Animal Farm: A Fairy Story Influences the Kingdom of Gweeblets

George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel Animal Farm was originally subtitled “A Fairy Story,” leaving the reader baffled by its relevance to the content of the story. Initially, the story doesn’t resemble a fairy tale at all; the subtitle seems meaningless, perhaps even mismatched. How could Orwell possibly consider his story to be “A Fairy Story”?

                When the subtitle is pondered a little more, the relevance becomes evident. Orwell’s choice of words is very purposeful. Every fairy tale is written without conscience, and without morality. In the introduction to the book, C.M. Woodhouse compares Animal Farm to fairy tales. He says, “They take place in a world beyond good and evil, where people (or animals) suffer or prosper for reasons unconnected with ethical merit” (Woodhouse, pg. x). It is Orwell’s matter-of-fact story telling that makes Animal Farm a “Fairy Story.”

                Understanding this concept has shown me the importance of displaying the Gweeblet Kingdom in this same non-biased way. I want the reader to have negative feelings about the Kingdom without my personal opinions. This is not to say that I will not place my opinions in my story at all, but they will very subtle and tactfully placed, similarly to the mannerisms of Orwell. During the direct telling of the story (told from several changing perspectives) I plan on writing with the matter-of-factness in a fairy tale; there will be no conscience—no morality. There will be, however, the very opinionated, very moral pages of “The Book”, written from the perspective of Paine. This is where I will be able to speak my mind without subtlety. The voice of Paine in his pages is my way of direct communication with the reader. The contrast of the moral-free world with the opinionated pages of “The Book” should create a very interesting dystopian work.

                In addition to showing me the importance of writing in a voice that lacks morality, Animal Farm has provided me with a working example of a dystopian novel that substitutes humans for something else, while truly capturing and displaying the human spirit through it. This is the most essential piece to creating my story. My primary goal is to make the reader feel a genuine connection to the Gweeblet race in order to understand the moral lessons hidden within my story. The skillful substitution of animals for people in George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an inspiring example of this element used successfully in a dystopian novel.