The Revolution in Animal Farm

The Nature of Revolution

A revolution is when a group of people dislike what their leader or government is doing, so they rebel against them. The people usually do this to try to get a better future with more freedom and rights. In the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, the animals on the farm are owned by Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones is an older man who has a drinking problem and often neglects his farm and animals. The animals decide that they have had enough and rebel against him. The animals chase off Mr. Jones and his friends who tried to help him and are free to start their own government and make their own rules. However, there is a dispute about who is going to be the new leader. Everyone enjoys Snowball and would like him to be the leader because he is fair and meets the animal’s needs. However, Napoleon wants to be in power and chases Snowball off the farm so he can have power and becomes more of a dictator than a leader. A revolution does not always result in a better future because some people will try to take more or all power, there will not be enough resources, and many people can easily be manipulated.

The Struggle for Power

After a revolution occurs and a leader is overthrown, usually, there will be other people that will try to take too much power and it will result in another dictatorship. Once that kind of leader has power, they will control everyone under harsh conditions and may even lead to yet another revolution. In Animal Farm, Napoleon tries to take too much power and controls the animals in harsh conditions and even kills the ones that go against him. “They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws” (Orwell, 1945, p. 53). Napoleon sent dogs after Snowball to run him off the farm so he could be in control of all the animals. Consequently, this led to Napoleon changing written rules that have been on the farm for a long time and even killing animals that went against him. This scenario illustrates how power can corrupt and lead to a cycle of tyranny.

Scarcity of Resources

If a revolution and everything goes into the plan of the rebellion, the aftermath will be fewer resources throughout society. Goods like food, medicine, and other supplies will be scarce. This scarcity can lead to the economy falling, families starving, and even death for some. In Animal Farm, once Mr. Jones had been chased off the farm, it wasn’t easy for the animals to find food. “For days at a time the animals had nothing to eat but chaff and mangels. Starvation seemed to stare them in the face” (Orwell, 1945, p. 74). Even though Mr. Jones had neglected them and didn’t feed them, the revolution did not benefit the animals with resources because they still didn’t have much. If they had not found food later on, the scarcity of food and goods would have killed them. This highlights how revolutions can disrupt resource distribution, leading to dire consequences for the populace.

Manipulation and Confusion

Once a revolution is executed and there is no one in power for a little while, some people may not know what to do. They will follow anyone who takes over that power because they are confused. Some people can easily be manipulated into doing things that they shouldn’t because they do not know who to follow. This can lead to one person getting many people to follow him and then he becomes another dictator and will harshly control the society once again. In Animal Farm, after Mr. Jones left, they had no official “leader”. They trusted Snowball, but Napoleon was determined to take over and ran him off the farm. They obeyed Napoleon and followed his commands even if it went against the seven commandments that they had made. The pigs used manipulation when they tried taking things from other animals, but they were really just stealing. “We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us” (Orwell, 1945, p. 36). The pigs tried to convince others that they were benefiting the farm when they were really just stealing. The animals went along with them because they did not know who to follow and thought it would benefit the farm like the pigs said. In the end, the animals are manipulated into following Napoleon even though he changes the commandments and kills animals that go against him. This demonstrates how easily people can be swayed by persuasive leaders, even to their own detriment.

Hope for a Better Future

There are those who believe that a revolution always results in a better future because people can get rid of a corrupt leader and it can create equality. A revolution is usually started because people are unhappy with their government or leader so they go against him. If the revolution is a success, there will not be a corrupt leader anymore and people have more freedom. In Animal Farm, the animals chase Mr. Jones off the farm because he neglects them. “Meanwhile the animals had chased Jones and his men out onto the road and slammed the five-barred gate behind them” (Orwell, 1945, p. 20). The animals did this so they could start their own system of government and so that they could have more freedom. A revolution can also result in a better future because it can create equality. In Animal Farm, once the animals get rid of Mr. Jones, they get rid of animalism and put in seven commandments. “They explained that by their studies of the past three months the pigs had succeeded in reducing the principles of Animalism to Seven Commandments” (Orwell, 1945, p. 24). These commandments are all agreed upon by the animals and are fair and equal for all of them. Evidently, a revolution gets rid of a corrupt leader and creates equality in the end. However, the initial hope for equality and fairness can quickly be overshadowed by the emergence of new power struggles.

Conclusion

Although there are reasons to believe that a revolution will result in a better future for the citizens, there are plenty more reasons that prove the result is usually worse. The outcomes of revolutions are usually far more devastating because although it gets rid of a corrupt leader, a new one can easily replace it. Which then would just lead the citizen’s equality being gone. Animal Farm shows in many ways how a revolution will not always result in a better future by using Napoleon and how he takes over the farm as an example. Even though it isn’t illogical to believe a revolution will benefit society, it will not always result in a better future because some people will try to take more or all power, there will not be enough resources, and many people can easily be manipulated.

References

Orwell, G. (1945). Animal Farm. Secker and Warburg.