Orwell; the Pigs

Animal Farm was written by George Orwell to convey his opinion of certain political structures and their very simple but fatal flaws. It is the story of a rebellion fueled by endless hope and idealistic dreams of freedom and equality. It is also a mocking commentary upon the lives of men and their generic lust for power and prosperity. Within the story each of the characters has certain metaphorical representations to the political system's of reality. Boxer a pseudonym of the working class; Mr Jones as the final tsar of Russia; the pigs as the leaders of a new communist (animalist) regime.

Essentially the book is the tale of a communist world. The pigs are the preachers of this world. They advocate equality and freedom from the tyranny of humanity. These teachings are of course contradictory as the pigs themselves are (by the end of the novel) viewed as dictators, their philosophy of equality far from sight. So how did the pigs distance themselves so far from the others, and climb right to the tip of the farm's hierarchy?

Before the rebellion has occurred, the pigs have already taken their first (subtle) steps towards domination. They use their intelligent status to appoint themselves the teachers of the Old Major's dream. A certain amount of control could now been acquired over the other animals. The pigs direct the other animals, without actually exerting any energy themselves. During the harvest the other animals happily ‘toil and sweat’ under the instruction of the pigs. But note how little the other animals oppose the pigs’ adoption of leadership. They are (for the most part) complacent to their domination. This implies that while the pigs may search and lust for power and control, they are also encouraged to find these things.

The class divide is greatened when the pigs decide to use the milk for their own selfish purposes; this is reminiscent of the Mr Jones’ possession of the privilege to take what he wishes from the animals without any real reason other than his own good. The pigs justify their actions using complex language to disguise their true motives. “Milk and apples contain substances absolutely necessary to the well being of a pig… The whole management and organization…” Such vocabulary is beyond the scope of the simple minds of the other animals, and consequently they (ignorantly) accept the reasons given. This is one of many examples of intellectual divide within the novel. Another occurs earlier in the book, when the seven commandments are first introduced. Only those animals intellectually capable can read the commandments, a clear penalisation of the uneducated.

This ties in perfectly with the pigs’ use of propaganda, which can be primarily found two forms within animal farm. The first is Boxer’s absolute devotion to his leaders’ teachings and to the success of animal farm; “I will work harder!” Using boxer’s humble voice, the pigs spread their message throughout the farm, and are in result allowed a greater depth of control. The second can be found in the songs and chants of the farm animals. These are contagious and spread across the country, but more directly control the less academically gifted animals and support Napoleon’s leadership.

Finally there is the utilisation of threat and violence. Again this comes in two forms; direct and indirect. The indirect threat of violence is evident in the rhetorical questions used by Squealer; “Surely comrades, you do not want Jones back?” Such questions allow a huge amount of leverage and also justification for any of the pigs’ actions. The first form of direct violence is written in the fifth chapter, when Napoleon institutes his privately trained dogs as his body guards and forces Snowball from the farm.