Animal Farm by George Orwell Review
Perhaps this week you're looking for something that won't be quite as long as a systematic theology, but still gives you in-depth insight, maybe not on theology but on another topic. Why don't I recommend Animal Farm by George Orwell? I mostly review Reformed books, but on occasion I step out of my category a little.
The book
It's a very short book, one you could probably read in an afternoon or an evening. My edition, from Everyman's Library, is 113 pages including two appendixes, so the story itself is only about 93. It's clothbound and Smyth-sewn with a little blue ribbon. I bought it used, so the ribbon was a little frayed and I ended up tying a knot in it.
This edition includes an introduction, a select bibliography, a textual note, and a chronology that I found very helpful. It goes year by year through Orwell's life, and alongside it lists what was happening in world history, so you see world history next to this man's history.
About the author
George Orwell's real name was Eric Arthur Blair. He was born on June 25, 1903, and died on January 21, 1950. He was a novelist, essayist and journalist, best known for his two allegorical works, Animal Farm and 1984 (which I haven't read yet, and need to).
His grandfather was an Anglican clergyman. Orwell spent time as a teacher, was wounded in the Spanish Civil War, and was a journalist during the Second World War. He was married twice, his first wife dying I believe five years after their marriage, and he had one son. He had strong political opinions on Stalinism, fascism, authoritarianism, democracy, socialism and totalitarianism.
One thing the Christian reader ought to be aware of before reading: Orwell totally rejected Christianity. He didn't accept any part of it as true.
What it's about
A farm run by people is overthrown by the animals. They set seven commandments and follow them, up until the pigs begin to break the rules, change the rules, and become humans themselves. By the end you can't tell the difference between the pigs and the humans. They go in an entire circle: they want freedom, and they walk right back into the slavery they knew at the beginning.
That's the political lesson. If you aren't careful, you'll end up right back where you were, especially when it comes to things like religious freedom, which we're seeing slowly taken away from us today. And the true freedom Orwell's animals were looking for only truly comes through Christ. In Christ, one may have that freedom regardless of temporal situations.
Would I buy it?
If you don't own it, I'd strongly recommend you buy it and read it, while you still can. It's an extremely easy read.
Of course, as Christians we should be careful about what we put into our minds, so read with caution. But overall it's a harmless book. It teaches good judgment about government and gives everyone a warning about what it truly means to be free and how we maintain freedom. It could even be read as a children's book. Children love animals, and there's nothing inappropriate in it. (They'll be let down when the animals turn into humans, though.)
Soli Deo Gloria!
.png)
