TOW #3 - Homage to Catalonia (I)

While George Orwell is mainly known for being the author behind best selling novel, Animal Farm, his experiences with war and communism stem from a deep and dark past in which he vividly describes to the reader in his autobiography titled Homage to Catalonia. Prior to beginning his tale, Orwell automatically assumes that the reader is well aware of the tensions in Spain at the time. From the beginning, Orwell makes it clear to the reader of his anti-war mindset by illustrating thoroughly the poverty and spoils caused by war. He uses irony in order to convey to the reader his point. At the time, Orwell’s troops are facing shortages of many essential supplies such as clothing, and Orwell is personally dealing with an outbreak of lice. He remarks, “I think the pacifists might find it helpful to illustrate their pamphlets with enlarged photographs of lice. Glory of war, indeed!” (Orwell 54). Here, Orwell shows some of his dissatisfaction at the war. however it is for the same purpose as when he previously described the conditions the men were facing: to build up the image of the Communists. For example, he later says “Everything was running short - boots, clothes, tobacco, soap, candles, matches, olive oil. Our uniforms were dropping to pieces, and many of the men had no boots, only rope-soled sandals. You came on piles of worn-out boots everywhere. Once we kept a dug-out fire burning for two days mainly with boots, which are not bad fuel.” (Orwell 54).  Here Orwell aims to show just how poorly the Spanish were faring, and that despite that they were still attempting to fight on. This illustrates how Orwell attempted to show the fighters as being good people, with good characteristics who were poorly armed but still fought on, believing in their cause - making them far more sympathetic to the reader.