“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
If this sounds like a bastardisation of the quote in Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, you’d be quite right.But all who recognise it, know it for what it is, a continuation of the same values Jefferson exhorted: liberty, freedom, and equality.It carries these values as part of a fable that has for decades left an indelible mark on all who have chanced upon its pages; drawing them in its rich tapestry and metaphors of power, corruption, ideals, betrayal and hope.It’s a story for the wise, with a cautionary tale of power and those with it.It is a story about animals, it is a story about farms, it is also a story about people and society.This is our Book Pick for this issue of International Business Review– George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
The Ghosts of Tsardom
To truly understand and benefit from its story we’d have to go back into the 19th century, to the reign of Czar Nicholas II, ruler of Russia.
He ruled with an iron fist, and under his reign, peasants found life in the villages to be hopeless and dire – often travelling to major cities to seek better opportunities.
When the First World War was starting, the Czar was pushing the empire to develop its industries. However, the people working the land found life increasingly difficult, more so in the years that followed. Starvation and poverty became widespread and common.
It was then that the communist Bolsheviks under the leadership of Vladmir Lenin staged a coup that saw the successful removal of the Czar from power.
In 1924, Lenin died. His Communist Party colleagues Leon Trotsky, leader of the Red Army, and Joseph Stalin, head of the Communist Party Secretariat, broke into
conflict over leadership of the newly formed Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Stalin won the battle and got rid of Leon Trotsky by sending him into permanent exile. Trotsky was later assassinated by one of Stalin’s agents.
Rot Sets in Hope’s Shadow
“Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. No animal shall wear clothes. No animal shall sleep in a bed. No animal shall drink alcohol. No animal shall kill any other animal. All animals are equal.” – Seven Commandments of Animalism.
Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian revolution – of its causes and consequences. The story is told from the perspective of common animals in an imaginary farm in England called the Manor Farm.
The Farm is run by Mr Jones, an unkind master, who indulges himself in drink while his animals are in want of food.
The story begins with Old Major, Mr Jones’ prize boar, gathering the animals for a meeting, where he talks of a dream where animals exist and live in harmony without the yoke of their human masters.
He speaks of hard work and how it’s the key to entering paradise, and even teaches them a song called “Beasts of England” in which his vision and message are artfully woven.
Soon after, Old Major dies but the shadow of his dream lingers and is soon taken up by a trio of pigs: Squealer, who is characterised as a duplicitous sophist, Snowball the passionate, intelligent and eloquent ideologue, and Napoleon who is later revealed as greedy, manipulative and treacherous.
Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer express Old Major’s message in a philosophy called Animalism, summarised in Seven Commandments.
Emboldened by the Seven Commandments, the animals, led by the trio of pigs, manage to defeat Mr Jones, forcing him off the farm.
Triumphant and spirited, the animals dedicate themselves to Old Major’s teachings and for a period of time the farm prospers, until Mr Jones reappears to take back ownership of the farm and the animals defeat him again.
This is where things begin to get interesting or perhaps grim, because as time passes, Napoleon (Joseph Stalin) and Snowball (Leon Trotsky) start to fight over how the farm should be run, and struggle with each other for power and influence.
Other characters are drawn into the conflict, including the loyal, faithful and tragically naive cart horse, Boxer who is described as strong, committed and willing to work hard to fulfil Old Major’s utopia.
Squealer takes on the role of Napoleon’s mouthpiece, delivering orders and twisting narratives to support Napoleon’s choices.
The conflict culminates in Snowball being chased off the farm by a group of attack dogs raised by Napoleon, after which Napoleon assumes leadership.
The events that follow are lessons in totalitarianism. Snowball is marked as a villain, and any animals that participated in his ‘conspiracy’ are summarily executed. With his leadership uncontested, Napleon bans collective meetings and the pigs now make all the decisions “for the good of every animal”.
As time passes, Napoleon and the rest of the pigs start to behave more like humans – wearing clothes, sleeping in beds, drinking whisky, trading with neighbouring farms – even though Animalist principles forbade such activities.
Eventually, the seven original commandments become reduced to a single passage: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
The book ends with farm animals unable to tell the difference between pigs and the humans, with the faithful Boxer, sold and carted off to a glue-maker for coin.
Mirrors of the Past
Old Major is a representation of both Karl Max, the Founder of Communism, and Vladimir Lenin.
The Czar is represented by the overthrown Farmer Jones and Boxer is a representation of the working class with little to no knowledge to make informed decisions.
As you read or reread the book, each of the characters take on new meaning. Orwell is quoted as saying Animal Farm was an attempt to fuse political and artistic purpose into one whole.
The book is replete with many such metaphors. For instance, Mollie, the vain mare that pulled Mr Jones’s carriage, is a representation of the petit bourgeoise who fled Russia after the Revolution. Meanwhile, Moses, the tame raven who spouts religious natter about Sugarcandy Mountain – the paradise animals go when they die, is a portrayal of how reactionary governments exploit religion to keep the oppressed in line; Benjamin the indifferent donkey, is a representation of the intellectuals who failed to oppose Stalin and eventually paid the price.
Animal Farm is such a powerful metaphor that remains relevant to this day. In its pages we learn how leaders take advantage of human desire to further their own interests. It reminds us to be alert and hold leaders accountable for their decisions. It demonstrates the ease to which language can be manipulated and twisted for evil. It shows us that power corrupts, and we should be wary of falling victim to its claws.
