A Book Review on Animal Farm by Junior Win

Only 120 pages of this book published from England in 1945 august. The author, George Orewll had no stomach for Communism. He hated limitless imprisonment, censorship in newspapers and the deed of military forces.‘Animalism’, in this story, ‘is an allegorical mirror of the Soviet Union, particularly between the 1910s and the 1940s, as well as the evolution of the view of the Russian revolutionaries and government of how to practice it’

 

1983-Animal Farm

 

 ‘Power Corrupts’

 

Most of the characters were animals and they played like human. Although the animals were main players, their tricks and methods were so far as we could not imagine. Yes! ‘If such animals became aware of their strength, we should have no power over them.’ (George Orwell’s preface) Later, Napoleon and his pigs were corrupted by the absolute power they hold over the farm. The reader would be frightened by their deeds and actions.

Napoleon was the main villain of Animal Farm. When he met the destruction of the windmill that he seemed valued dearly, he convinced the animals that ‘Snowball’ destroyed the windmill. Snowball was Napoleon’s rival and original head of the farm after Jones’ overthrow. Napoleon said that the enemy was hidden in the dark, so he alarmed all his animals to watch carefully to every corner and kept alert for 24 hours. All the animals were always afraid of Snowball because Snowball could do anything as bombing their possessions any time. They were told that Snowball was making troubles among the peaceful animals. Snowball became a kind of the unseen enemy.

 

Education

 

Snowball attempts to teach the animals reading and writing. But they were too stupid to remember what they were taught today. They even did not know when Squealer(who served as Napoleon’ right hand pig) secretly paints additions to some commandments to benefit the pigs while keeping them free of accusations of breaking the laws. They did not see the tricks that Squealer’s invented numbers of their improvement. They remain convinced that they were better off than they were when ruled by Mr.Jones though they were cold, starving, and overworked. The animals were always amusing themselves with their leader’s performance and tricks which were always new and cool.

 

The Reader’s Reflection

 

See The Difference – ‘Unseen Leader’ and ‘Unseen Enemy’

 

In the novel ‘1984’, the same author, George Orwell never mentioned about the master mind behind the stage and the reader wondered who was behind ‘Big Brothers’. In this story, the author did not hide the leader. Yes, Napoleon was the head of the animal farm. No less, no more. But from the beginning to the end, we will never know, the unseen enemy, Snowball, really exists or alive.