Lily Dlhosh

Claim: Although the animals agreed that all animals should be equal, Napoleon and Snowball took leadership
and put themselves above the others.
"Notes & Comments: September 2015." New Criterion 34.1 (2015): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 22
Feb. 2016.
Page 2 Orwell meant Animal Farm to be an allegory about Soviet Communism, an illustration of how
revolutionary enthusiasm regularly turns rancid and fosters new forms of tyranny. On this 800th anniversary of
Magna Carta, it is worth stepping back not only to pay homage to the freedoms it anticipated but also to
acknowledge the losses it has recently endured.
Meyers, Jeffrey, and Kingsley Martin. "Chapter 10: ANIMAL FARM: Part 63: Kingsley Martin, New Statesman
And Nation." George Orwell (0-415-15923-7) (1997): 197-199. Literary Reference Center. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
Page 198 So the surface moral of his story is that all would have gone well with the revolution if the wicked
Stalin had not driven the brave and good Trotsky out of Eden. Here Mr. Orwell ruins what should have been a
very perfect piece of satire on human life. For by putting the Stalin-Trotsky struggle in the center he invites
every kind of historical and factual objection.
Page 200 The allegory between the animals and the fate of their revolution (they drive out the human beings and
plan a Utopia entrusted to the leadership of the pigsNapoleon-Stalin,
Snowball-Trotskywith the dogs as police, the sheep as yes-men, the two carthorses, Boxer and Clover, as the
noble hard-working proletariat), and the Russian experiment is beautifully worked out, perhaps the most
felicitous moment being when the animal saboteurs are executed for some of the very crimes of the Russian
trials, such as the sheep who confessed to having urinated in the drinking pool or the goose which kept back
six ears of corn and ate them in the night. The fairy tale ends with the complete victory of Napoleon and the
pigs, who rule Animal Farm with a worse tyranny and a far greater efficiency than its late human owner, the
dissolute Mr. Jones.
Page 206 led by a dictatorial boar named Napoleon, they finally became human beings walking on two legs and
carrying whips just as the old Farmer had done. At each stage of this receding revolution one of the seven
principles of the original rebellion becomes corrupted, so that no animal shall kill any other animal has added
to it the words without cause when there is a great slaughter of the so-called sympathizers of an exiled pig
named Snowball, and no animal shall sleep in a bed takes on with sheets when the pigs move into the human
farmhouse and monopolize its luxuries. Eventually there is only one principle left, modified to all animals are
equal, but some are more equal than others, as Animal Farm, its name changed back to Manor Farm, is
welcomed into the community of human farms again after its neighbors have realized that it makes its lower
animals work harder on less food than any other farm, so that the model workers republic becomes a model of
exploited labor.
Sapakie, Polly. "Freud's Notion Of The Uncanny In ANIMAL FARM." Explicator 69.1 (2011): 10-12. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
Page 11 As the pigs gain power, unrepentantly perverting the aims of the rebellion, they use language as a
weapon, an uncannily subtle manner in which to control the animals. The pigs do more than talk, though, by
manipulating the reality Animal/Manor Farm to the degree that the animals are confounded, sensing that what
once was is now misshapen into an unrecognizable incarnation of the initial rebellion.
Robb, Paul H. "Animal Farm: Overview." Reference Guide to English Literature. Ed. D. L. Kirkpatrick. 2nd ed.
Chicago: St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

No Page Orwell's fable illuminates his satirical theme: man's vulnerability to man's greed for power. His
allegory is a clear statement verified by history.
No Page Hypocrisies are numerous, for special privileges for the pigs are decreed and then justified through
Squealer's Doublespeak. And revisions of the Seven Commandments are continually made to suit Napoleon's
personal wishes. The final cynical attitude of all tyrannies is expressed in the ultimate distillation of the Seven
Commandments into one: ``All Animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.''
"Overview: Animal Farm." Characters in Young Adult Literature. John T Gillespie and Corinne J. Naden.
Detroit: Gale, 1997. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page Napoleon is a mean-looking boar who doesn't talk much. His quiet manner makes the other animals
think he has great depth, which he does not, and that Snowball, because he talks too much, is shallow. That,
also, is untrue. Like Snowball, however, Napoleon does share Major's vision and plan and is willing to work to
see the revolution succeed. The main difference is that Napoleon has his own agenda for a successful
revolution. Whereas Snowball wants good for all, Napoleon concentrates on the advantages he can gain for
himself; and whereas Snowball plans activities out in the open, Napoleon plots secretly, as when he covertly
trains the dogs.
No Page Snowball, who is in tune with the Major's beliefs. With the other leader pig, Napoleon, Snowball takes
charge of sorting out the details of Major's vision. He is the perfect complement to Major because he is able to
organize and put the plan into practical operation.
His downfall is that he shares Major's main weakness: he can't perceive that some of the animals have less than
desirable traits and goals and misguidedly believes that all will work for the common goal. In the end, this flaw
forces him to flee Animal Farm.
No Page He (Napoleon) is ruthless in carrying out his plans for his own betterment. Greed is his overall
characteristic, a motive that never changes throughout the novel. Napoleon becomes better and better at
satisfying his own goals and needs and in duping the other animals into believing that he is doing it all for them.
Each new project that takes all their energy keeps them from questioning whether their lives are truly improved.
Napoleon is a master of propaganda, as was Stalin. And like Stalin, Napoleon uses ruthless tactics to gain his
objectives.
"Overview: Animal Farm." Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen and Kevin Hile. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998.
Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page Napoleon seems to embody the idea that with power comes corruption.
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Animal Farm." Encyclopedia of Fable. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-Clio, Inc., 1998.
34-39. Rpt. in Children's Literature Review. Ed. Tom Burns. Vol. 132. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource
Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page Napoleon achieves political aims by subverting Snowball's authority and by seizing psychological
control through militant posturing, intimidation, and brainwashing. A fable in itself, this sequence mirrors the
ominous motifs of classic Aesopic lore, which characteristically anticipates torture, maiming, exile, and death as
appropriate punishments of the unwary.
No Page Napoleon, a fierce, secretive, taciturn Berkshire boar of 24 stone who sets ambition over principle.
Cunningly self-serving, he deceives his rival, the ingenuous Snowball, and, as a control over minor defections,
trains nine puppies into a parody of a jackbooted hit squad.

Greenblatt, Stephen J. "George Orwell." Three Modern Satirists: Waugh, Orwell, and Huxley. Stephen J.
Greenblatt. Yale University Press, 1965. 35-74. Rpt. in Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen and Kevin Hile.
Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page This is very touching, but unfortunately there is no indication that Snowball is any less corrupt or
power-mad than Napoleon. Indeed, it is remarked, concerning the appropriation of the milk and apples, that
All the pigs were in full agreement on this point, even Snowball and Napoleon. The remainder of Animal
Farm is a chronicle of the consolidation of Napoleon's power through clever politics, propaganda, and terror.
Dissenters are ruthlessly murdered, and when Boxer can no longer work, he is sold to the knacker. One by one,
the Commandments of Animalism are perverted or eliminated, until all that is left is: All animals are equal, but
some animals are more equal than others.
No Page Communism is no more or less evil than Fascism or Capitalism they are all illusions which are
inevitably used by the pigs as a means of satisfying their greed and their lust for power. Religion, too, is merely
a toy of the oppressors and a device to divert the minds of the sufferers. Moses, the tame raven who is always
croaking about the sweet, eternal life in Sugarcandy Mountain, flies after the deposed Farmer Jones, only to
return when Napoleon has established his tyranny.
Times Literary Supplement. "Untitled." Times Literary Supplement (25 Aug. 1945): 401. Rpt. in Short Story
Criticism. Ed. Joseph Palmisano. Vol. 68. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page Even more powerful than Napoleon is Squealer, Napoleon's publicity agent, who justifies every
reactionary decree by arguing that it is really in the animals' own interest and persuades them that to add to the
seventh commandment of the revolution, "All animals are equal," the rider "but some animals are more equal
than others," is not to tamper with the principle of equality. Dictatorship is evil, argues Mr. Orwell with a
pleasant blend of irony and logic while busily telling his fairy story, not only in that it corrupts the characters of
those who dictate, but in that it destroys the intelligence and understanding of those dictated to until there is no
truth anywhere and fear and bewilderment open the way for tyranny ferocious and undisguised.
Iatropoulos, Mary Ellen. "(Re)negotiating the Dystopian Dilemma: Huxley, Orwell, and Angel." The Literary
Angel. Ed. AmiJo Comeford and Tamy Burnett. Jefferson: McFarland, 2010. 115-129. Rpt. in Children's
Literature Review. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 196. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2015. Literature Resource
Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page The pigs explicit betrayal of the utopian ideal heralds anagnorisis for Orwells animals. The dystopian
reality lurking behind the utopian illusion presents itself in a manner that seemsto readers, at leastto be
undeniable
It is easier for the animals to trust in the pigs than to call the utopian illusion into question.
Shelden, Michael. "Animal Story." Orwell. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 357-373. Rpt. in Children's
Literature Review. Ed. Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 196. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2015. Literature Resource
Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page Animal Farm affirms the values of Orwells ideal version of socialism, making it clear that before the
barnyard revolt was subjected to the treachery of the pigs, the animals were happy as they had never conceived
it possible to be. But he also makes it clear that there is no future for socialist revolutions if they look to the
Soviet model for inspiration or spawn Soviet-style leaders. The book provides a powerful illustration of the
consequences that must follow if such leaders are accepted. The animals allow themselves to become easy prey
for Napoleon, who relentlessly accumulates power by playing on the weaknesses of his comrades.
Knapp, John V. "Creative reasoning in the interactive classroom: experiential exercises for teaching George
Orwell's 'Animal Farm.'." College Literature 23.2 (1996): 143+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

No Page The animal's desire for protection from Mr. Jones through the sovereignty of the pigs and particularly
through the collectivized strength of Snowball and Napoleon was only half of the tragic equation; the other half
was that idealistic impulse of the pigs that wanted to protect their fellow animals. Since, however, their idealism
itself became infused with personal competitiveness, they gradually moved from motivations of comradely
protectiveness to the kind of autocratic dismissiveness that sent Boxer to the knackers when he was no longer
useful.
No Page Students will quickly see that Napoleon, Snowball, and the other pigs (the ones) might try to "enslave"
the rest of the animals by taking their tokens (apples and milk) during the competition and leaving everyone else
weakened and hungry. Other animals must then resist whenever and however they are able by keeping as many
of their tokens and rental spaces as is possible. A single winner (or a winning team with one "ruler") must 1)
remain "free;" and 2) "enslave" the others.
Byrne, Katharine. "Not all books are created equal: Orwell & his animals at fifty." Commonweal 123.10 (1996):
14+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page But then, inexorably, methodically, equality and freedom are stripped away as the pigs, under
Napoleon, a ruler as brutal as Jones was, develop a ruling elite that abrogates all privilege to itself at the
expense of the "lower" animals. (The wily pigs explain that they really don't like the milk that they refuse to
share with the other animals; they drink it only to keep up their strength so that they can pursue the welfare of
all.)
No Page Lies and terror now rule "Animal Farm." In the ultimate reversal of Old Major's words, "all animals
are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others." One form of repression has been replaced by
another. In the end, the wretched animals are looking in the window at an economic summit between Men and
Pigs, "Looking from pig to man, and from man to pig they observe that there is no difference between them."
No Page The hard-working wretches of the world contribute to their own fate in their ignorant loyalty and
apathy. In the book, the huge cart-horse, Boxer, a faithful, unquestioning worker ("I will get up earlier; I will
work harder...Napoleon is always right") is sent to the knackers as soon as his usefulness is over. As he is
carried off to his death, the weak protest of his hooves against the side of the van sounds the dying hope of the
animals betrayed. The tendency of power to corrupt must always be recognized; people's hold over their own
fate must prevail: an alert, informed, and wary electorate.
"Animal Farm." Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1995.
Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page The book concerns a group of barnyard animals who overthrow and chase off their exploitative human
masters and set up an egalitarian society of their own. Eventually the animals' intelligent and power-loving
leaders, the pigs, subvert the revolution and form a dictatorship even more oppressive and heartless than that of
their former human masters.
Glover, Beaird. "Animal Farm." Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 23
Feb. 2016.
No Page Napoleon is generally likened to Stalin, and the countenance and actions of Snowball are thought to
resemble those of Leon Trotsky. The name Snowball recalls Trotskys white hair and beard, and possibly, too,
that he crumbled under Stalins opposition. The event in which Snowball is chased away from the farm is
similar to the expulsion of Trotsky from Russia in 1929. The book is written with such sophistication and
subtlety, however, that a reader unaware of Russian history might very well see it as an animal story only.
Moreover, reading the book strictly to find reference to Russian history misses an important point: Orwell said

the book is intended as a satire on dictatorship in general. The name of the ruling pig, Napoleon, is a
reminder that there have been dictators outside Russia. Not Stalin in particular, but totalitarianism is the enemy
Orwell exposes.
Franks, Carol. "Animal Farm." MagillS Survey Of World Literature, Revised Edition (2009): 1-2. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page In this power struggle, essentially between the two young boars Snowball and Napoleon, one sees at
first a sort of idealism, especially in Snowball, who speaks of a system that sounds much like Orwells
particular vision of democratic Socialism. The animals begin by renaming Manor Farm as Animal Farm and
by putting into print their seven commandments, designed primarily to identify their tenets and to discourage
human vices among themselves. At first, the new order almost appears to work: Nobody stole, nobody
grumbled. . . . Nobody shirked or almost nobody. In fact, Orwells animals have human weaknesses that
lead to their destruction.
No Page Gradually, the pigs begin claiming the privileges of an elite ruling class. They eat better than the other
animals, they work less, and they claim more political privileges in making major decisions. The outcome of the
power struggle between Snowball and Napoleon is that Napoleon and his trained dogs drive Snowball into
hiding. Snowball becomes in exile a sort of political scapegoat, a precursor to Emmanuel Goldstein in Nineteen
Eighty-Four. Napoleon, now the totalitarian ruler of Animal Farm, rewrites history, convincing the other
animals that Snowball was really the cause of all their problems and that he, Napoleon, is the solution to them.
No Page Under Napoleons rule, Animal Farm declines steadily. As the pigs break the commandments, they
rewrite them to conform to the new order. The sheep bleat foolish slogans on Napoleons behalf. Napoleons
emissary, Squealer, a persuasive political speaker, convinces the increasingly oppressed animals that nothing
has changed, that the commandments are as they always were, that history remains as it always was, that they
are not doing more work and reaping fewer benefits.
May, Charles E. "Animal Farm." Masterplots II: British & Commonwealth Fiction Series (1987): 1-3. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page The most insidious part of Napoleons campaign for gaining complete power is his manipulation of the
past. With the help of the rhetoric of Squealer and the fierceness of the dogs, he convinces the animals that past
events are not as they remember them for example, that Snowballs part in the Battle of the Cowshed was
exaggerated, that Napoleon had never really opposed the windmill, and that in fact Snowball was a traitor.
Furthermore, under Napoleons regime, the original Seven Commandments are gradually altered and reduced to
suit the specific desires of the ruling pigs.
No Page What is most demoniacally human about the pigs is their use of language not only to manipulate the
immediate behavior of the animals through propaganda, emotive language, and meaningless doubletalk but also
to manipulate history, and thus challenge the nature of actuality itself. This manipulation, however, is only one
primary means of the pigs control; another, equally important, is the threat of brute force as manifested by
Napoleons pack of vicious trained dogs. In the final image of the allegory, the realization is that humans prove
to be no better than animals, and animals prove to be no better than humans.
No Page The law of man is the law of the jungle after all; the truth of power corrupts is the same as the truth
of the fittest shall survive.
Welsh, James M. "Animal Farm." MagillS Guide To Science Fiction & Fantasy Literature (1996): 1-2. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

No Page The animals are led by the teachings of old Major, whose historical counterpart is Karl Marx.
Snowball, the theoretician, represents Leon Trotsky, and it is Snowball who organizes the rebellion against
Farmer Jones, who represents capitalism. Another swine, Napoleon, representing Joseph Stalin, discredits
Snowball with the help of his propagandist, Squealer. Napoleon organizes a counterrevolution with the help of
his guard dogs (the state police or palace guards, in terms of the allegory) and drives Snowball into exile (as
happened with Trotsky), then plays one neighbor, Frederick (Hitler), against the other, Pilkington (a
Churchillian Tory), paralleling the events of World War II.
No Page Orwell explained his motive for writing the book in a special preface he wrote for the Ukrainian
edition. He intended to expose the transformation of the Soviet Union from Socialism into a hierarchical state,
in which the rulers have no more reason to give up their power than any other ruling class. Ultimately, the
democratic principles of Animalism as defined by old Major are redefined as the totalitarian principles of
Napoleon, and the Seven Commandments are changed to accommodate Napoleons reign of terror, particularly
the two words added at the end of one central commandment to make it read, No animal shall kill another
animal without cause.
No Page This barnyard fantasy demonstrates how an ideal state founded on humane principles easily can be
corrupted by the real world. Brutal tyrants driven by greed and ambition may lie and cheat to achieve their own
selfish ends. The novel is distinguished by its clarity of style and the apparent simplicity of its narration, which
has made it a classic that can be read on one level by younger readers for its story content and on other, more
sophisticated levels by those interested in its political thesis. It has become a model of political allegory, a small
masterpiece that speaks eloquently to the turmoil of the twentieth century.
Brockington, Jr., William S. "Animal Farm." Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Fiction Series (1991): 1-2.
Literary Reference Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page Orwells second major theme is his fear of the all-powerful state with its expedient life. In Animal
Farm, Napoleon is certainly the most equal of all. He is cynical, brutal, and above all pragmatic. Once in power,
he will do whatever is necessary to keep his position. The propaganda and lies, the whip, and the vicious dogs
are all part of the corruption of the dream. Ultimately, the animals have even less than before; and the new
ruling class looks and acts like Mr. Jones and his men. Indeed, at the end of the novel, Animal Farm is renamed
Manor Farm, and the practices that meant so much during the early revolutionary period have been abolished. A
dictatorship has been established; the dream is dead.
Whalen-Bridge, John. "Animal Farm." Cyclopedia Of Literary Characters, Revised Third Edition (1998): 1.
Literary Reference Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page Snowball: Snowball, a young boar whose chief rival is Napoleon. Snowball is modeled on Leon
Trotsky and so represents intelligence and organizational ability rather than brute force. It is Snowball, for
example, who writes the Seven Commandments on the barnyard wall, who has the idea of building the
windmill, and who studies the books left behind by Mr. Jones to see what practical benefit he can extract from
them. Like Trotsky, Snowball is exiled after the revolution and is falsely made out to be the chief villain of
Animal Farm.
Napoleon: Napoleon, a young boar who ousts Snowball and assumes complete power over the other animals.
While Snowball is studying human science, Napoleon trains a litter of dogs to become his secret police force.
Napoleon corresponds to Joseph Stalin, who ousted Trotsky after the death of Lenin and who then led bloody
purges against possible and imagined dissenters.
Knapp, John V. "George Orwell." Critical Survey Of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-6. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

No Page The animals continue to work hard, still believing that they are working for themselves. The changes
Napoleon institutes, however, are so at variance with the initial rules of Animal Farm, and life gets to be so
much drudgery, that no one has the memory to recall the ideals of the past, nor the energy to change the present
even if memories were sound.
Brockington, Jr., William S. "Animal Farm." Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Fiction Series (1991): 1-2.
Literary Reference Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page A major theme of Animal Farm is the failure of the dream of a utopia for the inhabitants of Animal
Farm. In Western civilization, the failure of the utopian dream is as old as the story of the Garden of Eden in the
Bible. Orwell meant for his novel to show not only that utopian dreams are unrealistic but also that those who
blindly accept them will be manipulated and controlled by cynics willing to betray the dream. The dream in this
case is a good life for the animals. The method to the dream is, however, far too simplistic. The first slogans,
All Animals Are Equal and Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad, emphasize this simplicity. From the beginning,
not all animals are equal, and the pigs quickly become the new rulers. Worse yet, the pigs just as quickly subvert
the revolution for their own benefit. Orwell demonstrates that the trusting naif will soon become the pawn of
those who are more equal than others. The Boxers of the world will always be the dupes and pawns of the
Napoleons.
No Page Animal Farm itself was an allegory of the history of the Soviet Union since the Bolshevik Revolution
of 1917. Each of the characters in Animal Farm has a counterpart in history. Old Major is not a specific person,
but an amalgam of socialist theorists whose theories had often been subverted by the callous. Snowball
represented Leon Trotsky; Napoleon, Joseph Stalin; the dogs, the secret police; Squealer, the expedient lie; and
Boxer, the loyal worker. Just as the Russian Revolution had broken out spontaneously with the result of hunger
and suffering during World War I, so did the Rebellion on Manor Farm. Sadly, the new Soviet state/Animal
Farm that began as a dream quickly became, in the hands of evil men like Stalin/Napoleon, repressive and
brutal. To Orwell, the totalitarianism of the Communists was no better than the absolutism of the czars.
Welsh, James M. "Animal Farm." MagillS Guide To Science Fiction & Fantasy Literature (1996): 1-2. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
No Page Orwell explained his motive for writing the book in a special preface he wrote for the Ukrainian
edition. He intended to expose the transformation of the Soviet Union from Socialism into a hierarchical state,
in which the rulers have no more reason to give up their power than any other ruling class. Ultimately, the
democratic principles of Animalism as defined by old Major are redefined as the totalitarian principles of
Napoleon, and the Seven Commandments are changed to accommodate Napoleons reign of terror, particularly
the two words added at the end of one central commandment to make it read, No animal shall kill another
animal without cause.
No Page This barnyard fantasy demonstrates how an ideal state founded on humane principles easily can be
corrupted by the real world. Brutal tyrants driven by greed and ambition may lie and cheat to achieve their own
selfish ends. The novel is distinguished by its clarity of style and the apparent simplicity of its narration, which
has made it a classic that can be read on one level by younger readers for its story content and on other, more
sophisticated levels by those interested in its political thesis. It has become a model of political allegory, a small
masterpiece that speaks eloquently to the turmoil of the twentieth century.
No Page This animal fable is a political allegory of the Russian Revolution. The allegory, as various critics have
demonstrated, has exact counterparts to the events and leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution, the October
Revolution, and the development of the Soviet Union into a dictatorship under the control of Joseph Stalin.
May, Charles E. "Animal Farm." Masterplots II: British & Commonwealth Fiction Series (1987): 1-3. Literary
Reference Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

No Page The animals thus are presented as illustrative of the utopian dream of socialism pitted against the vices
of capitalism represented by the humans in the story. Neither political ideology is presented in a favorable light,
but whereas the evils of capitalism are taken for granted, it is the futility of the socialist ideal on which the work
primarily focuses. Yet the means by which it levels this criticism at Communism that is, in terms of a
relatively simple and two-dimensional beast fable does little to illuminate either the virtues or the vices of
that complex ideology.
No Page Animal Farm perhaps works best not as a specific allegory of the Russian Revolution but rather as a
fable about the basic nature of human beings, both in isolation and in groups, which militates against any
utopian ideal. What Orwell has seized upon is precisely those qualities of animals that humans share which
make such an ideal impossible qualities such as sloth, stupidity, fear, and greed. The central irony of the fable
is that although the animals initially rebel against the humans because of behavior which humans usually call
beastly, the animals themselves, as the work progresses, become more and more like humans that is, more
and more base and beastly.
No Page What is most demoniacally human about the pigs is their use of language not only to manipulate the
immediate behavior of the animals through propaganda, emotive language, and meaningless doubletalk but also
to manipulate history, and thus challenge the nature of actuality itself. This manipulation, however, is only one
primary means of the pigs control; another, equally important, is the threat of brute force as manifested by
Napoleons pack of vicious trained dogs. In the final image of the allegory, the realization is that humans prove
to be no better than animals, and animals prove to be no better than humans.
No Page The great ideal of the windmill, itself a Quixotic gesture of idealism, cannot be achieved because the
animals, like humans, are basically limited by their own natures, and because nature itself is blindly indifferent
to the aspirations of man. Orwells own pessimistic view in the work seems to be echoed by the cynical donkey,
Benjamin: Things never had been, nor ever could be much better or worse hunger, hardship, disappointment
being . . . the unalterable law of life. The law of man is the law of the jungle after all; the truth of power
corrupts is the same as the truth of the fittest shall survive.
No Page In terms of the specific allegory Orwell seems to have in mind, however, it is the pigs who are most
specifically drawn and who bear the most pointed one-to-one relationship with real figures. Most critics agree
that Major is the chief theoretician of socialism, Karl Marx, whereas Snowball is Communisms first great
leader and thinker, Leon Trotsky, and Napoleon is its first dictator, Joseph Stalin. The story thus mirrors in
satiric form the history of the Soviet Union from the Russian Revolution to World War II, when Stalin entered
into various deals with Germany and the Allies, presented in the allegory as neighboring human farmers.
No Page By necessity, in allegory characters are two-dimensional figures who are created to serve the purposes
of the underlying conceptual framework. Because they must have a one-to-one relationship with the thematic
targets of the satiric thrust of the work, they cannot possess the complexity of real people in the real world.
Some of the minor figures in Animal Farm are clearly representative of simple human qualities. For example,
the sheep suggest mindless followers who are content to bleat the simplistic slogan, Four legs good, two legs
bad, which the pigs teach them. Mollie, the young mare, represents foolish vanity, content to remain in harness
as long as she is pampered and petted. Benjamin, the donkey, is the cynicism of one who has seen everything
and hopes for nothing. Boxer and Clover are well-meaning but stupid brute workers, sensitive and caring but
not intelligent enough to challenge authority.