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Orwell's Comedy
Orwell's Comedy
George Orwell was extremely well known for attempting to create social and political change through his writing. He would often address serious issues in an effort to illustrate to more people how important a matter was. Despite his focus on serious aspects of large issues, he has a peculiar sense of humor that tends to bleed into his writing. For instance, Animal Farm is a combination of both political and artistic writing. Animals act as if they are slaves and develop their own class system on a farm. There is a bit of humor in the whimsical manner of the animals that illustrates a satire for communism. This is especially by the end of the book which claims that when one "looked from pig to man, and from man to pig" there was no difference. Pigs became walking and talking creatures which is a humorous sight to behold. However, this distinct sight also highlights a key message of the book that the implementation of communism created what it was originally meant to eliminate.
A quote from Orwell that states, "authority is always there to be laughed at", is a reflection of a true core value of Orwell's. He has always found authority figures to be abusive with power, and he tends to have a rebellious side. Much of his writing revolves around this quote's idea, for he was consistently making efforts to expose the faults of certain authorities and government powers with some sort of odd comedic remark. Certain jokes allow for readers to better understand Orwell's perspective and message through his writing. (Ligda)
Character Focus
Character Focus
When reading through the various works of George Orwell, there tends to be a pattern on the type of characters that are focused upon. Characters that represent the hard, working class that is taken advantage of under governments. One example is in Down and Out in Paris and London which explores the harsh poverty within the cities. The protagonist of the novel is a dishwasher who must work hard due to the inequalities and homelessness that are experienced. Another character is the horse, Boxer, in Animal Farm who works extremely hard and blindly obeys orders from those who do nothing. He doesn't even get a respectful recognition for his hard work and is instead discarded when he is no longer of use. These characters are meant to illustrate why "the perspective of liberty, equality, and fraternity" (White) is needed in society.
The hard workers suffer in an attempt to be free and obtain their dreams and goals. Since for them, liberty and equality must be earned, but the government in power often still chooses to not relinquish it. Orwell wants readers to understand the pain of those without liberty in an attempt to bring political and social reform.
Hopeless Future
Hopeless Future
Although Orwell's works are meant to represent a variety of issues, the stories seem to resemble a similarity in how the future is represented. When discussing the faults in government systems such as communism in Animal Farm and imperialism in Burmese Days. He illustrates them as destined to fail, but the repeated use of the future in his setting has caused some to realize that "Orwell was also a very limited writer"(Firchow). This limitation is caused by his lack of focus on the present culture within his novels.
There were not many present culture references within his settings. He instead utilized his past experiences to attempt to predict what certain government practices would lead to. While it may have limited the variety of his settings, it certainly did not limit his success. Orwell's criticisms and speculations of how dreadful certain living conditions could become only drew more people in. The hopelessness of the future in his novels is meant to instill a certain amount of fear and detest for the political situation in question. Such strong resentment would cause social change and lead society to a more hopeful future with plenty of opportunities.
Demonstration of Power
Demonstration of Power
A rather intriguing way that Orwell furthers his writing is by demonstrating the different types of power that can be used on others. For instance, there is power through words that are extremely prominent in Animal Farm. When one wishes to use the power of speech "the moment the speaker chooses to talk he has to be able to convince the others of the truth" (Popescu). The power to be able to manipulate the truth gives people a false sense of trust in their leader, when in reality the leader is the only one who knows the truth.
However, there is also power through class and value. In multiple works by Orwell, class, whether it be economic or social, dictates power. Those at the top of the hierarchy have control and the ability to oppress and limit those at the bottom. There is also power through fear. Punishments often involving death in Orwell's works serve to instill fear into the characters of the novel in order to keep them in line. These demonstrations of power are more than just what is in his books. The variations represent the powers that Orwell has been a victim of while growing up. His school teachers ignored him because of his class. In Burma he was witness to the power of fear because of the harsh penalties for crimes. Orwell does not just demonstrate these powers in his novels for effect, but to explain to others how the various powers can control them if power is not kept in check.
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