Essay Database

George Orwell The book begins in the barnyard of Mr. Jones' "Manor Farm". The animals talk at a meeting led by their leader white boar, Major. Major points out to the assembled animals that no animal in England is free. He further explains that the products of their labor is stolen by man, who alone benefits. Man, in turn, gives back to the animals the bare minimum which will keep them from starvation while he …

…their power with no regard for the peasants who, in essence, supported their royal lifestyle. The pigs represent the Bolshevik revolutionaries who led the masses in rebellion against the Czar and the entire royal family. Unfortunately, as with the pigs, power corrupted and the people were then oppressed by their "comrades" under the new communist government. Orwell's message about power, in the hands of a few, is corrupting and does nothing to benefit the masses.