Orwell, George (1945): Animal Farm

What is it about?

As is widely known, the book tells a story about a farm run by animals after they successfully have ousted the human farmer away from the farm.

As is equally widely known, the story is an allegory of a soviet-style communist society, where the analogies are apparent: human=capitalist, animal=member of the working class, animalism=communism and so on.

The story ends at the state where the ruling class, the pigs, have managed to hoard significant powers and privileges to themselves and manage to oppress all the others while being able to maintain a revinisionistic line of a argumentation according to which all this is entirely consistent with the principles of animalism.

Was it good?

Without any doubt yes. As in the case of 1984 by Orwell, this book also is one of the most masterful pieces of social commentary of the 20th century. Perhaps its staying power is not as great as that of 1984 taking into account the 1990s upheaval in the Eastern Europe and its circle of influence but nonetheless, this too - like 1984 - is a book which I very much enjoy reading again every two or three years.

The main take-away for me?

The main take-away of the book for me is somewhat similar to that of 1984. Namely, Orwell nicely highlights the role of argumentation - i.e. Wittgensteinian language games in a sense - in creating, maintaining and reinforcing a social order. Perhaps here Orwell would have been able to construct the story even more subtly, but the message is quite clear nonetheless.

Who should read the book?

As in the case of other Orwell's works, and 1984 in particular, this too is one that should be a part of everyone's basic corpus.

The book on Amazon.com: Animal farm