George Orwell’s satire on the Russian Revolution, and indeed all revolutions, is a classic that still resonates today. When inebriated Mr. Jones once again forgets to feed the animals and milk the cows, they rise up and stage a revolt, kicking Mr. Jones and his wife off the property of Manor Farm which is quickly renamed Animal Farm.
Led by the pigs, seven commandments are painted on the barn wall, among them such sage rules as:
No animal shall sleep in a bed
No animal shall drink alcohol
No animal shall kill another animal
All animals are equal
Etc.
The animals agree to work as a cooperative, planting and harvesting food to be shared equally by all. Under the tutelage of the pigs (who are the smarter animals of the barnyard) they attempt to learn reading and writing, but not all animals have the capacity for such knowledge, like the sheep who can’t manage to learn the new commandments, so follow the simplified motto “four legs good, two legs bad,” instead. For a while, life improves for the farm animals, and it seems the revolution was a success, until one day the pig Napoleon stages a coup and becomes dictator of Animal Farm. Under the leadership of Napoleon, the animals once more suffer from shortened food rations, neglect and other abuses, making one question the validity of the initial revolution. The animals traded one master, Mr. Jones, for another, Napoleon. Had anything improved?
The novel leads up to a rather brilliant and shocking conclusion and is truly Orwell at his finest.
What my fellow book clubbers that to say: We had a great turnout for this month’s book which sparked some good discussion on both the historical aspects of Animal Farm (Communism and Stalinism) and the state of the world today (we’ve seen recent revolutions in Egypt and Libya, though time will tell if things will improve long-term in those countries or if Orwell’s message is a lesson still to be learned). Most enjoyed the book, though clearly it’s not escapist literature and was perhaps too realistic for some. Others pondered which animal they most identified with, with Boxer and Clover being popular choices for self-reflection. I personally found myself leaning towards Benjamin, the Donkey who bore a very striking resemblance to A.A. Milne’s Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh books. I’m afraid to delve too deeply into what that may mean. The novel also prompted us to discuss the merits of education and freedom of speech, and having access to all sides of a story. We are very lucky, living in Canada, that we are encouraged to develop and use critical thinking skills and be more than just sheep: “four legs good, two legs better!” (has to be one of my favourite lines from the book). A thank you to our intrepid book club leader for the following movie still, highlighting another favourite quote from the book: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” George Orwell, truly a genius!
Till next time, happy reading!
L :)
| TBR = 26 | WPL = 31 |
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