Complexity In Simplicity

1076 Words3 Pages

In George Orwell’s genius literary masterpiece, Animal Farm, he allegorically showcases many in depth and powerful political issues in a fairy tale form. His book by definition is listed as a fairy tale because of its setting and characters being that of pure imagination. It deals with the issues, pro’s, and con’s of totalitarianism, communism, and socialism. And absolutely brilliantly engulfs the reader with his original allegorical usage of talking animals to project certain stances and political factions and there constant struggle dominance and absolute power.
“A child’s story about imaginary beings and lands”, this a definition of a Fairy Tale, synonymous with folk tales, myths, legends, fantasy, fables, etc. In one form or another, this describes George Orwell’s allegorical satire, Animal Farm perfectly. One might ask, “how does a book full of intense and in depth symbolism of government collapse and social unrest following the affects of totalitarianism and communism be held on the same level, as classical fairy tales, such as Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland.” To begin, the characters in this book are entirely comprised of talking animals on a farm setting full of mischievous adventures, witches and magic, sound like a fairy tale to you? Comparing this allegory to possibly one of the most famous fairy tales of all time, C.S Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series, neither is completely dissimilar to the other. In both, the characters are principally comprised of speaking animals, one of which is the antagonist with its various followers and counterparts and another being the protagonist. Both books follow a series of events in a land of oddities and anomalies which lead to the overarching outcome and moral to ...

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...ay, but is slow to think for himself and is very simple minded. He represents the working classes major weakness, the blind belief of a non- existent, kind natured, and fair political system. When he meets a pathetic death at the glue plant it showcases the betrayal of the pigs that represent elitists taking advantage of the working classes. Along with these few are many other characters of equal allegorical significance.
As a writer, Orwell completely masters his characters so that they are the most outstanding and powerful symbols of totalitarianism, communism, and socialism in a fairy tale setting. With his characters brought to life as one unto themselves to individually portray a particular political stance. If nothing else, this book is a incredible example of the power of allegorical and fairy tale writing and is highly recommended for readers of all ages.

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