The art of creating a literary piece, whether it be a novel, book, play, or poem, is no easy feat. To create a literary work that finds its place among the classics, resonating with individuals throughout decades of change, is the dream of those who put their thoughts to paper. British novelist and poet Eric Arthur Blair, better known as George Orwell, mastered the art of writing. With his vivid imagination, political gusto and wild wit, he went on to write in a way that captured the hearts and minds of his readers. This bookworm stumbled upon Orwell’s 1945 novel, Animal Farm, at the foolish age of 15. Much has changed in the last eight years of living, and while my hands have picked up that scribble-filled book time and again, I will never forget the laughter, rage and weeping that Orwell brought out in me when I first discovered that “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”.
Animal Farm is set in England on the Manor Farm run by Mr Jones. The reader is introduced to a group of farm animals who have spent their lives suffering as they work for the farmer under cruel conditions. The animals, refusing to spend another minute of their lives suffering with no hope, plan a revolution to take over the farm. Led by two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, the animals succeed with their mission, chasing the farmers off the property. The animals, now free from the ownership and subjugation of the farmers, unite to create the Animal Farm, where all animals are equal and every life matters. The animals decide to continue the work on the farm to provide for themselves, with weekly meetings where all those present have a say in future plans. The pigs, due to their superior intelligence, become the supervisors of the farm to ensure that all the animals experience the highest possible benefit for their labours.
As the novel progresses, Orwell vividly depicts the consequences of a power vacuum fueled by greed and corruption. The reader, unable to tear their eyes away from the pages, is forced to witness the all too known tale of hopeful souls being led astray by a leader filled with greed. The animals’ equality becomes the animals’ equity, as those who created the animals’ fundamental rights become fundamental farces, everything that they had once denounced.
Animal Farm is by no means a pleasant read. You will not close the book and let out a pleasant sigh of relief. The book was created to unsettle, and unsettle it does. By removing the element of humanness from these essentially human topics of politics, power, leadership, and submission, Orwell pries open the chest of humanity, laying bare the wicked ways that lie beneath.
