Animal Farm Q1

What is the major theme of this novel? why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?

I think the major theme of this novel is that humans are s0 selfish, hypocritical, and eager to rule others that they can never stay with total equality. For example, although every animal seems to have fair right and power after abandoning Mr. Jones whom animals insisted to a major cause of all the problems in the farm, a sly scheme for ruling the animals again appears. Pigs start to utilize dogs as their protection. They insist to be the best administrators and intelligent ones in the farm that they are qualified to rule the other animals. Moreover, the book talks about hypocrites, which are the pigs. It is because the pigs guaranteed all equal freedom and declared the commandments, but later on change one and another for their own advantage. The story also shows the desire to rule others because pigs have extremely strong desire to be at the top of others that sometimes they even kill if that could turn out to be beneficial to them. For instance, Napoleon decides to expel Snowball. The incident shows Napoleon’s selfishness toward his success and desire to be at top of him.

This theme is very important to a teenager living in 2007 because the story is a useful tool to explain the idea of immoral human characteristics. Teenagers would pretty soon find it boring when a teacher just tells them not to be selfish, hypocritical, and arrogant. However, if the story implies the human characteristics in an interesting way, teenagers would be able to absorb the idea more thoroughly since the story serves as a great example. It is important to teenagers also because it helps them understand the history of Russia.