From the Archives: Book 14: "Animal Farm" by George Orwell

 

Book 14: "Animal Farm" by George Orwell

"Animal Farm" by George Orwell
Verdict: It's a classic worthy of reading...though I'm not a fan.

So much has been said on this book that I won't take up too much time writing on it. That, along with the fact that it has now been over a month since I finished it, will make for a rather short review.

As far as classics go, this is not my favorite, or even in my top ten. As far as dystopia's go, I can see the appeal, especially for the time period in which it was written, but again not in my favorites. I always hesitate to critique classics of merit. This book does deserve to be a classic and I can see why it has been canonized, however- simply put- I didn't like it. I didn't hate it, I guess I'm apathetic to it. Overall this probably stems from two main reasons. Firstly, I've never been one to identify with animals. I just don't get involved in stories that star animals as their main characters, Disney or otherwise... I identify with people. Second, I've now read too many and more interesting, in my opinion, dystopias for this to affect me as it would had I read it, when most do, in high school. That being said it does have some great things to keep it ranked as a classic.

The social commentary on the progression of communism is genius. It truly illustrates how communism can look amazing on paper, but not function in real life. Using animals to illustrate this shows how it is in our nature for it to progress in that fashion; especially when the majority of the population is uneducated. Overall this novel has a lot of literary value and though I didn't enjoy it, I do see why it is a classic.