Animal Farm is an allegory through which George Orwell demonstrates the psychological foundation of revolution, its processes and the irony of displacement of an oppressive regime by the new revolutionary order. This essay will explain the key terms of this statement, and then clarify the statements accuracy on describing Animal Farm in relation to its allegory, the Russian Revolution, using examples from the text.
There are several key terms involved in the statement that must be explained before the statements accuracy can be ascertained. Animal Farm is firstly described as an allegory; a novel of multiple levels of meaning. On the first level, Orwell describes a very moving account of a farmyard battle between neglected animals and unjust, greedy humans. Delving down further into the meaning of the book, the animals and events serve as symbols. This second stage describes the animals on a new level, and it can be seen that the animals and events have certain parallels in Stalinist Russia. Even the minor characters of the story symbolize relevance with Russian history.
Another key term mentioned, irony, describes the disjunction between what the audience would expect, and what really happens. Orwell uses a certain type of irony in Animal Farm, referred to as dramatic irony. He takes full use of what the animals understand, and what the audience understands about the situation at Animal Farm. Surprisingly, these two interpretations are similar; however the audience has a much wider and more significant view on the circumstances.
The statement is accurate when referring to Animal Farm as an allegory. Orwell pushes his allegorical narrative from past history to future prophecy. The pigs will openly expose themselves to be indistinguishable with man. For instance, "the pigs start to walk on their hind legs just as the humans does." (121). All the animals on the farm were shocked to see the pigs "marching slowly around the yard" (122).
