Animal Farm - themes, characters, 20 quotes, summary

Contents

1. About George Orwell
2. About Animal Farm
3. Animal Farm Themes
4. Animal Farm Characters
5. Animal Farm Summary
6. Animal Farm Quotes
7. Article Summary

Animal Farm

Animal Farm - themes, characters, 20 quotes, summary

About George Orwell

George Orwell is a famous English writer, novelist and literary critic who was born in Bengal in 1903 and died in 1950. He is known by his pseudonym George Orwell. He grew up in a poor family and was sent to boarding school in 1911. Despite his poverty, he excelled in school. As he grew older, his literary works emerged, ranging from literary criticism to poetry to controversial journalism and fiction. His best-known works include the novel Animal Farm and the book Homage to Catalonia, in which he tells the story of his own life. He has also written numerous articles on literature, politics, culture and language. In 2008, The Times newspaper ranked George Orwell as the second greatest British writer of 1945. Orwell continues to exert a powerful influence on popular culture and political discourse.

About Animal Farm

The book "Animal Farm" was written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published in 1945 and is considered one of the top 100 novels worldwide. The novel clearly symbolizes the Russian Revolution led by Joseph Stalin, in which the people were deceived. The revolution ultimately achieved the opposite of its original goal, which was to achieve social justice.

Animal Farm Themes

"Animal Farm" by George Orwell depicts political, social and moral themes through animals' allegorical adventures on a British farm. The key motifs include:

1. Totalitarian rule: The novel warns against totalitarianism where authorities exercise complete control. The pigs, overthrowing humans, gradually become as oppressive. Power corrupts.
2. Class struggle: The story portrays the conflict between the working animals and ruling pigs representing tension between the ruling elite and exploited laborers.
3. Propaganda: The pigs use propaganda to manipulate animals into supporting the regime against their interests, showing propaganda's power in shaping opinions.
4. Language: The book highlights language's role in shaping understanding. The pigs manipulate animals through language while the laborers struggle to express themselves.
5. Betrayal: The story explores betrayal as pigs betray animals' trust and laborers struggle to remain loyal under oppression.
6. Revolution: The novel depicts the idealism of revolution but also its practical challenges and failures when implementing an egalitarian vision.
7. History: The book shows how those in power manipulate and distort history to suit their interests.

Overall, "Animal Farm" remains a timely critique of oppression and totalitarianism through memorable animal allegories that raise profound questions about power, politics and humanity.

Animal Farm Characters

1- Mr. Jones is one of the most important and important characters of the novel, he is the owner of the Manor Farm, but he neglects his responsibilities towards the farm and the animals on it and spends his time drinking alcohol and reading magazines. The author uses this sign to symbolize Tsar Nicholas II.

2- Major is the source of events and the founder of the revolution idea that inspires farm animals to rebel and create a better life for themselves. The author uses this figure as a symbol for Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

3- Napoleon is a big and intimidating pig who became one of the leaders of the revolution against the owner of the farm, took control and became the leader of the farm. It changes all the commandments and deviates from the goals for which the animals had fought. The author uses this figure to symbolize Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Bolshevik revolution.

4- More active and playful than Napoleon, Snowball is constantly at odds with him. The author uses this figure to symbolize Leon Trotsky.

5- Squealer represents the character who spreads propaganda among the animals and convinces them of what he and Napoleon want, as he is a skilled orator with great rhetorical ability. The author uses this sign to symbolize Soviet government propaganda.

6- The Boxer is a strong horse that serves as the engine for the hard work on the farm. The author uses this figure to symbolize the working class in society.

7- Clover is a gentle female horse that serves as a companion to Boxer. The author uses this figure to symbolize the female working class. 

8- Benjamin is the most aged creature in the farm, constantly feeling gloomy and lacking in optimism. The author uses this sign to symbolize the educated class of society.

9- Moses, a crow who spied on others and was one of Mr. Jones' favorite birds. After the revolution, Moses disappears but reappears at the end of the novel.

10- Molly, a spoiled white mare who pulls the carriage every time Mr. Jones drives into town. He hates revolution and freedom and loves slavery and people. In the end, he leaves the farm and returns to human government. The author uses this figure to symbolize the Russian aristocracy.

11- Muriel, an intelligent and educated goat, but not fulfilling its necessary role on the farm and unable to herd the animals to it.

12- The cat represents the character who only cares about his own interests and does not care about others. She doesn't care what happens on the farm and her only concern is finding a warm place for them.

13- The three dogs (Bluebell, Jessie and Pincher) were the first to listen to the founder of the revolution (Major) and they took part in the Battle of the Windmill.

14- Mr. Pilkington owns a farm adjacent to Animal Farm. He fears that Revolutionary Disease is spreading on his farm, so he tries in every possible way to prevent this from happening to his animals.

15- Mr. Frederick is a neighbor on Mr. Jones' farm who hates Pilkington and is in constant conflict with him. He secretly agrees with Napoleon to buy wood for the farm and gives him counterfeit money. The conflict between them escalates until Friedrich attacks the farm and windmill. The author uses this figure to symbolize Adolf Hitler.

16- Whymper is a deceitful and fraudulent contractor or middleman who spreads conflicting stories about Animal Farm.

17- The pigeons were the ones who carried the messages from the animal farm to the neighboring farms and also carried messages from the outside.

Animal Farm Summary

At the animal farm, the big pig Old Major calls a meeting of the animals and urges them to rebel against the incompetent farmers. Through his inspiration, they manage to drive the peasants off the farm. Two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, take charge of the farm and the animals begin to form a new government that recognizes their rights. They adopt the "Seven Commandments of the Animal World", which also includes the principle of the equality of all animals.

The animals begin to learn and practice reading and writing, using the commandments to educate the new generations. The farm thrives and runs smoothly, but when the pigs assume leadership positions, a power struggle erupts between the pigs, loyal to their previous leaders. Napoleon is victorious by forcing his dogs to chase Snowball off the farm. In, Napoleon took over running the farm instead of holding animal meetings with a committee of pigs. He becomes the supreme leader and begins to make changes in the management of the farm. He uses snowball as a symbol of the negative happenings on the farm and accuses the other animals of conspiring against him and attacks them with his dogs.

The animals are convinced they were better off under their former human owner, Mr. Jones, then under the dictatorship the farm has become.

The farm is declining, the animals are working to the point of exhaustion, and it is evident that the commandments have been rewritten. The most threatening situation is that the first commandment now states, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." The pigs are beginning to take on human-like traits, such as walking on their hind legs and interacting with other human farmers. When the animals look at the pigs and the humans, they find that they can no longer tell them apart.

Animal Farm Quotes

1. "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
   
2. "Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished forever."
   
3. "No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?"
   
4. "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
   
5. "Four legs good, two legs bad."
   
6. "All that year the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy in their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, wellaware that everything that they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings."
   
7. "I will work harder."
   
8. "The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples."
   
9. "Man serves the interests of no creature except himself."
   
10. "The only good human being is a dead one."
    
11. "In these days Napoleon rarely appeared in public, but spent all his time in the farmhouse, which was guarded at each door by fierce-looking dogs."
    
12. "The pigs did not actually work, but directed and supervised the others. With their superior knowledge, it was natural that they should assume the leadership."
    
13. "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
    
14. "No one can be sure where his friends are or who his enemies are, indeed, until he has made enemies."
    
15. "The animals were happy as they had never conceived it possible to be. Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure, now that it was truly their own food, produced by themselves and for themselves, not doled out to them by a grudging master."
    
16. "The mistreatment of one animal is the mistreatment of all."
    
17. "Comrades!' he cried. 'You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? The whole essence of Animalism is that we animals should control the farm, and the only way to do this is to put our brains to work with yours."
    
18. "The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions."
    
19. "The human beings did not hate Animal Farm any less now that it was prospering; indeed, they hated it more than ever."
    
20. "And the animals knew that they had created a monster."

Article Summary

"Animal Farm" by George Orwell is a novel that explores many timeless themes through its unique use of animal allegory. The book illustrates the dangers of regimes that consolidate absolute control, showing how those in power become as oppressive as those they overthrow.

The work highlights the conflict between working class laborers and the ruling elite, demonstrating how ruling groups exploit and abuse power at the expense of workers. Propaganda and manipulation of language are central themes as the pigs use propaganda to control the other animals and shape their perception of reality.

The animals' struggle to effectively communicate and express themselves under tyranny is a key motif. Betrayal of trust and the difficulty of remaining loyal under oppression also permeate the story. The novel depicts the idealistic vision of revolution but also shows the challenges of implementing radical change, revealing the failures that often arise.

The book explores how those in power write and distort history to suit their interests, revealing an early critique of abuse of power, oppression, and the corrupting force of control. "Animal Farm's" use of animal allegory makes its themes of corruption, exploitation, and the human condition remarkably timeless and relevant, just as critical today as when it was written. Orwell's ingenious fable delivers a powerful critique of politics and power through a truly memorable story.

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