Analysis “Animal Farm” by George Orwell – Aditya Kumar

Animal Farm by George Orwell

“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing” - George Orwell, Animal farm 

Reading this book was a roller coaster ride for me. The way George Orwell beautifully mixed the theme of power, corruption and oppression in this book is commendable.

Each chapter of this book takes you on a ride through different social perspectives and the best part? They are still relevant to this day, despite the book being published in 1945.

One can read this book from various lenses, depending on their field of work or their interests. A person who may be employed in an MNC will have a different perspective while reading this, compared to a person who may be an advocate or a social activist.

Animal farm characters analysis

Each animal character that George Orwell used in this book represents a different class of people, at different social stature. For example: Boxer the horse can be compared to someone who is working hard in his or her life, denying the harsh reality of malpractices by the higher officials.

From a legal perspective you can compare the character of Napoleon with someone who holds a position of power, using it to bend every law (the seven commandments) in his favor and making illicit gains by doing so.

The character of Squealer can be compared with present-day social media and news channels, who can easily misguide the public by taking advantage of their habit to trust anything without questioning it.

The book also represents how people in power can easily manipulate the public who trust any information without checking it from other reliable sources. This is also relevant in today’s world where deepfakes and fake news can easily manipulate a large public because of the attitude of trusting any news or forwarded message without checking its source or reality.

Animal Farm from a Legal Lens

The book “Animal Farm” shows us how power, if left unchecked, can become corrupted and bend every law that prevents the exploitative practices, in its favor.

In India, The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 acts as the control rod that keeps official’s power under check and prevents them from making any illicit gain or influencing others by using their position.

The Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 is another legislation that prevents anyone from enjoying illicit gains (proceeds of crime), gained by illegal or corrupt practices. This act also acts as a tool of deterrence because of its stricter bail conditions, reverse burden of proof and other stringent provisions.

Conclusion

This book is a work of art that encapsulates a well-written story line, carefully woven with various societal realities and silently shows us the reality of power even today.

I would love to end this with another one of my favorite quotes from this book:

 “All ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS” - George Orwell, Animal farm