Are pigs really cleverest of the animals?
Why that large rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar is so dominating a figure in this farm of animals? Why did Orwell give this Boar the name Napoleon?
These questions were the first few questions, that approached me at the beginning of this book when I started reading this book for the first time like an intelligent reader, trying to decode the euphemism obscured behind this exotic tale. I had been suggested such an approach. Though this book did not give me any sort of such feelings in the beginning. It looked like a fairy tale. A ravishing one. I moved on slowly and gently and encountered more questions…
Why.. this song threw the animals into the wildest excitement?
Why the cows lowed it, dogs whined it, the sheep bloated it, the horses whinnied it and the ducks quaked it?
Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the golden future time
Soon or late the day is coming,
Tyrant Man shall be o’erthrown,
And the fruitful fields of England
Shall be trod by beasts alone.
In fact, they were all being preached the principle of Animalism. They were about to learn that all animals are equal and that Man is their enemy.
For the fulfillment of this, the wiser ones wrote down “Seven Commandments”.
Then these commandments were said to be reduced to a single Maxim, namely
FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD.
When birds first objected that they also had two legs, it was conveyed to them in a very tactful manner that
“A bird’s wing, comrades,’ is an organ of propulsion and not of manipulation. It should, therefore, be regarded as a leg. The distinguishing mark of Man is the hand, the instrument with which he does all the mischief.”
AND…Thus in a very systematic way, with all courage and valor, on one fine day, the Man was banished. The reign of equality was established.
The MANOR FARM had been converted into the ANIMAL FARM.
Up to here, everything was fine. It was a charming fairy tale…Nothing much great. But after the establishment of the rule of Animals, the real affair begins, of this novella. The game of power begins. The true allegory of the story starts manifesting itself through the words of Orwell. I know that people relate this book with the concepts of communism, or with a sort of political ideology of power. And that is probably where this book has gotten high praise for its allegorical and metaphorical inferences. Orwell has that genius to say something big through those simple words that literally do not mean it and I have already experienced his brilliance in 1984. This book shows how those in power spread rumors against them who they feel, impede their path… how things are manipulated and how the initial commandments which were the tenets of the rebellion could easily be changed in favor of the ruling one. How those are indoctrinated who do not know how to use their minds.
This book is both funny and sober together at a time in its language and treatment. I especially liked the segment where all the animals were indoctrinated to believe that whatever was happening on the farm was happening well and it was all happening because of the charismatic leadership of their leader Napoleon. The credit for every achievement goes to Napoleon. You would hear one hen remark to another,
“Under the guidance of our leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days”;
And two cows drinking at a pool would exclaim,
“Thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, how excellent this water tastes!”
But if a school-going child, who is unaware of all these lofty ideals of communism, socialism, and power politics, will read this book…Will he adore this book? He certainly will. And that’s probably the reason many such children across the world have adored it for its imagination, its vivid and animated character portrayal, and its simple language. So, in my opinion, this book has been doubly successful in its purpose and reach. At one moment it’s a fairy tale and an alluring parable. On the other hand, it has a classic inference and implication to those political ideologies with some very important and cardinal morals for all of us.
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