Animal Farm Vs. The Godfather Essays - British Films, Cold War Films

Animal Farm Vs. The Godfather Animal Farm vs. The Godfather George Orwell and Mario Puzo wrote Animal Farm and The Godfather (from the book The Godfather), respectively, to express their disillusionment with society and human nature. Animal Farm, written in 1944, is a book that tells the animal fable of a farm in which the farm animals revolt against their human masters. It is an example of social criticism in literature in which Orwell satirized the events in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution. He anthropomorphizes the animals, and eludes each one to a counter part in Russian history. The movie The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppula, also typifies this kind of literature. Besides the central theme of mob life, is another prevalent theme, that of a revolution gone bad. He shows us that, unfortunately, human nature causes us to be vengeful and, for some of us, overly ambitious. Both of these works are similar in that both describe how, even with the best of intentions, our ambitions get the best of us. Both of the authors also demo nstrate that violence and the Machiavellian attitude of the ends justifying the means are deplorable. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm, to discredit the Soviet system by showing its inhumanity and its back-sliding from ideals [he] valued (Gardner, 106) Orwell noted, there exists in England almost no literature of disillusionment with the Soviet Union. Instead, that country is viewed either with ignorant disapproval or with uncritical admiration. (Orwell, 10) The other animals take this utopian idea to heart, and one day actually do revolt and drive the humans out. Two pigs emerge as leaders: Napoleon and Snowball. They constantly argued, but one day, due to a difference over plans to build a windmill, Napoleon exiled Snowball. Almost immediately, Napoleon established a totalitarian government. Soon, the pigs began to get special favors, until finally, they were indistinguishable from humans to the other animals. Immediately the reader can begin to draw parallels between the books characters and the government in 1914-1944 Russia. For example, Old Major, who invented the idea of anima lism, is seen as representing Karl Marx, the creator of communism. Snowball represents Trotksy, a Russian leader after the revolution. He was driven out by Napoleon, who represents Stalin, the most powerful figure in the country. Napoleon then proceeded to remove the freedoms of the animals, and established a dictatorship, under the public veil of animalism. Pigs represent the ruling class because of their stereotype: dirty animals with insatiable appetites. Boxer, the overworked, incredibly strong, dumb horse represents the 2 of 4 common worker in Russia. The two surrounding farms represent two of the countries on the global stage with Russia at the time, Germany and England. Orwell begins his book by criticizing the capitalists and ruling elite, who are represented in Animal Farm by Mr. Jones, the farmer. He is shown as a negligent drunk, who constantly starved his animals. His character is already established as self-indulgent and uncaring. (King, 8) Orwell shows us how, if only animals became aware of their strength, we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the proletariat. (Gardner, 97) What was established in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution was not true communism (animalism), which Orwell approved of, where the people owned all the factories and land. Rather, state communism was established, where a central government owned them. Orwell thought that such a political system, state communism, was open to exploitation by its leaders. Napoleon, after gaining complete control, did anything he wished reserved the best for the pigs, and treated the other animals cruelly. The animals coul d not do anything, unless they again realized their strength in numbers against their own kind. Unfortunately, they were too stupid to realize this and accepted the status quo. It began when the milk and apples were appropriated to the pigs, and continued to when the pigs could drink and sleep on beds, until finally the pigs were the human masters to the rest of the animals. Orwell criticized Germany, representing it as Pinchfield Farm, which betrayed Animal Farm by paying for lumber with counterfeit money. In real life, this represents the Soviet-Germany