Animal Farm: Book Review

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

Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. The theme of this book is subjugation, oppression, revolution and communism.

The story is set in an imaginary time when animals on a farm are tired of being mistreated by their master, Mr Jones. The frustration leads to revolution and the animals decide to take control of the farm. They unanimously elect “pigs” to be their leader and soon these pigs become corrupt and drunk with power. The reason for the revolution is forgotten, history thus repeats itself and now the animal farm is under the total control of the pigs instead of Mr. Jones.

This powerful book conveys an important message i.e. revolutions can bring a positive change only when the masses are alert and know how to voice their opinion to their leaders. Because of a political story line, the book became controversial after its publication as it appears to be targeting Stalinist Russia and the story of the Russian revolution.

The book is short, merely 112 pages, hence even if you are not a fan of reading novels, this one might interest you. The story is short, crisp and thought provoking.