A Study Of The Dystopian Elements In George Orwell’s Animal Farm

George Orwell is one of the most outstanding British political writers in the20th century. Being set in the world’s political landscape in the thirties and forties of the20th century, most of his works portray the tragic life of the exploited under the totalitarian oppression. Animal Farm is such a work. After capturing the farm, animals’expectation for an egalitarian utopia does not come true. On the contrary, the mass live a tragic life under Napolean’s totalitarian control.Based on Michel Foucault’s power mechanism theory and dystopian literature features, this thesis is to have a comprehensive study of the dystopian elements in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The following aspects will be included in introduction:first, a brief introduction about George Orwell and Animal Farm will be given to enhance readers’ understanding of the background information; second, it presents a detailed introduction to the development of themes of utopia and dystopia; third, it summarizes the criticisms at home and abroad on George Orwell and Animal Farm. The first chapter focuses on the study of Animal Farm from the subversion of a human-dominated society and discloses that human beings’laziness, greed and dishonesty lead to the fall of the farm. In the traditional utopian works, human beings are in a dominated position and the animals are raised for entertaining the guests. However, in Animal Farm, animals defeat human beings and become dominators of the farm. At last, they conspire together to oppress the exploited. The second chapter discusses Napolean’s restrict of freedom upon the animals by constructing the windmill and employing the barn as a place for hierarchical surveillance in terms of Foucault’s power mechanism theory. Being different from More’s Utopia where citizens can enjoy their free time after finishing six hours’work, the freedom of the mass in the farm is restrained. Chapter three analyzes Napolean’s deprivation of the equal discourse power of the mass from two aspects:unbalanced discourse power and malignant transformation of discourse. In More’s Utopia, citizens can voice themselves in the council house. However, in Animal Farm, animals’discourse power is deprived by Napolean. By depriving the discourse power and transforming the content of discourse, Napolean becomes the sole autocrat who has the right to speak and order in the true sense. Chapter four analyzes the inhuman ruling executed upon the mass, including ruling by violence and ruling by power. The process and outcome of resistance resulting from power ruling will also be discussed. Napolean rules the animals by terrible violence such as segregation and slaughter. In Utopia, everything goes according to the law. Citizens who have sinned can get the chance of mending their ways and turning over new leaf. However, Napolean’s brutal violence upon the mass fills the farm with bloody smell.Conclusion elaborates that the study of Animal Farm from the perspective of dystopian theme can help the readers understand Orwell’s political ideal and his thought of anti-totalitarianism. Orwell intends to express the strong hatred and resistance of the oppressed towards the ruling class’s exploitation and their expectation of a utopian society.