ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell George Orwell's novel Animal Farm does an excellent job of drawing parallels from the situation leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Animal Farm is a satire that uses its characters to symbolize leaders of The animals of "Manor Farm", the setting of thisnovel, which symbolizes Russia, overthrow their human master after years ofmistreatment. Led by the pigs, the farm animals continue to do their work,only with more pride, knowing that they are working for themselves, asopposed to working for their human master, Farmer Jones. Slowly over timethe pigs gain power and take advantage of the other animals. They gain somuch power that they become just as power hungry and corrupt as their humanmaster. The theme in the novel being that in every society there areleaders who will, if given the chance, likely abuse their position.Old Major is a prize white boar who helps point out to the animals that noanimal in England is free. He continues to tell the animals that the theirlabor is stolen by man, who benefits alone. The animals in return get nearnothing, just enough to keep them away from starvation. Old Major gavemany speeches to the farm animals about hope and the future. He is themain animal who got the rebellion started even though he died before itactually began. Old Major's role compares to Lenin and Marx whose ideaswould spark the communist revolution. Lenin became the leader and teacherof the working class in Russia, and their determination to struggle againstcapitalism. Like Old Major, Lenin and Marx wrote essays and gave speechesto the working class poor. The working class in Russia, as compared withthe barnyard animals in Animal Farm, were a laboring class of people thatreceived low wages for their work. Old major tells the animals that thesource of the problem is man, they must overthrow man to abolish tyrannyand hunger. Soon Old Major does die, but his words still echo in t...
