The Literary Merit of Animal Farm The year 1945 marked a major turning point in world history. In that year came the end of the Second World War, the detonation of the atomic bomb, the beginning of the Cold War. Also in 1945, George Orwell published Animal Farm. The book attracted great interest because of its scathing comments on the Russian communist movement at a time when Britain and Russia were still allies. The critical corpus relating to the novel is among the largest in twentieth-century literature. Attacking the work from a variety of angles, every detail has been poked and prodded, but there is still no consensus on how best to judge Orwell's book. By analyzing the use of simple themes, the comparisons with the Russian communist movement, and the use of animal allegory in George Orwell's Animal Farm, it is possible to evaluate its overall literary value. One of the hallmarks of Animal Farm is its thematic simplicity. Set on a farm in rural Britain, the book tells the story of farm animals and their revolution against humans. Since its chaotic beginnings, the revolution has been able to defend itself from its enemies and make technological advances. However, a rigid hierarchy is soon forged that so closely resembles Farmer Jones's pre-war totalitarian leadership that "the creatures outside seemed from pig to man...but already it was impossible to tell which was which" (Orwell 128). Orwell's smooth, simple narrative is clear and easy to understand, which adds to the book's overall appeal. However, some critics interpret this very simplicity as a weakness. They believe that by making such broad generalizations of very complex situations, the merit of Animal Fa... middle of paper... is assured for years to come. Works Cited: Alldritt, Keith. The making of George Orwell. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1961. Meyers, Jeffrey, ed. George Orwell: The critical legacy. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1975. Orwell, George. Animal farm. 50th anniversary edition with seal, Harcourt Brace & Company, 1996.Zwerdling, Ales. Orwell and the New Left. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1974. Works consulted: Bloom, Harold, ed. Animal Farm by George Orwell. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. Davison, Peter. George Orwell: A Literary Life. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996. Fowler, Roger. The language of George Orwell. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995. Gross, Miriam, ed. The World of George Orwell. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1971.Williams, Raymond. Orwell. London: Fontana Press, 1991.