Animal Farm

Greetings, gentle readers! I wanted to post a review of something else I read this week to close out my Spring Break book binge week, but I sort of had, you know, homework and some other crazy things come up. I decided to post this review I've had saved up, instead.

The animals of Manor Farm have grown tired of Farmer Jones's oppression. I mean, seriously, they're the ones who do all of the work, while he profits off of their labor. Why shouldn't they just cut the ingrate out of the equation and work for themselves, so they get to enjoy the fruits of their labor? A most reasonable plan if there ever was, even if it was devised by pigs (literally). Soon, the crafty porcine militants have overthrown the farmer and seized control of the land, with the full support of their fellow barnyard creatures. The animals create a paradise of equality, named Animal Farm, built upon the concept that "four legs good; two legs bad." Then a nasty power struggle erupts between the two dominant pig politicians, Snowball and Napoleon, which causes the cozy utopia to implode. Will Animal Farm ever be the same?

Animal Farm is one of my absolute favorite books, and it is my favorite satire. Why? Well, for many reasons. I adore Orwell's other classic, 1984, for its stark style and nightmarish dystopia; I love Animal Farm even more because it's just so...funny. Though 1984 is also a critique of communism, Animal Farm takes on the subject with a much different style, one that is wry and outrageous. What's weird is the book isn't full of overtly humorous dialogue or scenes, yet it is still amusing, primarily because Orwell's anthropomorphic, allegorical retelling of the Russian Revolution is so masterfully crafted. Each stage of the Revolution is covered and all of the major personalities and events are here, from Stalin to Trotsky to bloody purges, and all of the inherent irony and absurdity is highlighted by Orwell's barnyard cast. As a history major who hopes to specialize in the Russian Revolution, the whole concept strikes me as hysterical and the fact that Orwell has every little detail accounted for makes my ubernerd heart happy.

Another reason I like this book is its simplicity. Animal Farm is a novella--my copy is only 120 pages long--and can easily be read in an afternoon. Orwell also relies on a style that is engaging and oddly reminiscent of the tone used in children's fables. The characters, though symbolic, are well-crafted, effective, and memorable, especially the sinister Napoleon, the loyal Boxer, and the cantankerous Benjamin.

I don't believe in reading analysis and background history before tackling most books. I find it distracting and have found that kind of material much more interesting after reading the book in question. Animal Farm is a slight exception. As with most satires, you have to understand what Orwell is lampooning to understand the book. If you have a basic knowledge of what happened during the Russian Revolution, you shouldn't have a problem. If not, do a little bit of reading before picking this one up. You don't need to read Riasanovsky's A History of Russia (unless you just want to. In that case, I highly recommend it), but reading a few encyclopedia articles will definitely give you a much better foundation to approach this book. Using a copy with footnotes that explain key passages wouldn't hurt, either.

Animal Farm is a delightfully acerbic examination of a key event in world history. Orwell's masterpiece reminds me of some weird blend of Russian history, Chicken Run, and Gulliver's Travels. If you love high-quality satire, this book is a must-read. (And after you've read it, please tell me if I am insane for free-associating this book with my all-time favorite album--Pink Floyd's Animals. My mind works in strange ways...)

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Next Time: Alas, friends, I must return to my usual schedule of just posting on Wednesdays. My next post, which should fall on the last day of this month, will be this month's edition of "The Unblogged Chronicles." I'll have mini-reviews of a modern day classic, a supernatural romance, a tragedy, a couple of more Lehane novels, a brand-new true crime book, a recently published literary thriller, and a children's book that I think should be enshrined in gold...or made mandatory reading. See you Wednesday!

Anthem

Ever heard that Twisted Sister song "We're Not Gonna Take It"? I can't say it's one of my favorites (I loathe Twisted Sister's lead singer to the depths of my classic rock soul), but that would be a great, er, anthem for Anthem's main character, Equality 7-2521. Equality 7-2521 resides in a nameless communist utopia (which bears a striking resemblance to Soviet Russia, not too surprising seeing as author Ayn Rand fled communist Russia as a young woman.) Rejected by the authorities at the group home he is raised in for being too independent, Equality 7-2521 is deprived of fulfilling his dream of becoming a scholar. As punishment for his "selfishness", he is chosen to be a lowly street sweeper. Down but far from out, Equality 7-2521 discovers a secret hideaway from the earlier capitalist "Unmentionable Times". The clever teen then makes a discovery that will threaten all he holds dear…

A couple of months ago I was kvetching to Math is a Plentiful Harvest about my lack of time to read Ayn Rand's colossal classics (The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged). Fortunately, Math is a Plentiful Harvest is an Ayn Rand devotee, and she suggested Rand's novella Anthem to me. (Thank you!) I get excited any time I get a book recommendation, but I got even more excited when Saya seconded Anthem as a book suggestion. Not one but two recommendations! I was also pleased because this book sort of tied in with Sashenka, my book from last week.

Anthem is a fascinating little book - it had me at the first sentence: "It is a sin to write this." If you know me, you know I am an exceptionally nosy person, and I had to find out what was up. Rand wrote Anthem as a protest against communism, and the result is a very compelling condemnation of Marxism. Rand's poignant, bleak story of one man's struggle for independence in the face of collectivism is quite powerful. However, I think the primary strength of this book lies in Equality 7-2521. He is such a sympathetic character. If you don't pity this poor kid (especially when he is still in the institution he is raised in and has his dream crushed), I question your level of compassion. His stark, almost lyrical first person narration is a big plus too. A unique twist Rand put on this book is that none of the characters, including Equality 7-2521 in his narration, refer to themselves as "I" or "me", instead they refer to themselves as "we". This took me a few pages to get used to, but it was an exceptionally effective way of rendering the dehumanization Rand saw as inherent in communism.

Now, I know some readers do not like reading novels with an underlying philosophy - they believe it distracts from their enjoyment of the plot and characters. Personally, as long as the book doesn't descend into a lecture, I am OK with a bit of philosophizing. This book stays with the story until the last chapter, which is Equality 7-2521's tirade against his socialist society. I didn't find it boring - I think that Ayn Rand had some fascinating beliefs, although I don't necessarily agree with her on everything. (Quick Refresher: Rand used her books to propound on her Objectivist philosophy. Namely, that the individual trumps the group. She didn't believe in unabashed selfishness, but she did believe that as long as one's actions were moral, self-interest should come first, not the needs of others.) I find her Objectivist beliefs, when applied to the person, harder to accept than when applied to government, but I can see how her experiences in Russia shaped her beliefs. I think if you read this with an open mind, you'll find a lot of thought-provoking material here, even if you may not entirely concede Rand's view.

Looking for a more meaty read than the usual? Try Anthem. This novel lays the groundwork for her better-known works and presents a powerful story, likable hero, and ultimately triumphant message in a compact 85 pages.

P.S. As I am sure all of you know, Thanksgiving is tomorrow. For starters, that means that I am posting this from the comfort of home on my own dainty little laptop and not fighting my savage classmates for a computer (I swear, our school library is like a scene from Lord of the Flies, just without the cool face paint.) *cough* Anyway, I would like to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving. I want all of you to eat until you EXPLODE! Wait! If you do that, you can't come back next week to talk about books with me. I don't want all of my readers to kill themselves with gluttony. So maybe just eat all you can hold. And pass me a piece of pumpkin pie while you're at it. Well, I was hoping for a bigger piece, but thank you. *sprints away with an abundance of pie*

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Next Week: I should wrap up my Zella Kate Presents: The Medieval/Renaissance series with *drum roll* Hamlet! I am a huge Shakespeare fan, and Hamlet is probably my favorite Shakespearean play. I cannot wait to review it! Don't fear, if you're not fan of Billy, I will offer some tips that, even if they don't help you love Shakespeare, will help you understand and appreciate his work.