To understand this literary classic, you need to know about the author's intentions in writing the novel. Animal Farm, weirdly enough also called A Fairy Story, by George Orwell (a pen name for the Englishman Eric Blair) is the 1945 classic written to warn the viewing audience of Stalin's version of communism. George Orwell identified as a democratic socialist and during the late 1930's became aware of the Soviet Union leader Stalin's backwards regarding it.  What was meant to be a political system that equally rewarded all people was twisted to the point of giving almost all freedom to the corrupt upper class. The future author was disgusted by the entire practice by his real life experiences in a trip to Russia and wrote out his feelings in the one hundred twelve page novel.

This tale depicted a metaphorical Soviet Union in the main setting of the Manor Farm. In a fashion similar to the Russian Revolution, the farm animals, primarily the pigs, rename it Animal Farm. Originally two pigs rule the farm; the kindly representation of George Orwell, Snowball, and the cruel representation of Stalin, Napoleon. Eventually, Snowball is driven out of the farm by a traitorous Napoleon, who twists the government system of the farm to benefit only himself and all of the other pigs. The working class, all of the other farm animals, are forced in grueling, seemingly endless labor with only enough food to keep them alive and a sturdy place to sleep in. The ruling class pigs become more and more corrupt by the end of the book, transforming into a creature indistinguishable from human beings. It is a cautionary tale that no one should take lightly.

In my opinion, George Orwell's Animal Farm is more than just a cautionary tale about the dangers of communism. It is a well written historical fiction and fantasy novel that manages to entertain two entire crowds of readers. The first are the readers who enjoy works based on political ideologies. The second crowd are the readers, like myself, who crave creative story lines with a strong message fused inside of it. For that, the classic novel deserves the praise it has been receiving.

Another strength of Animal Farm is its ability to not make the main subject manner, in this case communism, too preachy. If you are not reading it for its political stance, you can still enjoy the novel for its great storytelling. The plot line of farm animals trying to win their freedom from corrupt human beings keeps even the most general of readers entertained. You will find yourself immediately siding with the animals, especially after the first verse of their revolutionary chant "Beasts of England". You will want them to overthrow the mean, sadistic Mr. Jones; an old farmer whose cruelties to the animals make him the ideal enemy to the main cast. You will cheer with the animals at their victory at winning over the farm time and time again. You will enjoy the hardworking horse Boxer, the caring pig co-leader Snowball, the narasistic donkey Benjamin, and the sympathizing horse Clover. You will root against the power hungry Napoleon, the master manipulator Squealer, and the brainwashed crowd of dogs that help overthrow Snowball alongside the traitorous Napoleon. By the end, you will fell sorry for the animals of the farm for the cruel leadership they have endured with the many tragedies that followed Napoleon's complete takeover.

I am not going to lie that this book may be hard for some people to read. Despite Animal Farm being labeled seemingly innocently enough as a fairy tale, many dark ventures occur in the plot line. These include mass public killings, graphic depictions of the regular farm animals being overworked to death, and even the death of a character at the hands of a glue factory. If you love animals, you might want to avoid this book. However, if you crave a strong storyline and well written main message about me, Animal Farm is just right for you.