Why is Orwell's use of allegory in Animal Farm effective?

Answer 1

One thing is that as allegory, each aspect of the story of Animal Farm is clearly parallel to something in the real world...making our world easier to understand (forgive me the shadiness of my details here, it has been a long time). Of course this is what allegory IS, very similar to, maybe a little less pointed than, a parable such as you would find in the Gospels of the Bible as taught by Jesus. Another great and very well-articulated example of an allegory is Chronicles of Narnia, which reframes, point per point, elements of Christianity. Stone Table = cross. Aslan = Jesus Sons and Daughters of Adam (and the other creatures) = people. Childrens' innocence = Christian faith and purity. Turkish Delight = temptation. Edmund = betrayal/Judas but also redemption.

As I recall, the reason Animal Farm was a useful commentary was because of the animals themselves. Instead of examining PEOPLE in the book, it talks about animals. You can be more critical, you can look more honestly about things without that mirror effect, that is, at first. Of course eventually we come around to admit that this is really a story about communism and people and how it is impossible to run a communist society due to human nature and our leanings toward greed and self-fulfillment, and our sense of personal pride, anger, jealousy and fear.

It kind of lets people off the hook, temporarily suspending judgment on our behavior, because of the animals in the spotlight. As we point out the mistakes of the animals, we see that they really apply to us.

Answer 2

It takes such an innocent thing, a little farm somewhere, and makes it the setting for a horrible thing.

Answer 3

it illustrates how dictatorships are formed and what they are capable of in a way that's easy to comprehend for younger people

Answer 4

Looks like it wasn't (if you have to ask).