Animal Farm and 1984: Similarities

Animal Farm and 1984: Similarities and Differences in Themes

Animal Farm is a satire based on the communist regime in Russia from 1917-1943. The animals seeking freedom under their leaders, the Pigs', revolt against their oppressive owner, Farmer Jones. 1984 is a political parable, which aims to show society what it could become if things kept getting worse. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm before he wrote 1984, but he addresses some of the same issues in both books.

In Animal Farm, Orwell wrote, "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others,"(p. 56). If being equal is a positive thing, then the more equal you are the better off you are. In the novel 1984, also written by Orwell, equality was a central theme. "Are you more equal than others?" asked the Welding Journal, "This is your chance to become one who is more equal than others, more expert in the welding field...."(p. 58) in this context, if one were "more equal," it meant that he was powerful and superior to others, just as the pigs in Animal Farm believed that they were more equal than, and thus superior to, the other animals in the story.

In the two books, Orwell creates two similar societies -- both of which aim to create a utopian society. However, their differing environments support a different culture. In both books, the ruling society suppressed the individual in order to gain and maintain power. Animal Farm takes place on a farm and is rigid. Because it is so simple and lacking in technology, a different society emerges -- one that is more similar to today's society than to that of the other book, 1984. In 1984, the government controls the individual through technology. The government uses its technology to maintain its power, watching everything the individual does, so the individual will not rebel and that society will maintain the way it is and is destined to be. At the start of 1984, Orwell reveals a great deal about how much power the government has over the people.

In Animal Farm, Farmer Jones lets crops rot and forces his animals to go hungry. His only purpose in life becomes driving himself into a stupor. In this sense, the theme of betrayal is introduced, as Jones lets the animal down. The farm animals are confused, unsure even if they have the means to change their fate. Some wise and well-spoken pigs step up to the plate, stating their destiny, and leading them to revolt. As a result, led by Snowball and Napoleon, the animals eliminate Jones and write the new rules of their new society upon a barn wall. Powered by the partnership of Boxer and Benjamin, Animal Farm becomes a society of full equality.

In 1984, betrayal strikes again, as Winston Smith goes through a painful, mind altering experience with devastating results. Winston is forced to betray the woman he loves. He betrays his beliefs and one true love by accepting what the all-powerful Big Brother and O'Brien tell him. The novel 1984 takes place in Oceania, and society included a Party who controlled what individuals were doing at all times and what their beliefs were. "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four." (1984, p. 69) to citizens of Oceania, believing in the truth of a simple equation is freedom taken for granted. They were watched all the time. "To wear an improper expression on your face was itself a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime, it was called. (1984, p. 54)