ORWELL’S ANIMAL FARM AS A UNIVERSAL POLITICAL ALLEGORY TO REFLECT ON PAKISTANI POLITICAL HISTORY

Abstract

The paper presents a comparative analysis of George Orwell’s political allegory Animal Farm with Pakistani politics. For Tambling (2010), “[a]llegory describes one thing under the image of another, or speaks one thing while implying something else” (p. 6), whereas Cuddon (2013) describes allegory as “a story or image with several layers of meaning: behind the literal or surface meaning lie one or more secondary meanings of varying degrees of complexity” (p. 21). Orwell used this literary device in his novella Animal Farm (1945) to reflect upon the failure of the Russian Revolution. This paper aims to analyze the novella’s themes, concepts, and their relevance to the political history of Pakistan. Through this comparative study of Orwell’s Animal Farm and Pakistani political history we examine power structures as well as the causes that lead to the failure of revolutions and nations. The paper locates the similar elements of betrayal, corruption, deceit, unchecked authority and class stratification as in Animal Farm that have contributed to shaping the socio-political contours of Pakistani nation over the years since her inception. Establishing Orwell’s novella as a universal allegory the paper offers an introspective examination of the Pakistani political landscape, serving as a reminder that lessons learned from a universal allegory such as Animal Farm can help us understand better and navigate societal challenges in order to avoid the pitfalls that lead to the destruction and failure of any society. The paper is an appreciation of Orwell’s timeless allegory as a valuable literary resource for understanding the political systems globally.