Animal Farm (George Orwell)

No British reading list worth its salt would be complete without at least one Orwell work.  I had read, and enjoyed, 1984 many years ago.  This time, I opted for Animal Farm.  Several friends expressed surprise that I hadn't read it in high school.  I may have, but I'm blessed (?) with the ability to completely forget nearly everything I read during that time, so this time around felt like the first time, whether or not it was.

The story is well known to most; on a typical farm, the animals rise up in revolt, throw out the farmer, and set to running the farm themselves.  Expecting new-found prosperity and freedom, they set in place rules to govern themselves, the first being that all animals are equal.  In time, the initial rules seem perverted, and things really don't appear that different from before- in fact, perhaps they're worse- but the animals are fed a steady diet of propaganda, encouraging them to believe they really are better off.  The leaders, the pigs (specifically, one pig named Napoleon), seem to live comfortable lifestyles rather similar to the former 'regime,' but quell any dissent with the pack of dogs the pigs have trained to be enforcers.  The pigs gradually adopt more and more of the old farmer's tendencies, habits, and customs, to the point where they're indistinguishable from the farmer himself.

The book is an obvious take on Orwell's exposure to the communist regime, and the atrocities for which it was responsible.  It was written just after WWII in a time when (surprisingly, to me) the truth about the communists was not yet known, so some people were shocked, and Orwell had a hard time getting it published.  It shows how laws can be bent over time, and propaganda can be created trumpeting imagined prosperity, to suit the needs of leadership.  It also shows the tendency in leadership to become corrupt and self-serving, standing on the backs of a lower class, while hypocritically proclaiming equality for all.  It's well-written and a good cautionary tale.  A very short read, I highly recommend it.  "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Rating: A