Irony, like humor, is one of the methods be wich a satire communicates its message. Irony is the starting of one thing while intending its opposite. Irony uses wry humor as a weapon, to teach a lesson. There are several ironic lessons here: The general one about instinct overcoming training and laws, and a more specific political one: that individual characters must be taken into account as well as abstract theories when political changes are planed.
one central irony has already been mentioned; it is developed throughout the whole book until its climax in the salt seen: the of the pigs into humans. This irony depends upon the teachings of Old Major in the first chapter, specifically that men are the real enemies of the animals and the cause of the animals suffering so that animals should never copy any human habits. As Old Major says, �In fighting against man, we must not comme to resemble him Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices.� This is the central rule of the Commandments. Major�s teachings are completely falsified: the pigs, the very leaders in the revolution against man , gradually assumed more and more human characteristics, both in there luxurious way of life and in there cruelty to the animals. The irony underlines the fact that the pigs have merely replaced Jones as the exploiters of the animals and the revolution failed.
A parallel irony is contained in the gradual changes in the Seven Commandments wich snowball originally painted on the wall. It is because of there supposing unchanging quality that there is such irony in the small alteration of the commandments. Each small change has the ironic effect of turning each rule into its opposite. The most chilling ironic change of all (and the one wich Orwell is famous for) is the make in the last chapter to the commandment reading �all animals are equal.� The triumphant new dictator-pigs add: �but Somme are more equal than others.�
Ironical, in reality they already do resemble Jones and the other humans mor than animals. it is only a week before the final party at wich the complete transformation to humans takes place.
The story of animal farm is told in the third person and the author does not intrude his own personality into the story. We do not enter the mind of either Napoleon or any other pig or human in the story. The point of view is always the naive one of the poor farm animals. This is introduces by old major himself.
By limiting the point of view in this way, Orwell retains an element of surprise and deepens our sympathy for the animals, by reveling the successive plots of the pigs as these work beasts slowly become aware of them. The reader can understand clues to the truth wich the animals cannot and through this dramatic irony readers are shocked and frustrated, and are able to identify with the poor animals.
Squealer is found lying stunned on the ground beside a broken ladder beneath the wall on wich the seven commandments are written. Nine of the animals could form any idea as to what this meant, except old Benjamin, who would say nothing. The reader does understand, and feels frustration and sympathy. It is through there eyes that we see that the pigs have changed into humans. The animals are confused by the sight, the reader understands clearly the implications of this final scene: that the revolution has comme full circle, back to the time of Jones himself.
The atmosphere os the mood of the book, wich leads us to accept the interpretation of events and characters wich the author suggests. The lesson of this book centers around the expectation of the animals about an ideal society, and the progressive disappointment of these expectations by the pigs, as the ideal society is destroyed. Animal Farm opens in an optimistic mood; the tender scene of the animal fable, in wich, as well, Major describes an exciting prospect for the animals. Above all, Major�s speech recounting hi vision of the future and his song �Beasts of England� are optimistic. The animals are energetically singing the song.
This energetic and positive mood is gradually dissipated after the rebellion, as the difficulties of the animals become progressively worse, and as their leader becomes more and more cruel and selfish. The progressive cruelty of the battles parallels growing inhumanity and loss of hope in Animal Farm.
Just as the three battles with the humans record the progressive darkening of the mood and atmosphere, so do the various assemblies of the animals help record it. The first meeting and its optimistic and energetic mood has described: in fact the whole book, as we have mentioned moves in a descending line from that initial scene. The next important meeting in that line is the assembly called to decide on the windmill, in chapter 5. This meeting is the critical point in the change of mood; the atmosphere of the animal fable is lost for good, when of the chase suggest what is to comme: for the first time, bloodshed.
Napoleon calls yet another important meeting, and this one is the opposite of the one called by Major, both in meaning and in atmosphere; it is a trial, at which the rebellious animals are, one by one, condemned and executed. The atmospheres one of fear: the nine huge dogs uttered growls that send shivers down the animal�s spines.