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.