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2022-02-448

Marjan Hussain

Western Political Philosophy

24th December 2020

Marxism and Animal Farm

 
“Published in 1945, George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegorical critique of totalitarianism
and social injustice. Set on a farm, the satirical novella is based on the Russian Revolution of
1917 and follows a Feudal quest for equality though political change led by personified
animals. Through his novella, Orwell made his opinions on Russian leaders heard. Themes of
power, corruption, and ignorance are used to show the Russian revolution. The book lays
emphasis on the rise of communism in Western countries who are uncertain about how to
approach it - aided by Orwell’s view of politics and humanity. The novella focuses
specifically on the conditions that developed in Russia under the reader of Lenin and Stalin
and dissects them from a Marxist point of view while also making use of Locke’s ideas of
government based on equality. This paper will attempt to review the Novella by Orwell by
analyzing it with Marx and Locke’s philosophies while also contextualizing its relevance in
the current period of time. 

The main characters in the book include Old Major, a respected boar who represents Karl
Marx;  Snowball - a young, intelligent boar who is one of the leaders among the pigs and
represents the concept of evil; Squealer, a porker pig who represents the propaganda machine
of a totalitarian government. The rest of the animals, like Napoleon, Boxer, and the sheep
represent communist tyranny, working class, and ignorant masses respectively. The humans
in the book, Pilkington, Frederick, and Whymper represent allied countries, Adolf Hitler, and
nations that profit from conduction business with brutal dictators respectively. 
The book opens with a meeting that has been called by the Old Major, blaming human beings
as the sole reason why animals in England are enslaved - he pushes forward the idea of a
great Rebellion which will overthrow mankind. Old Major declares that “All men are
enemies. All Animals are comrades” (Orwell, 26). After the Old Major’s death, the animals
continue to prepare for the rebellion - lead by Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer. One night,
Mr. Jones accidentally neglects to feed the animals, which causes them to break into the shed
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and run him off the farm. Soon after, Napoleon and Snowball invent a system called
Animalism which ran so: “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend
No animal shall wear clothes
No animal shall sleep in a bed
No animal shall drink alcohol
No animal shall kill any other animal
All animals are equal ” (Orwell, 44) 
Over the course of the next few weeks the animals worked according to their abilities and
were compensated with food. There were weekly meetings where Napoleon and Snowball
would disagree.

Eventually, the pigs were able to create a system which allowed them to exercise their powers
and enjoy benefits similar to those that their human masters once had. During this time,
Napoleon also confiscated several puppies, secluding them to educate them to be fiercely
loyal to only him. Soon, the farmers return and attempt to recapture the Animal Farm but fail
- this victory is celebrated as “the Battle of the Cowshed” and the unanimous decision to
allow the pigs to make all future resolutions. 

Over time, Napoleon and Snowball continue to clash over various prospects, such as building
a windmill as suggested by Snowball, Napoleon disagrees and uses the puppies that he
trained to run him off and takes credit for building the windmill. This forces the animals to
work harder and for longer, on a shorter supply of food. Eventually Napoleon starts trading
with the human world, and also lying to the pigs about shortages. Slowly the pigs begin to
contradict the commandments -  first by sleeping in beds. The conditions on the Animal Farm
begin deteriorating as the windmill is destroyed, Snowball is sentenced to heath, and humans
are deceived into thinking that it is prospering. He also has his dogs execute animals who
confess to treachery. The commandments are altered to benefit Napoleon.
The humans make another attempt to overtake the Animal Farm, blowing up the windmill
and killing many of the animals. “Napoleon continues to spread propaganda to distract the
animals from inequality and hardship, he also declares the farm a republic and is elected as
President. The animals continue to be exploited - especially Boxer, who eventually collapses
due to overexertion and is slaughtered.” As years go by, the farm’s population increases,
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animals continue to be exploited and the pigs start chanting “Four legs good, two legs better”
(Orwell, 178) as they start walking on their hindlegs. Eventually, the seven commandments
are replaced with “All animals are equal / But some animals are more equal than others”
(Orwell, 180). The pigs continue exploiting the rest of the animals and awarding themselves
more privileges. The book ends with the humans and pigs playing poker together,
indistinguishable.

Unlike many British socialists in the early 20th century, Orwell was not a fan of the Soviet
Union and its policies, he also did not consider it a positive representation of the possibilities
of social society. The political developments in Soviet history before 1945 have direct
parallels in Animal Farm - such as Napoleon having Snowball chased out of the farm after
the windmill collapses just as Stalin used Trotsky. While Animal Farm was written as an
attack on a specific government, the general political themes of oppression, suffering,
injustice, and exploitation can be applied in a far broader spectrum. These themes are
explored through the characters in the novel. “The animals’ unhappiness represents class
struggle, which leads to the Rebellion and offers some equality, the theme of power and
control is highlighted by the characters’ relationships with each other on the farm” (BBC).

Snowball represents an early figure in communism, Leon Trotsky who was also influenced
by Marx and wanted to improve the standards of living in Russian. The Old Major in the
book symbolized Karl Marx in terms of the revolutionary ideas he had about the barn. This is
evident in the speech that Old Major gives in the barn which is also Marx’s philosophy on a
ideal society. Marx saw communism as the ideal society because “it is the genuine resolution
of the conflict between man and man” he believed that it was the truest resolution between
freedom and necessity – which is something that capitalism fosters. He was also committed
to the idea that action and theory are interrelated and are two aspects that go hand in hand.
However, Marx’s theory of communism has been misused throughout time – particularly due
to the fact that it was open to interpretation. He believed that the communist system would
succeed capitalism as humanity’s mode of production through workers’ revolution. The
purpose of communism was to create a system which would distribute property within the
community and each person would contribute and be rewarded according to their ability and
needs. However, much like the real world – the events that took place in Animal Farm,
proved that the ideal society is a utopian concept which is difficult, if not impossible to
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maintain. The animal revolution that took place in the novel was based on a dream and the
ideals of social communism which were developed by Old Major and Snowball, also referred
to as Animalism.

“Marx’s theories stem from the social conditions that existed during his lifetime – when the
industrial revolution was rounding up a storm. Technological advances were being
incorporated in modes of productions – especially areas of agriculture and textiles. This is
also when capitalism had emerged as the dominant form of economics. Marx argued that
class is based upon the economic conditions of society and classified it through the history of
changing modes of production.”

As showcased in Animal Farm – there were certain aspects of communism which were
highjacked and twisted to fulfill capitalistic agendas throughout history. This is due to the
gaps left in Marx’s theories which resulted in varying interpretations to what he originally
envisioned. This can be seen in the amendments that were made in the seven commandments
that the animals wrote, initially their slogan was “All Animals are Equal” and after some
time, the slogan changed to “All Animals Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than
Others”

Orwell uses Old Major to allegorize Marx as both of them were the foundation of the Russian
Revolution and the revolution that took place within the Farm – the chants that became the
national anthem of the Animal Farm summarized the egalitarianism of Marxism and
Animalism – this is something that was promoted by both Marx and Old Major. Later on, the
song was replaced by an anthem called ‘Comrade Napoleon’ – which is similar to how ‘The
Internationale’ was replaced by the ‘National Anthem of the Soviet Union’. Old Major and
Marx serve as a reminder of the promise of a utopian world for the citizens which failed to be
delivered due to the fact that they were twisted by communist parties into personal
propaganda tools. Similar to Marx, the Old Major was a visionary who did not live to see the
product of his ideas. “Orwell used animal characters to symbolize the Marxism movements
and its executions in Russia. How Marxism was failed in Russia and later, how it was
destroyed by Marx’s followers explained in this novel through animal characters” (Bharathi,
2019).
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The theme of class is explored in the Novella by highlighting the hardships of the animals
during Mr. Jones’ rule and comparing it with the exploitation and hardships they went
through under the pig’s control. This comparison highlights how initially the animals were
subjects of capitalism and exploitation and after they revolted, a communist rule was
established initially. However, this proved to be too idealistic and was soon overtaken by
greed and once again the animals at the farm were enslaved to capitalism, but this time under
the pretenses of a communist rule. Initially, Old Major highlighted the unfair circumstances
that the animals lived in by saying “No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or
leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and
slavery: that is the plain truth" (Orwell, 21). After Old Major resorted to exploiting the
animals he made sure to keep them under his control by constantly reminding them of the
hardships that they went through with Mr. Jones – ““Do you know what would happen if we
pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back!” (Orwell, 58).

This paper presents that increase of power means the increase of social problems, society is
dominated by caste. The novella proves that there is no difference between the policies of
communists and capitalists – since in essence both of them serve the ruling class at the
expense of the working class. The aim and motif of Karl Marx, similar to those of the pigs,
has been modified by his followers and led to failure. The pig characters were used to
represent Marxism’s followers as well as the progress that it made in Russia.

“George Orwell's Animal Farm has drawn high levels of criticism for over half a century.
Some of this criticism has been negative, arguing that the novel is too simple, strays too far
away from the truth, and is too broad in its interpretations and critiques of the Soviet
revolution in Russia” (Pelpuo, 2018). However, many critics have found it to be of literary
merit and argued that its simplicity is the reason why it was understood and appreciated by so
many. This simplicity also made the satire easier to understand and allowed the novella to
serve its general purpose.

There are messages in the book that ring true even today, it is an eye-opener for the masses
not to be brainwashed by the ruling class and not to get silenced by false propaganda spready
by new leadership. While now a classic, Orwell had a lot of trouble publishing the book at the
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time due to the fact that most British publications were unwilling to criticize the Russian
government since Russia was an ally. The way all the animals blindly followed the pigs who,
despite starting out to benefit everyone involved ended up serving themselves only, only went
to prove the timeless aspect of the novel. The book itself is an important political
commentary and an important book that can alter and affect the perspective of many readers.

In conclusion, upon one’s first read – Animal Farm may come across as a simple book with
some slightly comical interactions between animals. It is also very understandable to not
think too into the interactions considering the fact that it is not a realistic portrayal of animals
since they don’t speak. However, the layers of this book are what make it a political allegory
which is still relevant in today’s times. It not only highlights Marx’s philosophy and ideas,
but also showcases how they are used to exploit the working class. The book relates to social
issues from a Marxist point of view which is still something that is relevant in the political
climate of today. The fact that the book ends with humans and pigs playing cards together
and the animals not being able to tell the difference between them goes to show that they
ended up becoming what they had set out to fight.”
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Orwell, George, et al. “Animal Farm Video.” GradeSaver, www.gradesaver.com/animal-

farm/study-guide/video.
“Karl Marx.” Animal Farm Allegory, annabelsuenanimalfarmallegory.weebly.com/karl-
marx.html.
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Mar. 2019.
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Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Guidelines, 1989.