Saturday, December 10, 2011

How does the theme of inhumanity take place within the story of Animal Farm? What specific actions of the animals make them inhumane?

The basic inhumanity of the animals in Animal Farm is that the pigs perpetrate the same unfairness that caused them to overthrow Mr. Jones in the first place. For example, although the pigs declare that everyone is equal, they quickly establish their dominance early on and deprive the other animals of a fair share of the farm's resources. While the pigs claim most of the resources, the other animals do the hard work. This system of exploitation is very similar to what the humans practiced on the farm, but it has not improved under the pigs' leadership.


When the animals complain, the pigs use fear and the animals' common hatred of the past to excuse their inhumanity. As Squealer tells the animals:




"Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers...Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back!" (page 14).



The pigs' inhumanity is that they perpetrate the evils of the past by knowingly manipulating the other animals through fear. 


One of the most potent examples of the way in which the pigs are inhumane is their treatment of Boxer, an unfailingly hard-working horse who gives endless hours of work to improve the farm. After he can no longer work, he is carted off by a glue maker and never seen again. Boxer, despite trying, cannot read, so he doesn't understand his fate (as he can't read the side of the truck). His illiteracy makes him easier to manipulate and, despite his loyalty, he is sent off the "knacker's" (page 47). This fate is what the pigs had warned Mr. Jones might have in store for Boxer, but they wind up instituting Mr. Jones's harsh system of treatment while pretending that they are helping the animals live a better life. They also take advantage of other animals' weaknesses, such as manipulating Boxer because he can't learn to read. 


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