Dictatorship is an autocratic form of government in which the country is ruled by an individual with absolute power: a dictator. Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, and Kim Jong-il of North Korea are examples of famous dictators in modern times.
Animal farm and russian revolution
In the novel, Napoleon is the dictator of Animal Farm, whereas following the Russian Revolution, Joseph Stalin was the dictator. They were both cruel and oppressive rulers, who exploited their subjects through tyranny and deceit. Under these totalitarian regimes, most people lived in fear and poverty, because the dictators did not prioritize their subjects’ needs.
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Interpretation
slow accumulation of power
In Animal Farm, George Orwell demonstrates how power is accumulated slowly through a step-by-step progression. Napoleon did not suddenly emerge as the dictator, but implemented minor changes along the way to make his rise of power seem more logical to the animals. Shortly after Snowball’s expulsion, he ends the Sunday-morning Meetings, and replaces it with a new system in which “a special committee of pigs meet in private and afterwards communicate their decisions to the others” [p.36]. This symbolizes the rise of an emerging dictatorship, as the freedom of speech and expression once enjoyed by the animals is now completely abolished. Napoleon also "moves into the farmhouse and takes up his residence there" [p.45]. This physical separation from the rest of the animals represents the beginning of the establishment of a social hierarchy [Eissen, n.d.]. Orwell successfully uses these examples to illustrate the power of a small change, but also to provide the reader with a deeper understanding of how people end up believing what they believe, through a slow and gradual process, in which justifications are made at each turn.
Characterization
Through the characters George Orwell created in Animal Farm, the readers can gain a deeper understanding of the unfair system under a dictatorship and how different parties in the hierarchy are affected.
Boxer represents the loyal and dedicated supporters of the Soviet Union. Orwell describes the horse as an honest worker, who follows Animalism faithfully without fully understanding its more intricate details. He lives by Napoleon’s orders (“Napoleon is always right”) and works himself to exhaustion (“I must work harder”) [p.41], but in turn is slaughtered by the man he admired. Orwell created Boxer’s character to convey that even the most hardworking people suffer under a brutal regime, and to demonstrate how people are used for their skills and talents. He emphasizes how corrupt Stalin is and illustrates what could happen to those who have blind trust in their dictators. Orwell also displays how dictators do not view loyalty from workers as something significant enough to reward.
Benjamin represents the people who were aware of Stalin’s unjust methods and oppressive policies during the Russian Revolution, but made no resistance to the changes. Guided by the philosophy that life will always be painful, the donkey is suspicious about the effectiveness of Animalism. 'When asked whether he was happier now that Mr. Jones has gone, he would say only "Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey."' [p.19]. Even though his skepticism proves to be correct, he is powerless and does nothing about it. Orwell created this character to communicate that even the most intelligent and well educated people under a dictatorship feel impotent to criticize the regime. Benjamin also symbolizes the people who passively encourage the rise of the dictator by not criticizing the regime. In Animal Farm, the pigs represent the ruling class and Stalin’s communist supporters. Unlike other animals, they live a life of luxury and enjoy the benefits of the dictatorship. They elevate themselves to positions of leadership, and procure privileges to "sleep in a bed" [p.41], and "drink alcohol" [p.73], even though it is against the Commandments. The hardworking animals on the other hand are given nothing in return, which emphasizes the inequality and true hypocrisy of a dictatorship. Orwell portrays the pigs this way to represent how dictators favor people who are similar to them. In the novel, Napoleon chooses the pigs to be part of his “inner circle”, merely because he is also a pig himself. In the human world, this includes sharing the same race, gender or belief, just as Joseph Stalin killed anyone that opposed his political point of view [LitCharts, n.d.]. |
Orwell successfully uses these three parties to convey the message that there will always be an unfair system under a dictatorship. He emphasizes the lives and experiences of the different animals to show how hierarchy is established by the dictator’s personal preferences in real life.
citations
Eissen, P. (n.d.) Orwell and the politics of animal farm. Retrieved 3/29/2013
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/articles/col-paf.htm
LitCharts. (n.d.) Animal farm: Characters. Retrieved 3/28/2013 from http://www.litcharts.com/lit/animalfarm/characters
Orwell, G. (2008) Animal farm. London: Penguin Books
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/articles/col-paf.htm
LitCharts. (n.d.) Animal farm: Characters. Retrieved 3/28/2013 from http://www.litcharts.com/lit/animalfarm/characters
Orwell, G. (2008) Animal farm. London: Penguin Books