Theme Of Power In Animal Farm

Power is an unstable source of fulfillment that fluctuates uncontrollably. Those who fall to the temptation of power are corrupted by it. The animals in Animal Farm that were given power beyond compare were also corrupted beyond compare and thus; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Considering that before the downfall of Mr. Jones the animals had not been literate; the pigs understood that intelligence meant power and they seized the opportunity the moment it arised. With their intelligence established amongst the whole farm, the pigs worked from behind the shadows and took control of the entire farm. In the novel Animal Farm power is portrayed as an ultimate weapon that allows the chosen few to live outside of the law.

The animals granted

Although there were many different species of animals on the farm, there was one who stood out; “the pigs, who were generally recognised as being the cleverest of the animals.”(5) The two front-runners for leadership of the farm were Snowball and Napoleon, and while “Snowball often won over the majority by his brilliant speeches,”(15) “Napoleon was better at canvassing support for himself in between times.”(15) Whenever the animals seemed to face a problem while managing the farm, they would await on the pigs saying, “the pigs were so clever that they could think of a way round every difficulty.”(9) This meant that the animals did not think for themselves but rather awaited orders so that they could focus on the physical labour. The pigs’ ability to study and learn set them apart from the other animals so much so that “the pigs had set aside the harness-room as a headquarters for themselves.”(10) They used this room to learn any new trades that they might need on the farm. This action gave the animals the impression that they were of higher status than them thus giving the pigs even more power. In any society whether it be of animals or men, the weak will always serve the