Animal Farm

Through the fortunes of Animal Farm, Orwell argues that it is difficult to sustain the ideal of equality before one particular group is tempted by corruption, claims a special privilege, and dominates the rest of society. The pigs begin by proclaiming the equality of all animals. However, right after the Rebellion, the pigs hoard the fresh milk for themselves, claiming their superior brainpower requires it. This is an early sign that the pigs would prefer to live a more luxurious existence and that the temptation of corruption can often outweigh the ideals of equality.

The foodstuff the pigs hoard reflects the message about the temptation of corruption. While they initially hoard milk, a staple on the farm and a common resource among the cows, they move on to the sweeter foodstuff of apples. Their products of consumption become even more luxurious when they begin to drink whisky and grow barley purely to distill it into beer. The more abundant their diet becomes, the richer the products they want to consume.

Orwell hence presents the temptation of corruption as a process that begins slowly but increases exponentially as a particular group becomes more and more accustomed to luxury. In Chapter 10, the pigs’ lifestyle escalates as Orwell describes a plethora of items that connect them to humans: magazines, whips, telephones, pipes, and clothes.