Animal Farm is a satirical novella written by George Orwell and published in 1945. The story is set on a farm in England and tells the tale of a group of farm animals who overthrow their human owner and create a society run by animals. The novel is an allegory for the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the rise of the Soviet Union, and it portrays the overthrow of the Tsar and the eventual Stalinist regime as a betrayal of the initial ideals of the revolution.
The story begins when the old and wise pig, Old Major, gathers all the animals on the farm for a meeting. He tells them about his dream of a world where animals are free from the oppression of humans and are able to run the farm themselves. Old Major then dies, but his message inspires the other animals to rise up against their human owner, Mr. Jones, and take control of the farm.
Under the leadership of the pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, the animals work together to create a new society, Animal Farm, based on the principles of equality and solidarity. They adopt a set of commandments that they call Animalism, which state that all animals are equal and that they should never allow humans to take control of their lives again.
At first, the animals are able to work together and create a successful farm, but as time goes on, the pigs begin to take on more and more power and privileges. Napoleon, in particular, becomes more and more tyrannical, using propaganda and fear to control the other animals. Eventually, the pigs become indistinguishable from their human oppressors, and the commandments of Animalism are altered to suit their own needs.
The other animals are eventually reduced to a state of near-slavery, working long hours for minimal rations. The farm's initial ideals of equality and solidarity have been completely betrayed, and the animals are left to wonder whether the revolution was worth it in the end. The novel ends with the animals gazing at the farmhouse, which has been renovated and is now indistinguishable from any other human dwelling, and wondering if they will ever be able to return to the utopian society that Old Major had dreamed of.
0 Comments