Human = Pigs

834 Words2 Pages

Eating voraciously, more than they need to, shoving others out of the way, and rolling around dirty mud, pigs carry the aspects of greed and selfishness, like humans. What makes us different from humans? Imagine a cafeteria line where students are all lined up for lunch. Pushing others to get their lunch first, asking for more food than they will eat, and leaving trash around their table. These actions can all be connected to the actions of a pig. Through the pig’s actions, the true nature of human beings which are greed, stubbornness, and only wanting benefits for themselves are shown. Orwell explicitly shows the overflow of greed, or the trait where one wants all the benefits for themselves, throughout the story as they begin to break their own rules. Only for their own good, the pigs begin to break the seven commandments, amending them to their likings. For example, the pigs begin to sleep on beds, drink whiskey, kill other animals, and have the milk and apples all for themselves, while the other animals work for their food. “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself” (7). Just like men, they consume all the products that the other animals produce, while the pigs do not work at all. The pigs are the lord of all the other animals, yet they cannot do the work that they are able to do. They order the other animals to work for their food, yet they only give them the bare minimum, while the pigs and the dogs feast on most of the ... ... middle of paper ... ...reed and stubbornness. Only wanting benefits for themselves, they mend all the rules to their likings. By the end of the book, the pigs are acting like normal humans. They slowly change this way because of their greedy actions and determination for power. This shows the relationship between humans and pigs, and how they are similar. The author clearly shows the greed and stubbornness of pigs, and how they slowly transform into humans by the end of the book. Their actions, appearances, and style all become those of a human. Through the evil actions of the pigs, and their similar appearances, Orwell compares them to humans, illustrating how they are both equal. By chasing Snowball out of the farm, breaking all the commandments, and acting like humans, the author portrays the similarity in traits between humans and pigs, showing that they are both piggish and stubborn.

Open Document