At the first glance, George Orwell’s , Animal Farm, seems to be a story about mistreated animals finally overthrowing their abusive ‘master’. The animals are organized into a ‘pyramid of power’, the more intelligent animals perched at the top. The pigs of Animal Farm, formerly Manor Farm; run by Mr.Jones, are the ones who rise to power. They are followed by the dogs, then the horses, and the more ignorant animals are stuck at the bottom, and they don’t really question anything. Sure, this book seems to be a story about, like I said, mistreated animals turning against humans. And at first, that’s what I thought too. In reality, this book was written as an allegory; a story that can be read and was written with a hidden meaning. The author, Eric Arthur Blair (who goes under the pen name, George Orwell) served in the Spanish CIvil War, on the side of the Loyalists. As an enemy of the Totalitarianism powers, he was very critical of communistic ways. As a way of showing this criticism, he wrote Animal Farm. In the beginning of the story line, there is an elderly boar referred to as, Old Major. In his last days, he shares, with the other farm animals, his ideas for a utopian society, where animals wouldn’t have to follow the orders of the humans. He sparked a flame in all of his comrades and set off the rebellion.

He taught them all a song, called The Beasts of England. The song goes as follows; “Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, beasts of every land and clime, Hearken to my joyful tidings of the golden future time. Soon or late the day is coming, Tyrant man shall be o’erthrown, And the fruitful fields of England shall be trod on by beasts alone. Rings shall vanish from our noses, And the harness from our back, Bit and spur shall rust forever, Cruel whips shall never crack. Riches more than mind can picture, Wheat and barley, oats and hay, Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels shall be ours upon that day. Bright will shine the fields of England, Purer shall its waters be, Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes, On the day that sets us free. For that day we all must labour, Though we die before it is break; cows and horses, geese and turkeys, All must toil for freedom’s sake. Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken well and spread my tidings of the golden future time.”   

This is the beginning of a revolution that changes the lives of the farm animals. Soon after this, Old Major passes away, and he leaves a power struggle behind. Two of the brightest pigs there, Napoleon and Snowball are constantly at each other's throats, never agreeing on anything. Soon enough, the animals start taking sides, and rules are made to keep the peace. The products of this are the Seven Commandments; (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.’

These rules are constantly being changed by the pigs, so that they gain the advantage. The pigs go on to live more leisurely lives while the other animals work the farm. The animals were content with how it was going though, only relieved that these days were better than in Mr. Jones' time. As the story progresses, Napoleon goes against Snowball, using the dogs he raised in isolation, and runs him out of the farm. After this, the more smarter animals start questioning the reliability and honesty of Napoleon. Even though the animals could sense that something was going on, Napoleon used fear against them, executing any animal who commits even the smallest crime. There were some key characters who played an important role in this story, other than Snowball and Napoleon. There were the sheep, who’s sole job was to distract anyone from saying anything against Napoleon. There was the character named Boxer, who was a very strong and dependable work horse. He was the one who pulled everyone through the tough times, and  would never slack off. Actually, he would get up early to do all that he could.
   

Aside from some deaths that I found sad, I really liked the book. It showed the author’s opinion of communism,  but in a more creative way than an opinion paper. There were witty moments, and some clever ‘plays on words’.  I found Benjamin’s character, a stubborn mule, to be amusing in the sense that he would never give in to whatever anyone said. He just does his work how he wants to do it. No more and no less. This book seems easy enough to understand for almost any audience, and even if you don’t look at the real meanings behind this story, it’s still enjoyable to read.

I’d recommend this story to any audience who enjoys revolutionary stories about deception and stretched truths. This book holds a lot of mystery, and leaves you wondering at the end. The animals started out with one idea in the beginning, but ended up with something totally different. I think everyone should read this book sometime in their school career, whether it’s in English class or Social Studies. It’s an easy enough read for Elementary level classes, and it still makes college students stop and think. This could be read as, literally a story about animals taking over a farm, or it could be interpreted by others as a reference to the communism and totalitarianism ways. Either way, it’s a good read, and I would give it four and a half stars.