. As Lord Acton asserts “Animal
Farm” is a true depiction of the quotation that, ‘Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’.
This ultimatum is well exhibit when the pigs attain power initially in order to
make the life of all animals better but, when pigs exercise power, they are
inevitably get involved into the journey of attaining the absolute power, where they fall to sway the corruption.
Nevertheless,
from the beginning of the novel, pigs engaged with sincerity to bargain freedom to all animals from the
bestial treatment of human beings, but expeditiously
their attempt gets tained by some of the pigs’ lust for power
(Napoleon & Squealer). When the pigs bestowed with power, they got respect
from the other animals and they also had the opportunity to dictate the other
animals by their intelligence, which action aroused the thirst for more power. For
instance: Napoleon is the one who continues to pay lip service to the
principles of the revolution but he is manipulating the principles of
Animalism. Also, all the pigs claim privileges for themselves where they use
dogs as an external clock of power of authority to threaten the other animals. The
author implicitly poses his ideology that, ‘Animal Farm’ is a good portrayal of
the current situation of the political circumstances in the society in terms of
power and corruption.
In
addition to that, the theme of power is sketched by Orwell throughout the
narrative of this novel. Animals chased away Mr. Jones with the cooperation of the
intelligent of all the animals. Animals run the farm successfully with the
overseeing of pigs. Napoleon and Squealer are seeking only personal success
while other pigs and Snowball was in favor of the developments of the farm.
Napoleon and Snowball often had arguments. When Snowball a plan to introduced a
plan to build a windmill, Napoleon disagrees ad convinces the other animals
that Snowball had some ulterior motives so he should be banished from the farm.
Napoleon later adopts the windmill plan and gradually take over the farm in
subtle manner. Ultimately, in the end power corrupts the characteristics of
pigs. Animal’s termination of their authority is a symbolic representation of
Russian Revolution. For instances; People
followed Lenin and overthrow Czar,
the same as the animals’ overthrow
Mr. Jones. Napoleon’s rise of power
is another mimetic example and approach where the animals against to Snowball.
Further,
the writer talks about ‘Animal Farm’ as a didactic tale in many ways. There is
strong influence of Napoleon and Squealer in terms of estrangement which is
prevail over other animals. Another predominant element of didactic tale
illustrates by this novel is the importance of knowing the history. The new generation of animals do not know
about what their ancestors fought for, so they never protested Napoleon’s
authoritarianism, where Napoleon used the animals and manipulating them with
his power of authority. Another important didactic element of the novel is
importance of hard work, which is explicitly sketched by the proletariat labors
of the farm. At the beginning of the novel, all the animals’ rebels against to
the farmers and immensely work hard to build up the farm effectively, but
unfortunately, it turns into a bad destiny when power hungry Napoleon take over
the leadership of the farm into his hands. This is clearly exhibit through the
manipulation of commandments by Napoleon. For example; ‟All animals are equal but
some are more equal than others”.
Furthermore, the author
demonstrates about George Orwell who was a great writer in the late Victorian
era, made this fable story as a comparison of Russian Revolution which makes
this tale, a master piece of aesthetic quality of the era. So, this novel
“Animal Farm” is not only providing the well-intended characterization but also
fabrics entertaining interaction between the animals. Hence, many of events in
this novel is parallel to the Russian Revolution.
Moreover,
the corrupting effects of power is one of the prominent themes in the novel.
According to Old Major’s advices of rebellious, all animals have the idea of
utopia that, one day every animal can live a free and equal life. But when Mr.
Jones was driven off from the farm, pigs adopting the nature of men and they
instantly corrupted by power. Napoleon’s activities are far away from the
principles of Animalism. Pigs became the ruling class of the Animal Farm and
Napoleon became the extreme dictator of the novel and he used his well-trained
dogs to purge other animals. The corruption is well illustrated by the changing
of the seven commandments according to pigs’ privileges, which are perverted and
distorted by their manipulation as well.
Perhaps, Corruption and power are majorly interwoven motifs in the
narrative. According to the Marxist perspective, inevitability of class and
social stratification among the working class and the ruling class is very
prominent in the novel. Even when the hard workers of the proletariat, working
class are realized that they are treated as laborers only, yet they are not
able to rise up against to the pigs’ dictatorship, where the experiment of utopian
animalism turn into dystopia. For example: Dying
hope of the Benjamin & The inevitable betrayal in the death of Boxer is the height of exploitation of the working class
in the novel.
The
social stratification is explicitly depicting through the lack of realization
of animals, where they are portrayed as the working-class poor under the hands
of repressive leadership. The novel “Animal Farm” also portrays the
overwhelming sentiment of lower-class animals who are too late to realize the
real changes and manipulations that was used by the pigs. Working class in the
farm are hardly use up their disapproval despite the authority of pigs. The
animals except the pigs can easily manipulated by the pigs and they are
incredibly docile and obedient to the pigs. It’s very explicit when the animals
are easily manipulated by the pigs’ violation of laws because of the other
animals’ obliviousness and lack of intelligence. For instance; From the change
of commandment, “No animal shall kill any
other animal without a cause”, the last 3 words disappear in the animals’
memory where the pigs are replaced the words according to their preference. However,
the working class are ignorant because that they are not indoctrinate and this
cause the distortion of Animalism. So, the initial attempt to create a utopian
society are foiled by the power-hungry leader Napoleon, who declares that, “…Some
animals are more equal than others”.
Hence,
“Animal Farm” depicts the extent to fabricated the corruption, injustice,
inequality and over use of power exist in different forms of authority. So, the
evident that are given by the author of this article is outwardly convincing
through depicting, Orwell’s satire against to the Stalinist ideology of
authoritarianism, which is the main gist of the narration.
Orwell’s essence of writing this
fable sketches the power, which involves in dystopian totalitarian domination. ‘Animal
Farm’ is one of the novel’s most impressive accomplishments in its portrayal of
the role of figures. ‘Animal Farm’ is a fable foreshadows the perspective of
gullible, loyal and hardworking labors in the oppressive society.
Overall, Orwell demonstrates, this
story as the oppressive characters are using some tactics to manipulate the
oppressed roles who are in the edge of naivety that are not in the position of
education but in the position of power. Thus, ‘Animal Farm’ presents the
inefficiency to question the authority convict the working class to suffer the
full extent of the ruling class suppression. This is very well showed throughout
the character of Boxer, who often says “Napoleon
is always right and I will work hard for him” and the role of Benjamin, who
is very skepticism and conscious about the manipulation of pigs but did not
protest against to them, because of the fear of questioning the power. As a
matter of fact, in order to illustrates about the motifs o this article, the
author emerged with the theory of Stalinism, where the process of ascendancy of
the animals presented for spectacle of Marxism turning into Stalinism by the
hypocrisy and the authoritarianism of the pigs.
Therefore,
this research article is relevant to the critical analytical study of the novel
by advocating the main theories and ideologies that fabricated throughout the
narrative of the novel by the endorses fictional characters. Thus, George
Orwell well-intended the novel as a sequence of an allegorical allusions to be
present as a warning against to the totalitarian leaders and decorated the era
of literature.
Written By
Asna Sameer
Reference
- Eke,
O., & Ikechukwu, I, G., (2017), Usage
and influence of leadership, power and authority in our society using Orwell’s
Animal Farm and 1984, ISSN:2229-712X.
- www.elixirpublishers.com
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