Animal Farm

What It's About

The animals of Manor Farm, tired of the neglect and cruelty of their farmer Mr Jones, rise up and drive him out, taking control of the farm for themselves. Guided by the pigs, they establish their own set of laws built around the principle that all animals are equal. In the early days the farm thrives under this new order, but as time passes the pigs, led by Napoleon, gradually take on more privileges and authority than the rest, using propaganda, fear, and the loyalty of a trained pack of dogs to keep the other animals in line. The story follows the slow drift of the farm's ideals away from the equality it was founded on.

Key Concepts

Animal Farm is a political allegory, widely read as a satire of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalinism in the Soviet Union, with individual characters and events corresponding to real historical figures and moments. Its central themes include the corrupting effect of power, the manipulation of language and propaganda as tools of control, the betrayal of revolutionary ideals, and the ease with which a ruling class can re-establish the very inequalities a revolution set out to destroy.

About the Author

George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, an English novelist, essayist, and journalist. His early experiences as a colonial police officer in Burma and his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War shaped a lasting concern with imperialism, totalitarianism, and social injustice, which came to define much of his writing.