Allusions In Animal Farm

Animal Farm Literary Analysis

The rebellion of Animal Farm was to escape man and his cruel ways, but can they escape the reality of power and corruption? Animal Farm is a novella written by George Orwell. In this book the animal 's desire more freedom than they are allowed. In order to achieve an equal and harmonious society they rebel against farmer Jones. Rather than resulting in a utopian civilization the animals are oppressed by the very pig who encouraged their rebellion.This novella is an allegory to the Soviet Union. Each individual character represents an important group of people in history. All of which contributed to how we run our government today. In this book man takes from the animals without producing anything in return, the

Allusions allow him to convey hidden messages regarding Soviet Russia and its leaders. The majority of the characters in Animal Farm allude to powerful figures in Russia’s history. This novella presents different allusions which all lead up to the main allegorical theme. For example, Napoleon the leader of Animal Farm is an allusion to Joseph Stalin, similarly he uses attack dogs to subdue and keep the animals loyal. Furthermore Napoleon and Stalin were both manipulative dictators with a lust for power. Here the conditions the animals suffered are described, “Throughout the spring and summer they worked a sixty-hour week, and in August Napoleon announced that there would be work on Sunday afternoons as well. This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half”(24). This quote shows how Napoleon manipulated the animals so that they were forced to either work unrealistic hours or starve. The pigs represent the Soviet ruling class because they are greedy, lazy, and manipulative.When Napoleon attacks Snowball and drives him to exile he is imitating the way Joseph Stalin drove his former friend Leon Trotsky to death. Animal Farm itself represents the location of Soviet Russia in which the allusion is describing the actions of its history. This book is a re-enactment of what dark and horrible things occurred in the history of Soviet Russia. It represents the lessons that were learned during this time and teaches the