Totalitarianism Theme Analysis by Animal Farm Essay Example

George Orwell's 1945 novella, Animal Farm, tells the story of an England farm's animals rebelling against their owner and taking over the farm for themselves. Over time, the animals create a hierarchy, and the noble ideals of the leader, a boar named Napoleon, begin to become corrupted, leading to the destabilization of the farm's society. At first, this story seems like a typical tale of rebellion followed by the corruption of ideals. However, multiple characters and ideas present in Animal Farm are symbols of the totalitarian society that had taken over the Soviet Union in the several years leading up to 1945, the year Orwell wrote Animal Farm. This symbolism was used for Orwell to express his distaste for the totalitarianism of Soviet Russia and its leader Joseph Stalin.

Orwell, a democratic socialist from Britain, originally wrote Animal Farm to simplify the Russian Revolution of 1917, Joseph Stalin's subsequent rise to power, and his regime of totalitarianism, a political ideology that Orwell despised. The communist revolution and the overthrowing of the Tsar are parallel to the opening events of Animal Farm, as the Animals of the Manor Farm drive the farm's owner, Jones, and his workers out, taking over the farm for themselves so that all the animals get fair treatment. After the successful revolution, the animals of the newly renamed "Animal Farm" adopt the "Seven Commandments of Animalism." The Commandments, which are considered the supreme laws of the farm, primarily describe humans as enemies, as many typical human activities are forbidden. The final commandment states that all animals are equal, which is a central idea in the political ideology of Communism. Over time, a hierarchy is established, with intelligent animals such as pigs being at the top and led by two boars, Snowball and Napoleon. At this point in the story, the new government, consisting of only animals, seems to have good intentions and ideals. However, these ideals become corrupted as the story progresses, leading to the events in which Orwell uses to express his distaste for totalitarianism.

After an unsuccessful attempt by the farm's previous owner, Jones, to retake the farm, Snowball introduces his plans to modernize the farm by constructing a windmill. However, Napoleon expresses his opposition to the construction of the windmill. After an argument between the two, Napoleon sends a group of dogs he had raised as puppies to attack Snowball, driving him off the farm and leaving Napoleon to assume complete control. Squealer, one of the most intelligent pigs, manages to convince most of the farm animals that the idea of the windmill belonged to Napoleon. Snowball had tried to take credit for the idea and that he had been conspiring with Jones to take back the farm. These events all symbolize the political rivalry between Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky, which Napoleon and Snowball portray, and Trotsky's eventual exile and assassination, symbolized when Snowball is driven off of the Animal Farm. Stalin's adoption of totalitarianism in his reign is also represented in the story when Napoleon orders the execution of multiple farm animals accused of supporting Snowball. Napoleon's purge parallels the Great Purge, where hundreds of thousands of Trotsky supporters, Red Army leaders, religious activists, and ethnic minorities were executed by the Stalin regime. Orwell's use of Napoleon's purge and indoctrination of the farm animals was done so that he could condemn Stalin and his administration for their cruel acts and state that lust for power tends to corrupt people, even if their ideals are seen as good. An example of this is that Napoleon's betrayal of Snowball was driven by Napoleon's lust for power, as Napoleon still exiled Snowball even though they shared the same opinions. This symbolism further demonstrates how Orwell used symbolism in Animal Farm to criticize the ideology of totalitarianism.

After the following years in which the animals complete the windmill, a neighboring farmer who views the Animal Farm as a poorly run place full of savagery and disorder destroys it. Napoleon, who believes that the windmill symbolizes the farm, orders the animals to rebuild it. During the rebuilding process, many animals, including Boxer the workhorse, one of the original members of the revolution, die due to exhaustion. The windmill that is constantly being built represents the nationwide modernization efforts that the Soviet Union took during the regime of Stalin. During these efforts, thousands of workers died due to exhaustion, which draws parallels to Animal Farm, as many animals who took part in the reconstruction of the windmill died due to fatigue. Orwell uses the harsh labor that Napoleon forced upon the animals of the farm to symbolize the forced labor that Stalin's regime imposed upon the working class of the Soviet Union, proving that George Orwell used symbolism in Animal Farm to criticize the totalitarian regime of Stalin.

Over the next few years, the animals successfully rebuild the windmill, and another windmill is built, which supports the farm. However, Napoleon and the pigs begin to abandon the ideals left by the Seven Commandments of Animalism, as they start to walk on two legs and wear clothes like humans. Napoleon eventually creates a treaty between the Animal Farm, now renamed the "Manor Farm," and the owners of the neighboring farms. At a dinner party, the pigs appear as humans themselves, showing that the pigs had abandoned the original revolutionary ideals of the farm and that the farm had made peace with those who were once considered their oppressors. Orwell's reason for this ending was to show that the Animal Farm, founded with a noble cause, devolved into a dictatorship under Napoleon and eventually allied with the other farms that the animals had viewed as oppressive. Through these events, Orwell draws parallels to how the ideals of the Russian Revolution had been corrupted during Stalin's totalitarian rule and how the Soviet Union had become an oppressive place just like Nazi Germany, its enemy.