Before 1984, there was Animal Farm, Orwell’s allegorical tale of communism gone wrong. The animal inhabitants of Manor Farm rise against their stingy, idle proprietor, creating
But it is only a matter of time before their idealism gives way to individual ambitions and yearning for power. The pigs, being the most literate and advanced thinkers, logically assume the managerial roles of the farm; the other animals do not question this arrangement. However, as time goes on, the pigs’ hunger for power and comfort increases and recognizing their intellectual edge, they gradually move toward a totalitarian regime.
The relative ease with which the other animals rationalize the pigs’ behavior is a small taste of the full-blown propaganda that manipulates entire populations in Orwell’s later masterpiece, 1984. Animal Farm shows how even the best of intentions can bring about a system of terror and injustice. Orwell sensed what was wrong with the political systems of his era and how that wrong likely came about but his work does not point to a clear resolution. How to live harmoniously and efficiently, ensuring that the basic needs of everyone are met? Is it possible? Even if people mean well?
While still holding to some communist theory, Orwell illustrates the inability of a communist system to live up to the ideals upon which it was founded, perhaps a reflection of his own experiences. During the Spanish Civil War, Orwell joined the POUM (el partido obrero de la unificación marxista, “the Worker’s Party of Marxist Unification”) as a means to fight fascism. His views evolved, however, leading him to scorn his previous support of the POUM and question the effectiveness of such a movement, although not abandoning communist sentiment completely.
Animal Farm was first published in 1945 and remains a staple in English literature as well as a trigger for debate.
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