Animal Farm - an In-Depth Analysis of Overlying Themes

Animal Farm, published in 1956 and written by George Orwell, famous author of other works such as 1984 and Such, Such Were the Joys, is a satirical humorous book depicting an alternate world in which an totalitarian animal society is constructed and led by a tyrannical, curly-tailed dictator. In the setting of an animal farm, Orwell tells the dangers and short comings of a totalitarian state, the means and usage of propaganda to further instigate public trust, and how greed and corruption affects both animals and men, consuming them both to the point where they are no longer distinguishable from one another.

During the duration of the story, the reader can pick up on Orwell's distinct tones and opinions that reflected the current time frame of Orwell's own surroundings. Using his own ideals and feelings from the events that were happening around him, he used these as a basis for his book. One good example of this statement is the pig Napoleon, a greedy, tyrannical, dictator who would use any means to accomplish his own goals, regardless of the consequences or pain it brings upon the animal society, so as long as it benefits him. This clearly portrays the concept of the many totalitarian states in the world, controlled by an evil dictator who falls short of nothing to consummate power, many of which were infamous during Orwell's time. A pig short of stature or looks, Napoleon used his infinite charm and public social skills to manipulate the animal society within the farm repeatedly until he obtained leadership skills. Napoleon himself was the by-product of an invisible social structure that was present already, even before the animal uprising. Being on the lower rungs of pig rank, Napoleon shows the age old tale of a shunned soul seeking revenge, power, and retribution to those who cast him aside. In order for the story as well as the animal rebellion to develop, a leader was obviously needed and Napoleon took the chance to become a leader, to obtain the power that he could never have wielded under any other possible situation.