Published: October 02, 2008 08:37 pm      

‘Animal Farm’ themes touch today’s realities

BLUEFIELD— Ever since George Orwell’s classic novel “Animal Farm” was published in 1945, it has been seen as a tale of how Marx’s dream of a worker society is destroyed by dictator Joseph Stalin, but people seeing a local play based on Orwell’s work can find more about the overall human condition and elements about today’s financial events.

Adapted by Ed Trotta, artistic director of Summit Stage II, “Animal Farm” tells the story of barnyard animals who drive out their irresponsible owner, Mr. Jones, and take over the management of Manor Farm. The animals try to build a fair and just society, only to see it gradually destroyed from within. Pigs led by a boar named Napoleon gradually subvert the farm’s rules and take over while the other animals-which are unable to read as well as the pigs-allow the corruption to occur.

“When I first read the novel in my idealistic, high school aged youth, I was shocked and angered by the behavior of the pigs who, by capitalizing on their superior skills of being able to read and write, took advantage of the other species, compromised their own laws on animalism, and became more tyrannical than the human farmer, Mr. Jones, had ever been,” Trotta recalled.

When Trotta reached his forties, he read the book again with thoughts of adapting it to the stage.

“That was the year 1996, an election year. I found, to my surprise, that the conduct of the pigs was no longer shocking. It was not even surprising,” he said. “Instead, it was the response of the sheep, continuing to maintain faith in their leaders despite every lie told, that had me churning with frustration.”

Every person who sees the play “Animal Farm” or reads Orwell’s novel has his or her own interpretation of its messages. For Trotta, it’s a story of how power corrupts those who have it.

Ellen Light, the play’s executive producer, sees parallels between the pigs’ behavior, the nation’s major lenders, and the government officials that changed rules so people who couldn’t afford a mortgage could get themselves into debt. Government officials rewrote lending rules and the unknowing, gullible public went along with it.

In the play, a pig named Squealer secretly rewrites the farm’s rules to justify privileges the other pigs claim for themselves. Light said that to her, Squealer represents what commentator Rush Limbaugh called “the drive-by media.”

“He (Squealer) is the scribe who writes the changes,” she said. “He is the apologizer.”

Technical Director W.D. Hasty saw parallels between the public’s reaction to the current economic problems and a scene in which Squealer tells the animals that Boxer, a draft horse, has died: Napoleon sold him to a butcher when he was injured, but says the horse actually died in a hospital. One animal says she’s glad to hear the news, but then she and the other animals turn their backs on Squealer.

They don’t trust what they’re being told anymore, Hasty said.

“Trust is a huge part of government’s role, and when you don’t trust people, you don’t have much else,” he said.

Basically, some members of Congress did not trust President Bush during the crisis, and much of the public has not trusted treasury secretary’s plan to use $700 billion to purchase bad loans.

“You’ve got to trust your leaders or they can’t lead you,” Hasty said.

“Animal Farm” is being presented at the Summit Theatre in Bluefield four more times: Oct. 4 and 5, and Oct. 11 and 12. Call (304) 325-8000 for details.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com