Genre in 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell

Abstract

George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” was an eminent success although having shaky beginnings because of the message and the time of it released. Nowadays, it is a crucial part of numerous school curriculums focused on literature. When inspected as to why it was such a big a success as it was, one must resort to separate elements of the novel such as genre and form to grasp its message which is still present in today’s society. Although the book is set to be an animal fable, as Orwell originally claimed himself, it also serves as an allegory of the Russian revolution, namely the one happening in 1917 and the Stalinist era that followed. As an allegory, it blends in events from real life in a distinct Orwell manner. Just like many other books, this too features elements from real life such as laws which in the book are the ten commandments and many other parts of a regime which undoubtedly points out the cruel reality of a ruling system that is self-beneficial, hypocritical and utterly proud in their acts even if they are done at the expense of losing a life or two. The book takes elements from both the genres of allegory and animal fable to create a blend that served later on as a distinct characteristic of Orwell works. As such, characters, or rather animals in this case, inside the story were a direct counterpart of the ones in real life with a specific attention paid to the rulers such as Trotsky which is portrayed by Snowball, Stalin or Napoleon in the novel and others which were presented in fine detail concerning many of their manners and actions towards their own population of that time.