Animal Farm analysis

The theme of class struggle is present throughout the story of Animal Farm. The animal's rebellion against Mr. Jones reflects the working class/proletariat taking up arms against the ruling class/bourgeoisie. For instance, take these lines from the novel, "Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself." (Orwell 8). These lines show the struggles the animals face under Mr. Jones and how their labor is exploited to benefit Mr. Jones.

The struggle of the lower class is deeply rooted in Marxist philosophy. Ironically, instead of creating a classless society in which all are equal, it resulted in the formation of a new elite with the lower class continuing to struggle. This could be attributed to the lack of education of the lower classes allowing those with influence to take power. As Halaç & Erğun explain, "The proletariat will have a hard time making the right decisions as it lacks the intellectual resources necessary to build and manage the communist society. In addition, the ruling classes will not want to give up their power. For these reasons, democratic socialism is nothing more than an ideal dream. The revolution will come with revolutionary socialism" (559). This perspective similarly reflects the events in Animal Farm in which the animals' revolt in the hope of equality, but being uneducated, it allows the pigs to establish a new hierarchy that leaves the rest of the animals to continue struggling. 

Another important theme in Animal Farm is the corrupting nature of power. In other words, those who have uncontrolled power become corrupt and tyrannical. This is reflected in the story when Napoleon takes control of the farm using his trained dogs to scare the other animals. Once in power, he changes the commandments to fit his narrative, forces the other animals to work on the windmill, and cracks down on dissent. In this line Orwell writes, "And so the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon's feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones" (67). The graphic imagery shown in the lines underscores how Napoleon has become more tyrannical. 

Even though the revolution initially aimed at establishing equality, it resulted in a regime as oppressive as the previous. As Mustafa and Najmalddin explain, "The greedy and corrupt pigs destroy their dreams and change the farm to a dystopia. The pigs adopt all the human vices in a way that it would be impossible to differentiate between the pigs and the men. At the end we realize that revolution is not the right way to change dictators and build a democratic and classless society, as the result would be only a change in the masters. " (22). These lines highlight how the system of oppression remains the same with a different tyrant. Orwell wrote the pigs in a way to reflect the idea that the revolution allows unchecked power which inevitably leads to corruption. 

Those in power control the narrative, and in Animal Farm, propaganda is used as a tool to control the working class. The pigs can manipulate the other animals by justifying Napoleon's actions. These lines from Squealer support that claim, “I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself. Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal." (Orwell 45). These lines of propaganda portray Napoleon in a good light to maintain credibility and control of Animal Farm. One explicit moment that shows the pig's manipulation is the lines, "There was nothing there now except a single Commandment. It ran: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS" (Orwell 103). Yet again the lines reflect the pigs changing the commandment to keep themselves in control of the other animals. 

Besides the novel showing the pigs' use of propaganda to control the other animals' thoughts, Animal Farm was created by Orwell as a way to show the failures of revolution and how they just lead to the same system of oppression. Because of this narrative, Animal Farm was used as propaganda by intelligence agencies during the Cold War. These lines support those claims, "Finally published in 1945, the novel engendered some controversy, but was overall well-received in both Great Britain and the United States. Intended by Orwell to be a warning against the Stalinist perversion of socialism, Animal Farm was immediately interpreted by some to be a whole cloth attack against socialism and communism, thus, drawing the attention of the CIA." (Samantha 149). These lines show that this work of literature was used for psychological warfare purposes and to influence public perception. This ironically mirrors the tactics the pigs used in the novel, which Orwell critiques.