Absolute Power in George Orwell's Animal Farm Essay Example

The statement, “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely,” is proven true in Animal Farm by George Orwell. This statement means that no sinful being can have power without being ruined indefinitely by it. Power leads humans to sin because humans love to take advantage of our situation and use it for personal gain. When power is first granted to a group, it is often used for what is good and true instead of what is bad and evil.  As time goes on, power will almost certainly corrupt the person and lead them to cruel and evil actions. Since the fall into sin, all humans have been overtaken by the power of sin, death, and the devil. Those with power often try to use it for good, but they cannot stand up to the power of sin. When absolute power is granted to one person, they will be corrupted in some way. The negative effects of absolute power are seen all throughout history; it is seen especially in kings and dictators. There may have been good kings, but those kings eventually were contaminated by sinful desires and powers granted to them. For example, King David may have been a mighty king, but he also used his power and position as king to kill Bathsheba’s husband and take her as his own wife. Power taints the lives of all who possess it due to the consequences of sin.

Napoleon and Squealer, two pigs in power, both prove the theme of power and corruption to be true. All the animals represent humans, so it is reasonable to assume that they are facing the consequences of sin as well. By the end of Animal Farm, Napoleon is a cruel, merciless dictator who resembles a human. Napoleon proves this statement to be true by his self-centered, mercenary actions that become more and more apparent by the end of the book. At the beginning of the book, Napoleon has less power and makes decisions based on what will help the farm succeed and grow. He is also more concerned about the welfare of the other animals. For example, “Napoleon, on the other hand, argued that the great need of the moment was to increase food production, and that if they wasted time on the windmill they would all starve to death” (Orwell 50). This quote demonstrates the fact that Napoleon is more concerned about the welfare of others when he has less power. At this point in the book, he has not overthrown Snowball and assumed absolute power. Later on in the book, Napoleon treats the animals like slaves after he gains more power. For instance, “Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side to side, and with his dogs gambolling round him. He carried a whip in his trotter” (Orwell 133). Napoleon has gained so much power that he considers other animals lower than him. He makes them labor all day with little food. This leads to the farm being more productive for Napoleon, but the animals are always starving and exhausted. This is noticed by the neighboring farmers as well. An example of this is, “He believed that he was right in saying that the lower animals on Animal Farm did more work and received less food than any animals in the county” (Orwell 137). Even the other farmers notice the cruel methods that Napoleon uses to obtain more money for himself. Napoleon is a great example of corruption from power because the more power he gains, the more evil and merciless he becomes. In fact, there is almost a perfect linear correlation between Napoleon’s power and Napoleon’s cruel treatment of the other animals.

Squealer also proves the statement that power corrupts to be true. Squealer is another one of the pigs, and he serves as the communicator between Napoleon and the other animals. He spreads false information, and the information he spreads is often biased towards the pigs. Whenever any of the pigs’ actions are questioned, Squealer produces a lame excuse to justify their actions. He truly is the chief manipulator as the other animals always listen to his justifications. Squealer has a gift for persuading people, and he uses it to his advantage. For example, “The best known among them was a small fat pig named Squealer, with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements, and a shrill voice. He was 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. The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white” (Orwell 16). In the beginning of the book, Squealer is described as being quite persuasive and manipulative. He uses it to convince the others, but he does not tell as many lies as he does at the end of the book. Squealer uses his ability to persuade people to manipulate the others into believing whatever he wants them to think. This is mainly because of his rising power as Napoleon’s assistant. At the beginning of the book, we can infer that he is telling lies. Towards the end of the book, it is implied that he is more evil because of his body language. For instance, “Here Squealer’s demeanour suddenly changed. He fell silent for a moment, and his little eyes darted suspicious glances side to side before he proceeded” (Orwell 124). Squealer suspects that the other animals know that they sold Boxer’s remains for money, so he makes up a lie to cover up this evil. Squealer is a great demonstration of corruption due to power because of the way he misuses his gift to manipulate people.

Two events that demonstrate power and corruption to be true are the executions and the selling of Boxer to the knacker. The execution of the young pigs, the hens, a goose, and a sheep were all a result of Napoleon’s cruel desires obtain more power. Napoleon executes only the animals that took a stand against him, and they all claimed to be in league with Snowball, a traitor to his cause. He wants to plant in the other animals’ minds so that they will not stand against him. When the other animals do not stand up to him, he is able to gain more power. The executions demonstrate Napoleon’s desire for more power; his hunger for power shows the corruption that comes with power. For example, “They did not know which was more shocking—the treachery of the animals who had leagued themselves with Snowball, or the cruel retribution they had just witnessed” (Orwell 85). The first executions demonstrate Napoleon’s desire for power that will eventually lead him to perform even more horrifying actions. Once power has been gained, hunger for power will not stop until absolute power is attained.

The selling of Boxer to the Knacker proves that power corrupts by illustrating the mercenary desires of Napoleon and the pigs. They care so much about their own financial gains that they are willing to sell their devoted comrade Boxer. This is not mentioned directly, but it is indirectly mentioned. For example, “No one stirred in the farmhouse before noon on the following day, and the word went round that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whisky” (Orwell 126). In this excerpt, it is implied that the pigs obtained the money from Boxer’s remains. The fact that they send one of their own kind to be killed for money is barbaric and savage. Just as it is a sin to kill another human, it is a sin to kill another animal in this context because Animal Farm is a representation of real life events that happened in Russia under Communist rule. Initially, they said that no animal should kill any other animal. Over time, they morphed these ideas to fit their desires that come from the increase of power. The selling of another animal for money demonstrates the materialistic desires of the pigs that have arisen due to their power.

The quote, “Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side to side, and with his dogs gambolling round him. He carried a whip in his trotter. There was a deadly silence. Amazed, terrified, huddling together, the animals watched the long line of pigs march slowly round the yard. It was as though the world had turned upside-down. Then there came a moment when the first shock had worn off and when, in spite of everything—in spite of their terror of the dogs, and of the habit, developed through long years, of never complaining, never criticizing, no matter what happened—they might have uttered some word of protest” (Orwell 133) This quote truly expresses the abuse of power found in Napoleon. The dreaded whip confirms the fears of all the animals; the thing that is characteristic of tyrannical human beings. The animals are so moved by this that they might speak up against this terrible wrongdoing, but they do not. If they spoke up, they would be beaten to the death by the corrupt, deceitful, unprincipled, dishonorable, and inhumane Napoleon. This shows that power corrupts because Napoleon has become everything the animals fought against. Animal Farm shows that power always corrupts and turns people into the wicked leaders they fight to abolish.