George Orwell's Animal Farm: Power Hunger leading to Depravation

Abstract

George Orwell's novella Animal Farm, published in 1945, is a masterpiece of political satires. The book is a fable which sets in the animal farm of Mr. Jones of England. The book is symbolic as it targets the socialism in Russia under Stalin's leadership. The animals of the Manor Farm inspired by the words of Old Major the oldest boar, revolt against the tyranny of Mr. Jones and expel him out of the farm. After the rebellion, the hold of farm comes in the hands of two senior boars Snowball and Napoleon. Snowball is a vivacious, quicker in speech and more inventive while Napoleon is large, fierce-looking and with habit of getting his own way. Napoleon being more ambitious rears puppies secretly. At every point he shows his disagreement with Snowball. In the matter of windmill, the hostility reaches on the highest point when Napoleon lets his dogs to attack over Snowball and compels him to leave the farm forever. With the help of Squealer and dogs, Napoleon becomes the dictator. He including other pigs enjoys luxury and distorts all the commandments that were established just after rebellion. Thus, the power that was at first in the hands of one tyrant i.e., human being now transfers into the hands of another tyrannical dictator i.e., Napoleon, the boar. The paper analyses how power hunger leads to the depravation and subjugation of fellow beings.