Book Review- Animal Farm by George Orwell

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Animal Farm is a decoction of truth served through an imaginary realm and although written in 1945 …I believe…it still holds good for the prevailing scenarios of our present-day societies.

A classic satirical allegory about the abuse of power, Animal Farm is a short, fast, and engaging read. This book has an ending that I think of as being “wow, but not super shocking” as a teenager and now, it is astonishing – it gave me chills!

This novella is a fable of animals on a farm that out-throw the human in control and lead a community devoted to absolute equality and fairness between all animals. They set 07 commandments to be observed in the strict sense-

The Seven Commandments:

Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
No animal shall drink alcohol.
No animal shall kill any other animal.
All animals are equal.

However as this society proceeds, the equality diminishes, and class and status pull apart and seclude the animals. All of the seven commandments get diluted and barely one works as an unsaid rule-

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

Overall this story exhibits how a society’s ideologies can be manipulated to lead to corruption by the ones in power.

For me, this book highlights the devils within every human — jealousy, greed, laziness, and cruelty born of fear and that thrive on the innocence and hard work of others.

An allegory that is a must-read!

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