The main aim of Marxism is to bring about a classless society. Thus the reason I chose to study George Orwell's Animal Farm is because its characters share (originally) this same ambition. Animal Farm represents the oppressed masses rising up and forming a `classless' society of their own. While offering a critique of communism in general, the book also serves to act as a mirror of Soviet Russia under Stalin. As reflected throughout the text, it was no secret Orwell considered Russia, and consequently Communism, a counter-revolutionary force that would inevitably become corrupted by greed and power. Indeed, perhaps in order to go further in offering a Marxist reading of the text, it is necessary to pass judgement on the author and the epoch in which the book was written. In doing so, I hope to show just how progressive (or anti-progressive) the book is.

From almost the...