The one hundred-paged short novel took me about three and half hours to finish it. Animal Farm, written by Geroge Orwell, the author of 1984, tells a very simple yet profound story.
Animals in the Manor Farm had had a rebellion to expel their human master Jones, so they could be free from slavery. The rebellion succeeded. And suggested by the pigs, who were smarter than all animals in the farm, they printed their commandments on the wall and set them as decree that all animals are equal, that humans are their enemies, that they can't do what humans do, such as sleeping in beds, wearing clothes, and drinking alcohol. Every animal was happy for they had and where they were at the beginning. Anyway, most of them were too illiterate or stupid to think things through.
Most of time, things were organized by pigs, particularly Snowball and Napoleon, who disagreed at almost everything. And other animals didn't know who to listen to. Whenever either pig finished his speech, other animals would agree and intend to vote for him. The biggest division came when Snowball proposed to build a windmill. Those two pigs had a few arguments. Then one day, Napoleon attacked Snowball out of the blue using nine dogs raised by him, thus he became the leader of the farm.
Gradually, Napoleon changed. He decided to build a windmill, which he declared was his idea but was stolen by Snowball. Other animals work hard to complete it. Unfortunately, a gale blew the windmill apart one night. But Napoleon blamed it on Snowball, who was depicted by him as a traitor, a cowardice living in the neighboring farm and making all kinds of attempts to destroy their farm and cause numerous troubles to them. Indeed, many strange things happened afterward. And of course, all animals attributed them to that badass Snowball.
They worked harder, particularly Boxer, the strongest horse there, to rebuild the windmill and do all sorts of ploughing, cutting, etc. They had less and less ration of food. Their working hours extended again and again. But they were told by pigs that their lives were actually better than Jone's time according to some data. Well, no other animal knew mathematics or how to deal with numbers, so they believed they were doing better, and they never complained. A few animals did have doubts, but there's no way to figure it out.
On the other hand, Napoleon and other pigs' lives did get much better. They didn't work like other animals. All they did was guiding and monitoring. Milk and apples could only be consumed by them, which they attributed to some scientific research that those food was good for pigs' health. They mentioned many times to other animals that they did a lot of brainwork, which exhausted them, so they need more and better food. Later, they needed better living environment, so they moved into the house where the previous human master lived. Then, they drank alcohol, slept in beds, did business with human beings, and slaughtered other animals. As they broke every commandment, they repainted the wall, so no animals would know they were violating the rules and doing the wrong things.
At last, they learned to stand on their hind legs, just like human being does. They've become the humans they hated so much before.
It's simple, isn't it? There were quite some twists that I didn't expect but found reasonable. At the end, pigs and humans were sitting together to give toasts and play cards, while other animals were peeping at them through windows. As some truths were revealed by the pigs and farmers, I was expecting other animals to rush into the house and have another rebellion. But it didn't happen. True. Some of those poor animals were too blind or stupid to grasp what's happening. Some might understand but they didn't get the courage or support to rebel anymore.
Reports have it that this story reflected Orwell's thoughts on the politics situation at that time. I am far from familiar with the 1930s. Nor am I interested in politics. But I still found the story very intriguing. Orwell really is a terrific writer with a vision and sharp eyes who can "predict" or see through things. His story in clear, concise, and interesting language can easily strike a chord with a lot of people.
Actually, some plots sounded very familiar, not just to me but many readers out there who've grown up in the millennium, witnessing how things changed rapidly toward a dangerous direction.
That's how the strong bullies the weak. That's how black turns white. That's how heroes are stigmatized as villains, or the opposite. The story is not just about politics or history in the past. It is reality. It is humanity. It's an alarming call that reminds us of the pending danger and not to fall into it. Surely, it's not first nor the last time we human beings see such things happen.
But I still want to pose these questions. Can we break the loop? Can we find a way out?
As long as we all arm ourselves with knowledge and wisdom and stand together, we are not people without hope.