In the book "Animal Farm", George Orwell gives us insights into our society that we would not generally notice, by creating a fictional world. Utilizing the form of an animal fable, "Animal Farm" tells the story of a group of barnyard animals that revolt against their human master in an attempt to create a utopian state. However, power and greed caused their society's tragic downfall, as they end up repeating the cycle of human tyranny. The plot of Animal Farm follows the Russian Revolution. This is achieved by corresponding events in the novel to the actual events in Russian history. During the Russian revolution, Russian leader Joseph Stalin used secret police to 'get rid' of anyone who threatened his power. This is in fact also what happened to Stalin's main rival, Leon Trotsky. The actions that took place are portrayed similarly in "Animal Farm," as Napoleon used his dogs to chase Snowball from the farm. In this case, Napoleon's guard dogs represent Stalin's secret police. Stalin/Napoleon viewed Trotsky/Snowball as a threat, he was scared that Trotsky/Snowball might try to steal his power away from him. His greed for power caused him to order death/imprisonment upon anyone who he suspected to be against him. However, this is not the only event that corresponded between the novel and Russian history. Another example of the parallel between "Animal Farm" and the Russian Revolution is when the animals start to rebuild the windmill. The animals' source of food had quickly become scarce under the reign of Napoleon, and "starvation seemed to stare them in the face." During the Russian Revolution, Russia suffered a similar event which resulted in a famine. Animal Farm allows us to study the Revolution from a different disposition. There are many aspects of human nature and society that are apparent in Animal Farm. For instance, greed is a part of human nature that cannot be restrained.
