Animal Farm by: George Orwell
So the reason I read this book is because my brother used it for his banned book project and he recommended it to me. Before then, I had no clue this book existed. The book has no cover art, but it does have the page pictured above a few pages in, so I will use it as the cover.
Before I go into further detail about this book, it is important to understand some things before you begin reading. This book is meant for children, but it is not about a farm of happy animals, in fact, it is the complete opposite.
Many of the animals on the farm are tired of working long, hard hours and getting little in return. One of the elderly animals on the farm, a boar named old major, has a dream where the animals overthrow the humans on the farm and establish their own farm led by the animals. This is exactly what happens - The pigs lead a raid on the farmhouse and drive out Farmer Jones, his wife, and all his workers. They create Animalism which is basically socialism for animals (the hints at socialism in this book are the reasons it was banned. Especially when the book came out: the cold war was going on and socialism was completely forbidden in the United States. Orwell only wrote this book to try and help children understand socialism better, but it didn't really work out).
The new system starts off well. The animals are all very motivated and work very hard. The pigs, the smartest animals on the farm, are the leaders of the farm. They are in charge of handling finances, distributing food to the animals, giving orders, and making political decisions. They wrote the laws of the farm on the wall in the barn. The farm is making a lot of money from crops, and the pigs are dispatching crows to travel to other farms to spread the word of the rebellion of the animals. However, as the farm is doing really good and making a lot of money, the pigs are starting to become greedy. Slowly, the condition of the farm worsens and the animals are feeling down. The laws written on the barn wall are mysteriously changing overnight and the pigs are creating lies to try and convince the other animals that everything is okay. One day, the strongest horse in the farm is loaded into a trailer. The pigs say that he is going to the veterinarian, but on the side of the trailer is written "slaughterhouse". From there, things only get worse. The story ends when a big fight breaks out between the humans and the pigs as they are playing a game of cards in the farmhouse. Everyone is drunk when a fifth ace appears in the game. All the other animals are peering in through the windows.
I would rate this book 8/10.
The author combines an interesting story into a simple explanation of the positives and negatives of socialism. This is one of those books where you want to be in the story to influence the actions of the characters. I got annoyed when all the animals just shrugged it off as the strongest horse was taken away to be slaughtered, just so the pigs could make some money.
Thanks for reading!
-Pieter
What a thorough review, Pieter! This books seems quite unique in the fact that the animals take over the humans, and it doesn't exactly seem like a book for children in terms of the topics it handles and the way are depicted (this however may depend on your definition of children in terms of age range). However, you described the plot really well, along with the motives, successes, and struggles of the characters. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThis book seems interesting! I like how Orwell wrote it to express socialism while transforming the story into a fable. I also think how the animals evolving from prey to predator for the humans would create an interesting dynamic. I think the reason it's a fable is to engage a younger audience (children) however, I still do not think socialism is something a child can fully comprehend and thus do not believe this book was necessarily catered toward children. Your description of the plot was well written, and I liked how you explained how the author was incorporating socialism into the story.
ReplyDeleteI have read this book before and completely agree with your opinion: it is representative of communism and how it was viewed during the cold war era. I also felt the same way when the animals started to contradict their original commandments, I felt like I should intervene and stop them. Great review!
ReplyDeleteWhat an insightful review Pieter! You did an incredible job explaining the plot as well as analyzing the story and its "hidden" meaning. I really enjoyed reading this novel, and I think it must be one of my favorites. I still can not forget the line, "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others." Overall, I really enjoyed reading your review! Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis was an excellent review! I've been wanting to read this book for a while, and your depictions of the complex characters and interesting subject matter were very intriguing. I'll definitely move this book to the top of my list, great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat Job Pieter! I found it really cool that your brother did this book for the banned book project and that it had no cover letter. I have never heard about this book but it seems quite interesting and different from other books that I have read before so I'll make sure to add this to my list. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI found this story interesting since it was made with propaganda and some intention to inform its readers to socialism, but what surprised me is how it also included the negatives, making it less biased. I would go and try to find myself a copy and read the whole story for myself, excellent review.
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