Analysis of Human Behavior in Animal Farm and Life of Pi

ABSTRACT

This essay studies the utopic societies in Animal Farm by George Orwell and Life of Pi by Yann Martel in an attempt to examine certain human behaviors that undermine the creation of a utopic society in the real world. First and foremost, this essay gives a brief overview of the concept of utopia followed by the description of how a utopic environment is described in each of the two literary works. It shows how Animal farm highlights equality and peace as the core principles of establishing a utopic society whereas Life of Pi emphasizes on the possibility of living the life with freedom and security. Afterwards, the essay discusses three specific human behaviors – the quest for power, deceit, and violence –in order to elucidate how

The pigs, except for Snowball, are portrayed as deceitful characters due to their ability to manipulate the rest of the animals through words. Napoleon achieves his reign at the Manor Farm through the exploitation of other animals’ innocence with the help of the dogs and Squealer, which is another ambitious and shrewd pig. The author describes Squealer as “a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive.” (Orwell 13). His talent in convincing others enable him to take advantage of naïve and loyal animals in the same way that shrewd politicians in the real world manage to convince people of their statements, which usually turn out to be lies that prevent the human society become

For instance, the animals, under the command of Napoleon and Snowball, declare the Battle of Cowshed to end humans’ dominance over them at the Manor Farm. They choose brutal methods to torment their enemies, whom they consider as tyrants. Moreover, during the battle, Boxer, a naïve and strong male horse, accidently kills a boy. This proves the recklessness of violent behavior and how people engaged in a violent conflict target everyone, including the innocent such as children. Therefore, the violent behavior of the pigs and other animals once again reminds the reader of human cruelty, which makes it impossible for a utopic society to