Contents

Evaluate the structure of ‘Animal Farm’. Is aesthetic unity achieved in it?

Discuss the plot of ‘Animal Farm‘.

George Orwell has designed his novel as a work of art. It is unique among the novels of George Orwell for its unity, and formal perfection. He uses the power of convention to exclude the social problems. In the novel there is a conflict but in proportion, as it is required for the preservation of the convention, humour, pessimism, tenderness, anger, idealism and scepticism of the novelist. One can find a truly Crwellian figure in the novel, even in the minor characters like Benjamin.

George Orwell has used irony well to put the thing together, to give torce, make it effective and draw a true picture of contemporary Russia in his novel. The ironic structure of the book has two main centres of force. One of the manipulation of their attitudes towards Snowball; the change of what they thought they knew. And the other has to do with the change of the seven commandments throughout the story. In both cases, the reader is well aware of the facts. Snowball was quite well intentioned that he was clever, and he fought bravely of the Battle of Cowshed. The seven commandments were listed clearly and ambiguously in the text. They were listed on the wall of the farm. Snowball faught bravely and seven commandments said something clear about animals never killing each other, but all of them, except Benjamin, are a little uncertain about what they recollect. Napoleon takes advantage of their uncertainty to control them. The extent of his control increases as the book goes on, the irony becomes less comic, more pathetic. The moral and satire over tones become stronger. We observe cruel and heartless way in which Napoleon takes advantage of the gullibility of animals until he comes to the episode where Boxer is sent to the butcher’s house. He is exploited by the injustice and cruelity. In the last chapter, the irony becomes thoroughly clear. The pigs start walking like human beings on their legs and in the end éannot be separated from men. All that animals hoped for is ruined. What makes the irony savage in this last chapter is the animals do not realize what is being inflcted on them and they become victim of merciless calculation.

George Orwell begins the story with the emotions of revolutions. The ill treatment of Mr. Jones towards animals of his farm, speech of Old Major to inspire animals to revolt against Jones, revolt of animals, adoptation of commandments of Animalism are all in logical manner. Later course of the novel like expulsion Snowball form farm, tyranny of Napoleon, his ill treatment, exploitation of Squealer, death of Boxer, return of Moses, dogs of Napoleon, all the incidents appear before the reader in sequence and inspire him to go ahead and make him curious to know about the future incidents.

In the course of time, the animals who participated in the revolution, died one after another. The young generation did not know the facts of revolution. They knew nothing about Snowball and Boxer. Animals were becoming victims of starvation. Pigs were very happy, because they were very rich. They established good relations with human beings. They passed their time by taking beer and playing cards with them. A meeting was called by Napoleon, who had become very fat. He declared that he was going to establish better relations with human beings. Animals saw a whip in the hands of Napoleon. At last, animals were confirmed that Napoleon had become Mr. Jones and they were still slave.

To sum up, it may said that incidents in the novel has been presented logically and united to make it well-knit structure. In this way, ‘Animal Farm’ shows the structural unity of a great work.