Animal Farm by George Orwell

Another one of Orwell’s dystopian novels, this is a story about what happens on a farm taken over by animals. The standard set of farm animals (horses, sheep, dogs) are led by the highly intelligent pigs in overthrowing the cruel humans of Animal Farm. Tired of being overworked and abused, these animals sought out a more enlightened life, without any humans running everything. At first, things seem to be going smoothly- the animals are all united under the ideals of equality, happiness, and freedom. After the rebellion, the animals work together to keep the farm running and everybody content. Under the philosophy that no animal shall henceforth interact with humans or allow themselves to be subjected to the cruel treatment again, the pigs direct and organize each individual to tasks for keeping the farm upright. However, the pigs start to feud about power and plans for the future. The two leaders, Snowball and Napoleon, have conflicting ideologies on what they want the animals to put their labor towards. And, as pigs are the smartest on the farm, there is nothing the other animals can do but continuously be swayed this way or that. The unexpected conclusion of the book is due to the victory of one pig’s complete rule over the farm.

This book was extremely interesting to read. The buildup towards the ending started to become clear after a bit, and yet the final page was still a blow. This is definitely a must-read, especially for those who enjoy dystopian novels.