Collapse of Animal Farm and the Dream of Revolution

Mahmut Deniz

17 June 2004

Collapse of Animal Farm and the Dream of Revolution

The novel Animal Farm by George Orwell is about the struggle for a utopian idea based upon equality and peace among the animals living in a farm. Beginning with the encouragement of the prize winning boar Old Major, the idea of “Animalism” spread out all around the farm, but the idea, due to the conflicts between animals turned out to be a disaster and prepared the collapse of Animal Farm which was supposed to be an ideal place for all animals. The reason of conflict that prevented Animal Farm to achieve its positive goal was, mostly, the disagreement between Napoleon and other animals, these conflicts, in detail, are mainly: Discrimination/inequality between pigs and other animals, Napoleon’s dictatorship and violence, the intelligence factor, and finally, the corruption of the ideology, Animalism, with its seven commandments by these conflicts. However, would it be possible to turn Animal Farm into a paradise just as animals thought it to be? This is also another complicated question in the novel. In my essay, I discuss why animal farm collapsed, and was it really possible for the farm to be as animals thought to be or was it only a dream that ended before it began?

Discrimination or inequality between animals starts when Napoleon claims his dictatorship in the Animal Farm. Since Napoleon and Snowball were the only animals to find solutions, other animals’ mission was to work hard to bring equality and prosperity into Animal Farm. Actually, after Napoleon’s domination, inequality is shown many times in the novel. However, the best example would be the change of seven commandments. The inequality is stressed clearly in the novel with the replacement of seven commandments into one, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” (Orwell, 108) Written down by clever pig, Squealer, this quotation explains the inconvenience and inequality between animals clearly. By this quotation, it is possible to deduce Old Major’s idea actually, as he says: “All animals are equal”, but the idea behind this one comes as tricky, since the statement normally supports the equality of animals. However, the latter statement, clarify the situation by stressing a specific point “but some animals are more equal than others.” in which the reference “some” goes to pigs.

At the beginning of the novel, from the statement of Old Major: “All men are enemies. All animals are comrades”. (Orwell, 31) We understand clearly that, first of all; the Animal Farm’s first aim is to be against all men with the support of the brotherhood of animals. At the beginning, all animals adopted the idea with its seven commandments until Napoleon’s reaction. The reaction stemmed from Napoleon’s own ideology which was to control all animals. However, there was only one clever rival of Napoleon, Snowball. As a dictator in the novel, Napoleon used his dogs to chase Snowball to end Snowball’s acts against himself. Instead of using his brain, he uses his nine dogs, which makes him remain the only head of the farm so as to change anything he wants according to his favors. So, we now know, by sending his dogs on Snowball, Napoleon shows his aspect of dictatorship with obvious violence. In this statement the novel clarifies the violence Napoleon applied on Snowball: “At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws.” (Orwell, 67) As a dictator, Napoleon’s ideas were simple: Obey the rules that are given by him and do not think or speak. Managing to be the only power in the farm, Napoleon’s imposing these rules upon other animals was not difficult for him.  From this moment on, Animal Farm and naturally, Animalism started to collapse as the principles were changing with the violence and cruelty of Napoleon.

Intelligence is also very important factor that appears even almost at the beginning of the novel, when three pigs; Napoleon, Snowball and squealer transform the principles of Old Major into an idea, Animalism. First of all, we see here pigs’ superiority in intelligence, as they struggle for the idea and find solutions for Animal Farm. In fact, even Old Major’s image as a first ruler, as a pig, signifies the superiority of pigs from the beginning. However, more precisely, as a quite intelligent character, Squealer is the most decisive one that imposes Napoleon’s ideas on other animals. After Napoleon takes the control in Animal Farm, Squealer helps imposing Napoleon’s ideas to other animals successfully with the absence of Snowball. For example, when some of the animals questioned the situation that happened in Animal Farm, such as; where all food, milk or water is, Squealer is decisively gives the answer to others:

“Milk and apples contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brain-workers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. It is for your sake that we drink that milk, and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back.” (Orwell, 52)

With Squealer’s decisive answer, the cleverness is juxtaposed with the superiority of pigs, that’s to say, pigs are both clever and superior to other animals. They are clever, because of Squealer’s decisive answer to them, as in the quotation, and they are superior, because they have more rights than other animals and they are the ones who manage the farm. Furthermore, Squealer’s cleverness actually creates an image as if what he said was normally advantageous for both pigs and other animals, because here he does not give the real meaning directly, but he implies it, as if milk and apples were really necessary for pigs to strengthen their brain, and they manage the farm and consume these foods only for the good of other animals. On top of that, by threatening other animals with Mr. Jones, he leaves no chance for animals except for a desperate confirmation.

The more Napoleon controlled animals, the more their ideas moved opposite to the original idea given by Old Major. Napoleon gradually collapsed the idea, animalism, together with the hopes of all other animals. He began trading with neighbor farms, with the help of even a man named Mr. Whymper from neighbor farm. This was also surprising result for other animals as Napoleon himself told once that never trust humans. Actual rule as “Four legs good, two legs bad!” turned out to be “Four legs good, two legs better!” (Orwell, 132) Pigs slept in beds, drank alcohol and wore clothes, which were normally forbidden for animals. So, the beauty of the dream of animals turned into a nightmare. However, in my opinion, even if animals had applied what Old Major said and even if Napoleon had been good enough to support all seven commandments there would not have been any piece, prosperity or equality for animals. As the novel itself is the allegory of totalitarian government and supports that this idea is a myth and is impossible to come true, George Orwell himself speaks about the book in an interview:

“First, I wanted to kill the "Russian myth:" the myth that the Soviet Union was a working model of what a socialist state would be like. That was nothing but a lie. I wrote a history of the Russian Revolution and called it Animal Farm.”

As we can see, Animal Farm is an allegory of the society, which tries to persuade people with totalitarian government’s idea in order to keep piece and equality between all people, and which resulted in a disaster and a big lie. So Animal Farm, inevitably, shows the situation that was already experienced by people of that period. As a result of rebellion of animals in the farm the situation actually changed in opposite side which again George Orwell supports:

“Well, this is the great paradox, of course. What you don't want is to be taken over by a totalitarian power. The great danger is that in protecting yourself against a takeover, you might become totalitarian yourself -- at which point, as at the end of Animal Farm, the pigs become indistinguishable from the human beings.” (Orwell, Rev. of Palmer)

In conclusion, rebelling against the tyranny of men, animals were not able to be successful as it was before in real time. The problem did not stem from unsuccessful acts of animals themselves, but it is realities that prevented them to achieve their goal. The author himself supports the idea of impossibility of being equal to others quite consciously. Napoleon struggled to reach his goal by any means just as the other animals wanted to. Old Major wanted equality but Napoleon power. Old Major was the big power, because he was the cleverest. He died and another clever claimed the throne. If Napoleon was not clever and he did not do anything evil against other animals, Snowball would do, because he would be the head as the cleverest one in the farm. However, again, other animal would not accept Snowball’s authority, just as many people are against their authority and system in our modern world. This is the nature of the world and everybody is perfect according to themselves.

    

Works Cited

Palmer, Scott. "1984: An Interview with George Orwell." Review. 1984: An Interview with George OrwellMar. 1984. 27 Jan. 2009 <http://personal.nspalmer.com/>.

Orwell, George, Russell Baker, and C. M. Woodhouse. Animal Farm. New York: Signet Classics, 1996.