Jacob Roth
English ¾
The Hidden Depths of Satire
Does the fiction book you are reading right now have a hidden meaning that
alludes to a dark history? The book Animal Farm by George Orwell has a much deeper
hidden meaning. Animal Farm tells the story of farm animals rebelling against their
farmer to free themselves, but eventually, the rebellion breaks down and it is as bad, if
not worse than it was before. Orwell has written a satirical masterpiece that is bursting
with examples of satire, irony, and symbolism.
A main theory throughout the book was irony. Orwell uses irony to convey his
main points and ideas. An extremely obvious example of this is the animals being in
control of the farm instead of the humans. In the book, the animals overthrow Mr. Jones,
the farm's owner, and take control of the farm. Another example of irony is the pigs
having the best of everything, including food. The phrase “pig slop” is often used not
only to describe a pig's food but also to describe something messy or sloppy. Orwell
writes that the pigs are the only ones able to eat the good apples, drink beer, and have
access to many more luxuries. The irony is a large factor throughout the story, making
Animal Farm a much more interesting satirical novel.
Symbolism was a key component throughout the book. We can glean much more
knowledge by understanding the symbolism that Orwell was communicating. A massive
symbolic example was the windmill, as it was used to communicate the animals' need to
accomplish something of their own. The farm animals were trying to build a windmill that
would help produce power and energy for the farm to begin running smoother. They
finally finished it, but there was a massive storm and the windmill was knocked over in
the midst of it. They rebuilt it, and this cycle started again until eventually it was finished
for good. Orwell was trying to communicate the animals (and ours) need to accomplish
something bigger and better than the humans had accomplished. They had never built
such a windmill and wanted to prove to the world that they were not to be trifled with
and had made a massive accomplishment. By understanding the symbolism in this
book, we can begin to understand key factors of how the animals operate.
Satire was the main component throughout the book, as the book is a satirical
novel. The book was a satire in opposition of Russia’s role in World War 2. The main
character in the story was Napoleon, an overarching power-hungry ruler who did
whatever it took to boost his selfish power. Orwell makes this character a representative
of Joseph Stalin. Stalin was the communist ruler who overthrew and overcame other
rivals and took control of his country. Other prominent figures were Napoleon's private
guard dogs, who represented the KGB (Secret Police). Napoleon's dogs struck fear into
the hearts of other animals, and they would always obey the pigs when the dogs were
around. In the same way, the KGB were deadly and threatening secret police who
enforced Stalin’s law. Although these are only a few examples of satire in this book,
every character, event, and setting in this novel is representative of something or
someone in Russia’s role in WW2.
Reading a satirical novel can be a very intriguing experience, while the reader
tries to figure out the hidden meaning underneath the initial layers of writing. The
examples of irony and symbolism in the book make it an interesting read, with many
clues to be discovered. The satire in this novel makes the reader have to think about
what they are reading and discover for themselves what every character, event, and
setting are representing. Orwell wrote an extremely engaging novel that makes the
reader want to dive deeper into the hidden depths of satire.
Work Cited
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Signet Classics, 1946.