In Animal Farm by George Orwell, the animals rise up and take the Manor Farm from their human owner, Mr. Jones. The animals then set out to establish an animal utopia by living under the rules of Animalism, which are specific and help guide the animals towards building a good society.
In the novella, some examples of “individual wars” might be:
For Snowball, the individual war is for the truth of Animalism. Snowball believes that all animals should be equal, and he educates them to help Animal Farm grow. He, however, is too popular and does not see the betrayal of Napoleon until it is too late. Despite fighting for the betterment of all animals, he is run off the farm.
For Napoleon, the individual war is one against all who might oppose him. Napoleon might have started with good intentions, but eventually, all of his moves as a leader are to cement his power and squelch resistance. Napoleon eventually leads the farm into becoming a dictatorship, and he becomes like a human: greedy and willing to harm others for personal gain.
For Benjamin, the individual war is one of indifference. Benjamin, who is smart and can read, chooses not to participate in the running of Animal Farm and doesn’t really ever believe in the rebellion but also doesn’t oppose it. For Benjamin, the war with indifference comes to a head when he finally needs to engage, and it is too late. He cannot save his friend, Boxer, who is sold to the glue factory.
For Boxer, the individual war is against his physical limitations. Boxer is not smart, but he believes in the goodwill of the pigs. He continually says, “I will work harder” to compensate for failure after failure on the farm. He eventually loses the war after wearing himself out working so hard and is rewarded by being sold to the glue factory. Ultimately, Boxer doesn’t see the deception coming.
For Muriel and Clover, the individual war is against their forgetfulness. Both animals suspect that the laws of Animalism are being altered, but neither is confident in their memories. It is not until the end that they realize the rules are being changed, but they have ultimately lost their struggle, becoming casualties of the Pig takeover of the farm.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Every individual fights his/her own war. What are examples of this in Animal Farm?
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