Orwell’s Animal Farm Analysis Essay Example

In Chapter VI of George Orwell’s infamous political satire, Animal Farm, there are a plethora of themes Orwell expresses through his writing and thus, words. However, by far the most predominant theme -- human truth --  that Orwell’s Animal Farm conveys is that those in power will always abuse and exploit their authority over their followers for their own well-being, pleasure, and prosperity. First, Animal Farm is a tale that strongly mirrors the real life events of the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Union’s -- Stalin’s -- regime over Russia. As such, Animal Farm tells the story of animals overthrowing their tyrannical and oppressive government (Farmer Jones) and instead, in its place, initiating a new and “democratic” government -- which is dubbed the name Animal Farm. At the head of this newly born government are Napoleon and Snowball -- who are both pigs, influential, and intelligent. Additionally, just like every government -- new or old --, there are certain laws that the animals are expected to follow and preach. These “laws” are called “the Seven Commandments” and are the following: “1) Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy, 2) Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend, 3) No animal shall wear clothes, 4) No animal shall sleep in a bed, 5) No animal shall drink alcohol, 6) No animal shall kill any other animal, 7) All animals are equal”(24-25). 

Further, after the exile of Snowball, Napoleon accuses Snowball of destroying a windmill -- which was being constructed by the combined efforts of the animals -- and Napoleon pronounces, “the death sentence upon Snowball,” and in response, “[t]here was a cry of indignation [between the animals] and [the animals] began thinking out ways of catching Snowball if he should ever come back”(Orwell 70). Evidently, this goes against the sixth commandment -- which is one of the founding and fundamental principles of Animal Farm. But why are the animals actually okay with this and in fact, want to go as far as killing (catching) Snowball themselves? It’s because as said by Boxer, a horse, the animals believe that ‘“...Napoleon is always right!”(66). This ideal of “Napoleon is always right” leads to the animals believing Napoleon's words more than their own experiences and memories. In fact, the animals soon garner a distrust towards their own personal recollections of events and eventually, if a memory doesn’t align with Napoleon's words, they believe that they were just imagining things. Moreover, the animals trust Napoleon’s words more than a founding ideology (the sixth commandment) that Animal Farm is founded upon. This just shows that Napoleon is exploiting his influence, control, and thus power over the animals of Animal Farm and is pushing his agenda. In short, Napoleon is pushing the ideal that he is always right. No matter what any animal believes or believes they saw, if Napoleon does not agree with what occurred, then -- yet again -- that animal must have been imagining things. Ultimately, Napoleon abuses his authority over the animals of Animal Farm and molds his own vision of government. And for Napoleon, this government has only one voice and leader; him.