Literary Criticism Of Animal Farm

About Animal Farm George Orwell is a well-known author of many famous books, many of which are critiques of various governments, such as his popular book Animal Farm. Described by Orwell as his favorite book, Animal Farm describes the experience of animals on a farm as they try to set up a government for themselves after they revolted against their cruel human taskmasters. The book is an allegory of the Soviet Union and the communist system of government that it employed. Because of the political nature of the book, its reception was greatly varied, depending on the political climate of the time (Rodden, “Appreciating” 67). Orwell’s book, Animal Farm, initially rejected by many, later went on to be a bestseller and is now considered a classic,

Although he agreed with many of the Marxist principles, he disagreed with the Communist method of addressing these problems. This idea is conveyed in Animal Farm. The animals’ original action of overthrowing their tyrannical overlords and working for themselves is not an inherently evil course to take. However, as the pigs start to take more power for themselves, problems start to arise (Guidorizzi 72). Animal Farm is an allegory; most of the events and animals described in the book represent some historical event or person. The pigs in the book represent communist leaders. Old Major, the boar, represents Marx and Lenin as the one who lays the foundation of their philosophy. Mr. Jones, the farmer, represents the Czar who is abruptly overthrown in a fit of fury from the people. The pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, the two of whom are constantly disagreeing on how the farm should be run, represent Stalin and Trotsky. The dogs represent the various agencies used to force compliance with Soviet rule, while Squealer represents communist propaganda. The original reason that the animals revolt is because the humans take without producing anything; they leech off the labor of the animals. Kicking the humans out of the farm allows the animals to feel better about their work because now they know that all of their labor is for their own benefit. However, the pigs soon started abusing this work ethic for their own gain

This was largely a result of the Cold War. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union suddenly changed from being a valuable ally of America and England’s, to a dangerous competitor. As a result, Orwell’s allegory on the horrendous conditions of the communist state soon became a bestseller. In fact, the book soon became a part of the American propaganda against the Soviet Union, with the CIA even funding the creation of an animated movie based on the book (Hitchens). The book is now considered a classic and is well loved by many, both for its literary and historical value. Animal farm is a valuable book today as it can help readers to understand historical events and politics, albeit in a simplified manner, as well as providing many important lessons, such as the danger of having much power concentrated in the hands of a few people (Rodden, “Appreciating” 75). Communism is generally looked down upon, both in this book, and in western culture. However, this begs the question, how are we, as Christians, supposed to view communism? This is a question that Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed in a sermon that is recorded in his book, Strength to Love. There are many points about communism that, at first glance, seem to align with New Testament teaching. Perhaps the main instance of this is when the Bible tells how a group of believers shared everything