I recently read Animal Farm by George Orwell, and I can confidently say it lives up to its reputation as a modern classic. At first glance, it seems like a simple fable about farm animals overthrowing their human owner to create a more just and equal society. But very quickly, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary animal story. It is a sharp, haunting allegory about how power corrupts, how collective memory can fade, and how easily ideals can be twisted.
Orwell’s choice to use animals to represent political figures and ideologies is surprisingly effective. The parallels to the Russian Revolution and Stalin’s rise are obvious, but the strength of the book is how broadly relevant it remains. You do not need to know much about history to understand the message. The book lays out, in plain language, how propaganda works, how authoritarian systems take hold, and how truth can be bent until people no longer recognize what is real.
What stood out most to me was the clarity and economy of Orwell’s writing. The book is just over a hundred pages, but every word matters. The plot is straightforward, yet by the end, the transformation of the pigs into the very tyrants they once opposed feels both shocking and completely believable. That final line gave me chills.
Boxer, the loyal and hardworking horse, was especially memorable. His story is heartbreaking. His dedication and blind trust are taken advantage of until he is no longer useful. It is a perfect example of how regimes exploit the very people who hold them up. The pig Squealer is another powerful character, showing how language can be manipulated to control thought.
Although Animal Farm was published in 1945, it feels just as relevant today. The erosion of truth, the silencing of dissent, and the gradual acceptance of injustice all feel uncomfortably familiar. Orwell managed to take a complex political warning and wrap it into a story that is easy to read but hard to forget.
If you have not read Animal Farm, I highly recommend it. It is short, but it stays with you. And if you have read it, I would love to know what you thought. Did it change how you see politics or power? Do you see its themes reflected in the world today?
by Effective-Coat-9276