The Delusion of a Classless Society: A Brief Review of George Orwell's Animal Farm

When the notion of a classless society creeps into everyday conversation, the mind of a social scientist journeys into Karl Marx's book, The Communist Manifesto. Particularly, Marx's theory of class struggle takes the centre stage. Marx alongside his friend Friedrich Engels had argued that the history of hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggle.

By this, they meant that historically the human society had consisted of two groups, namely the "haves" and the "have nots" who are in constant power struggle. While the "haves" own and control the means of production, the "have nots" are forced to sell their labour to make ends meet.

Ultimately, Marx and his friend predicted a revolution in which the "have nots" will overthrow the "haves" marking the collapse of capitalism and private ownership of property while heralding a social order of classlessness, where resources will be justly and equitably allocated to all men according to their needs.

George Orwell's Animal Farm interestingly fulfills the prediction of Karl Marx and his friend, except that classlessness does not result even after the overthrow of the "oppressors". Instead, a more brutal social stratification erupts, making the idea of a classless society nothing but a utopia.

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All Animals Are Equal

George Orwell's Animal Farm was a political allegory published in 1945. It satirizes the Russian Revolution of 1917, pointing out the hypocrisy of communism. The book tells the story of a group of farm animals living on a British farm simply referred to as Manor Farm.

Following a dream revealed to Old Major, one of the most respected animals on the farm, the animals successfully revolt against their human oppressors, hoping to create a just society where all the animals can free, equal, and happy. Consequently, Manor Farm is renamed Animal Farm to show that animals are now controlling the stare of the affairs in the farm. New laws are made, an important one saying, All animals are equal.

All Animals Are Equal But Some Are More Equal Than the Others

For the prosperity and wellbeing of the newly founded Animal Farm, the animals agree that the pigs, being more learned and smart, should be in charge of the administration of the farm.

In the process, a certain ruthless pig named Napoleon becomes the supreme ruler of Animal Farm. From gruesome witch hunt and murder of those who oppose him to the peddling of propaganda to the outside world to cover the economic crisis in Animal Farm, Napoleon becomes by far a greater evil and oppressor than Jones, the erstwhile human being in charge of Animal Farm.

Gradually, Napoleon begins to secretly and cleverly changes the laws of Animal Farm to suite his own whims and caprices. For instance, after all the animals had agreed that, no animal must sleep on a bed, Napoleon begins to sleep on a bed and simply amended the law to now state, no animal must sleep on a bed with sheets.

As for the law which says that, no animal must kill any other animal, Napoleon begins slaughtering his opponents (claiming they are enemies of Animal Farm). By the time the animals refer to the law, it now reads, no animal must kill any other animal for no just cause.

In the concluding part of Animal Farm, Napoleon and other pigs have learnt like human beings to walk on two legs. Napoleon renames Animal Farm to its original name, Manor Farm, perhaps because he has become the new Jones, the erstwhile human owner of the farm. All the laws governing Animal Farm is abolished but one, All animals are equal but some are more equal than the others.