Examples of Satire in Animal Farm: Orwell’s Societal Critique

Animal farm is a book that was written by George Orwell to reflect on the events that lead to Russian revolution. Since he was a democratic socialist, he uses the book to criticize the brutality in the region due to dictatorship. It is a book full of satire but represents the human society.

The story starts with the old major of the manor farm who dies and upon his death, two young pigs named Snowball and Napoleon take over the leadership of the farm. They prepare a rebellion and they drive the farmer, Mr. Jones out of the farm and formulate seven laws to govern the rest of the animals in the farm. Life runs smoothly in the far although the pigs promote themselves to higher positions of leadership and establish special treatment for them. Several years later, Jones is assisted by other farmers in recapturing the farm but their efforts don't bear fruits. The defeat of jones is mostly spearheaded by Snowball and as a result he becomes famous. Popularity of snowball leads to power competition between him and Napoleon. When Snowball announces his plans to build a windmill, napoleons becomes envious and mobilizes his dogs and chases him away. He now chooses Squealer to be his deputy and grants credit for the windmill idea to him. When the windmill collapses due to heavy storm Napoleon lies to the other animals that it is snowball trying to sabotage the project.

Mr. Fredrick, a neighboring farmer, decides to attack the farm again but his efforts don't bear fruits. Some of napoleon's loyalists like Boxer are injured during the attack and they still continue working hard in order to please him. He finally collapses one day and he is rushed to the hospital where he dies while undergoing treatment. However, it is later learnt that it was a plan by napoleon to sell boxer to the Knacker in order to get money to buy expensive whiskey with his close friends. Finally the windmill is constructed but other projects that Snowball had suggested like electric lighting, running water system and heating system are not implemented. Napoleon blindfolds the animals by telling them that happiest animals should live a simple life. In the end of the story it is not easy to distinguish the pigs from people for they are walking upright and wearing clothes.

This story does not just talk about animals without a reason. The writer intents to reveal several sociological aspects in the society we live in using animals. One of the sociological aspects indicated in the story is conflict. There is a conflict between the two leading pigs, Snowball and Napoleon. They are competing for the supremacy in the society that they live in which is still a societal issue in the modern society. Leadership wrangles are presented well in the story even in the beginning of the story for we see how the pigs and other animals chase Mr. Jones out of the farm. Another societal issue raised in the story is betrayal and selfishness in the society. We see how Napoleon betrays one of his most loyal workers. He decides to sell boxer cheaply in order to get money to buy expensive whiskey with his close friends. The pigs have also elevated their status in the society and they consider themselves more important than the other animals. They have set special diet for themselves in the society and they have also assigned themselves power over the other animals. Therefore, the animal farm story is a story told using animals but the animals have been used satirically to represent several sociological aspects that exist in the real world.

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