Theme Of Greed In Animal Farm

Maggie Todd

Mrs. Begley

Honors English 9

8 May 2023

Animal Farm Symbolism Theme The world is filled to the brim with greed, manipulation, cruelty, and general malicious intent. Especially in the early 20th century, when the World Wars and several revolutions occurred. The suffering of this period is masterfully expressed through the allegory of Animal Farm. Animal Farm is a book about animals on a farm that represents the Russian Revolution, which is a time of suffering for many and prosperity through greed for few. George Orwell’s book, Animal Farm, uses the symbols of the windmill, the whiskey, and the barn in order to prove the theme that one should go about their life with generosity, rather than greed because greed can lead to the suffering

The barn represents a common nation, or an equal nation, for the animals. More specifically, the efforts to achieve an independent, effective, modern nation. The symbol of the barn connects to the idea of greed in more of an opposing way than the other symbols. The windmill and the whiskey represent what happens when you succumb to greed, but the barn represents acting out of generosity. After Old Major gives his speech and tells the animals of his dream, the text says, “The singing of this song threw the animals into the wildest excitement. Almost before Major reached the end, they had begun singing it for themselves. Even the stupidest of them had already picked up the tune and a few words, and as for the clever ones, such as the pigs and the dogs, they had the entire song by heart within a few minutes. And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into Beasts of England in tremendous unison” (Orwell 13). Then, after the big speech, the text says, “Major’s speech had given the more intelligent animals on the farm a completely new outlook on life. They did not know when the rebellion predicted by Major would take place, they had no reason for thinking that it would be within their own lifetime, but they saw clearly their duty to prepare for it” (Orwell 15). In the beginning, when the idea of Animalism is first pitched, a concept of freedom and self-sufficiency that would give the animals a new life, the animals are overjoyed. All of their problems seem close to an end! They share a moment of celebration and fellowship unlike any other in the book. They are all brought together by a far off concept and a song, in their common, shared, equal space. Where all the animals are equal. The animals are ready to devote themselves into a life of freedom for all animals, no matter the efforts. In the second quote, the pigs give themselves to the freedom of other animals, even though they