Animal Farm: Characters & Setting

• Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is set on Manor Farm, a rural estate in England
• The animals are under Mr. Jones' oppressive rule
• The animals long for a better life

Key Characters in Animal Farm

• Old Major inspires the animals to rebel against human tyranny
• Old Major is an aged, prize-winning boar who serves as the catalyst for the rebellion
• He embodies the ideologies of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin
• These ideologies articulate the principles of Animalism, advocating for equality and the overthrow of human oppressors
• Napoleon is a large, fierce-looking Berkshire boar, and becomes the leader of Animal Farm subsequent to the rebellion
• Napoleon is an allegory for Joseph Stalin, consolidating power through cunning and force
• Napoleon ultimately becomes a tyrant indistinguishable from the humans they overthrew
• Snowball vies with Napoleon and was the original head of the farm after Jones's ousting
• Snowball embodies the intellectual and idealistic aspects of the revolution
• Snowball's life parallels Leon Trotsky's, who was ousted through Napoleon's schemes
• Boxer is a hardworking and loyal cart-horse with strength and dedication, playing a role in Animal Farm's prosperity
• Boxer is dedicated to Animal Farm's ideals with a limited capacity to independently think
• Squealer is a small, white, fat pig who is Napoleon's second-in-command and minister of propaganda
• Squealer is an allegory for the Soviet nomenklatura and journalists, who justify twists and turns in Stalin’s direction

Character Analysis and Allegory

• George Orwell uses character symbols that represent historical figures and political themes
• Orwell critiques corrupted power, manipulated truth, and exploited working class through literary devices like symbolism and pathos in Animal Farm

Napoleon: Symbol for Stalin and Authoritarian Leadership

• Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin, who assumed control of the Soviet Union when Vladimir Lenon died
• Like Stalin, Napoleon uses fear, manipulation, and violence to retain and maintain power
• Napoleon eliminates his rival, Snowball, just as Stalin exiled Trotsky
• Napoleon manipulates and exploits animals, forcing them to perform harder labor while he and the other pigs enjoy luxuries
• He uses Squealer and "the dogs" uses propaganda and fear to silence opposition, an allegory for Stalin's secret police and propaganda
• Napoleon is a pig, symbolizing greed and corruption, and pigs are associated with selfishness
• His name references the French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte, reinforcing absolute power and tyranny

Snowball: Symbol of Trotsky and Idealism

• Snowball mirrors Leon Trotsky, an ambitious revolutionary exiled by Stalin
• Unlike Napoleon, Snowball is portrayed as a visionary leader who genuinely wants to improve the farm with the windmill plan for example
• However, he believes in the power of only logic and persuasion, which makes him naive and vulnerable
• Snowball's expulsion mimics the exile of Trotsky
• Snowball is portrayed sympathetically, and believes in the revolution's ideals
• He supports using force in battle and can be flawed

Boxer: Symbol of the Working Class and Exploitation

• Boxer represents the working class (proletariat), who are loyal to the Communist Party, but are exploited
• Boxer is hardworking and loyal
• Boxer often repeats, “I will work harder" and “Napoleon is always right", and his blind loyalty doesn't see Napoleon's corruption that leads to his betrayal
• Orwell uses pathos to show sympathy, innocence, dedication, and betrayal for Boxer
• His fate is heartbreaking and depicts how oppressive systems use and discard others

Squealer: Symbol of Propaganda and Manipulation

• Squealer represents propaganda and also the way that Soviet media distorts the truth
• Squealer twists facts, rewrites history, and uses rhetoric to justify actions and spread fear
• Squealer's character shows how propaganda shapes opinions, which suggests propaganda "squeals" lies

Themes in Animal Farm: Power and Corruption

• The power and corruption theme is explored through Napoleon's rise to leadership and his transformation into a dictator
• Napoleon consolidates the power:
• Eliminates rivals, such as expelling Snowball
• Instills fear with violence by training "the dogs"
• Rewrites history by changing commandments to justify his actions

Animal Farm: Key Textual Evidence

• An example from the text is, "No animal shall kill any other animal" is changed to "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause."
• Napoleon uses dogs to chase Snowball

Theme in Animal Farm: Propaganda and Manipulation

• Squealer is portrayed as a symbol of propaganda by his twisting of the truth to manipulate others

Squealer Spreads Propaganda Through:

• Lies and deception by always ensuring Napoleon and the farm's survival
• Spreading fear that Mr. Jones will return
• Changing the historical facts.

Animal farm: Literary Devices

• Symbolism and Irony are used in the story
• Squealer represents the government-controlled media
• Inequality and oppression in Animal Farm reveals that the equality animals expect is crushed

Animal Farm: Social Inequality and Betrayal and Boxer's Role

• The story highlights how pigs exploit other animals of the working class
• Boxer represents the working class and his blind loyalty causes suffering
• Boxer is sent to a glue factory which mirrors the way oppressors discard the weak

Animal Farm: Changing Commandments

• “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Final Thoughts on Animal Farm

• Animal farm warns about power, propaganda, and inequality
• It also encourages people to question authority, be critical, and recognize manipulation