The world as we know it is on the verge of changing once again. Every few decades, the society
transforms. The 20 th century is a prime of example of this constant state of change. The
transformation from Neo-Classicism to Post Modernism and to whatever comes next (which no one
can say for sure, but it sure looks like we have a robust foundation for the resurgence of anarchy)
has taught us the curious characteristic of change, i.e. constant. Bear in mind, such “phases” are ex-post demarcations that are used to tag time periods as, during the time period no one is made
aware of the “phase”.
Apart from clubbing most of the early 20 th century schools of thought, Modernism also marked the
end of communism and the rise of capitalism. These two ideologies are personified by Boxer and
Napoleon from George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The Animal Farm is a tale about how farm animals
unite to take over the farm from their oppressive ‘human’ owners. They work hard to organize
themselves into a fraternity, educate themselves to use human knowledge and tools in order to
become self-sustaining, all with the aim of living a life of equals while being happier and having
control over their lives. All of this happens with the slogan ‘All animals are equal’. Sounds familiar?
Yes, this can also act as the rudimentary definition of socialism. The ‘leaders’ of the coup, the pigs,
eventually take a liking towards the human way of life, indulging in ‘humanly’ activities - such as
trading, drinking, sleeping in a bed, killing all of which were originally banished from the Animal
Farm – and through abuse of powers and oppression, become the new oppressors. Fundamentally,
the pigs develop a liking towards consumerism, indulge in trade to fuel their new-found liking and
are known to breach trust to sustain their new liking. Wait, this also sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
For those of you haven’t read the novella - though I’d strongly suggest you to read it – here’s an
introduction to the characters. Boxer, a horse, was the strongest animal on the farm and lived his life by the motto ‘I will work harder’ and Napoleon, a pig, was one of the masterminds behind the
animal coup and the eventual leader of the animal farm. While from this brief introduction Napoleon
might come across as the protagonist, he was nothing less than the antagonist and also, the
eventual doom of the revolution.
Here is where Orwell beautifully and effortlessly mocks us, humans, creatures of habit for either
being foolish like Boxer or being cunning like Napoleon. While Boxer was every animal’s role model,
was hard working and selfless and the reason why the farm was successful, he was also blind
towards how the pigs manipulated him, used him and eventually even sold him off to the butcher
instead of sending him to the hospital. Even though he was always tired and beaten up after working
for long hours, he was always happy and satisfied.
On the other hand, Napoleon was smart, cunning, lazy and always got his way, he also won the
animals’ admiration through his manipulative nature. He enjoyed the comforts of ‘human way of life’
while his ‘animal counterparts’ suffered from the cruel treatment and the harsh living conditions.
Yet, at the end of the day, he was feared – not admired – and lived a long and ‘happy’ life.
Here is my question, which life would you pick? Boxer or Napoleon? Morally, you’d say that
everyone should be like Boxer and work hard for the greater good but, deep within the comforts
that Napoleon enjoyed while his ‘comrades’ suffered doesn’t sound bad either. Then you would
come to the conclusion of living a life where you are hardworking and self-less like Boxer while being smart but not manipulative and cunning like Napoleon, right? Well, for those of you who have not
read the Animal Farm, here is the thing – this was the basis of the revolution, this was the motive
behind ousting the humans.
In my naïve opinion, there is no middle way. There is no Napoleon-Boxer hybrid, you are either of
them, but never both. But there is good news, whichever way you pick, as long as you are happy and
satisfied, it does not matter. Being kind to other is as important as advancement and progress.
Napoleon and Boxer are two sides of the same coin. Boxer and Napoleon are lichens, the fungi and
algae in a symbiotic relationship, and can not thrive without the other. Because at the end of the
day, if Napoleon hadn’t orchestrated the revolution, Jones – the human owner of the farm who was
ousted – would have eventually sold him to the butcher while having oppressed him and on the
other hand, had Boxer not ousted the humans, he would have faced the same fate. As for the silver
lining, here is what you can do in either case, be honest and take pride in your work while being true to your goal.
P.S., the world is an Animal Farm and you are an animal here.
P.P.S., all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than the others.