Book Review : Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm is a short but widely praised book by the author George Orwell. This is a precursor to his much more famous(regarded as one of the best) sci-fi dystopian novel “1984”. Hunting for sci-fi classics, I originally aimed to read only “1984”, but came upon this book when I saw its measly price and small stature at a local bookstore. I read Animal Farm after “1984”.

The Book:

For those of you who don’t know, this book is not just a work of fiction about farm animals, it is a reflection on the socio-political-economical struggles of the 20th century. The 20th century was an ideological battleground between Capitalism and Communism. It was a battle between the Capitalist West- United States, Britain vs the Socialist East- USSR, China. The story is from the USSR perspective, as to how a revolution, overthrowing the rulers, intended to bring power back to the population, can turn into a nightmare. The animals in the story even refer to each other as “comrades”, a defining feature of USSR at the peak of the Communist-Revolution.

Orwell disguises the class struggle(rich vs poor) in the form of animals vs humans(four legs good two legs bad!). Essentially in essence it is the same portrait of society Marx describes in The Communist Manifesto: the eternal struggle between Oppressed and the Oppressor. Ironically and truly enough, animals have been bearing the grunt of humans for hundreds of years, in their abominable treatment as a means of production. We are currently breeding a disgusting quantity of cattle, poultry for our ever increasing needs, while their well being - physical and psychological - falls to the depths of hell. Alas, I’m not very optimistic about the future of animals, until we get around our own class struggles, and establish an economic system that works.

While I hoped not to turn this post into a commentary on animal ethics or an ideological rant, its difficult to review Animal Farm in a vacuum. Simply put, it is a story about Power and authority. Written in simple language in the world of an eclectic cast of animals. Every animal has a defining feature, which can be seen as representing a class itself. Animal Farm can also be seen an early manifestation of an ideology which matured into Big Brother and “1984”. We see glances of thought control, propaganda, use of restrictive language, Leader worship, manipulation of history all through the story.

The Good:
- Really Interesting premise and story. Has badass animals.
- Easy language

The Bad:
- In the second half, the story has some repetitive elements.
- It is infuriating that some animals are coerced so easily, for the sake of the plot.
- Some convoluted plot bits about the neighboring farms with really hard to remember English-names.

Conclusion:
It is tempting to consider Animal Farm as a critique of a Socialism/Communism(ideology), I do not think Orwell meant it that way or it is(partly because what is called socialism today is vague and encompasses a large spectrum of ideas). I do think however is that it champions Liberatarianism: that ultimately concentration of power is what we should fear.

I partly recommend this book because it is so short, is a real historical lesson and includes many of the main ideas of “1984”, importantly if you have not read and don’t plan to read “1984”.