Reading Between the Lines – ‘Animal Farm’

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

― George Orwell, Animal Farm

This quote comes from the final chapter of George Orwell’s novella “Animal Farm,” which was published in 1945. The story is an allegory for the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent Soviet Union under Stalin’s rule. In the novella, a group of farm animals overthrow their human owner and establish a society based on the principles of animalism, which promotes equality among all animals.

However, as the story progresses, the pigs, who are the most intelligent animals, begin to assert their dominance and gradually adopt human-like behaviors and characteristics. They start walking on two legs, wearing clothes, and engaging in trade with humans. The quote you mentioned describes a scene where the other animals are looking through a window, watching the pigs inside the farmhouse as they interact with human visitors.

The quote is significant for several reasons:

1. It demonstrates the complete erosion of the principles of animalism and the idea that “all animals are equal.” By the end of the story, the pigs have become indistinguishable from the humans they once sought to overthrow.
2. The blurring of the lines between pigs and humans represents the corruption of the revolution’s ideals. The pigs, who initially led the revolt against the humans in the name of equality, have now become the very thing they fought against.
3. The inability of the other animals to distinguish between the pigs and the humans symbolizes the manipulation and control the pigs have over the other animals. The pigs have used their intelligence and positions of power to deceive and exploit the other animals, just as the humans had done before the revolution.

In the broader context of the novella, this quote serves as a powerful critique of the Soviet Union under Stalin’s rule, where the ideals of the communist revolution were betrayed, and a new ruling class emerged, oppressing the very people they claimed to liberate. Orwell uses this allegory to warn against the dangers of totalitarianism and the corruption of power, emphasizing the importance of remaining vigilant against the abuse of authority, even in the face of seemingly noble ideals.