Allegory in Animal Farm
By: Jake "Allegory Guru" Gillett
Most of the important characters in Animal Farm are a representation of an influential person in the Russian Revolution. Farmer Jones is the owner of the farm who often is drunk and takes poor care of the animals and the farm. Jones is compared to Czar Nicholas II who was the leader of Russia prior to the revolution. Jones like Czar Nicholas was a weak leader and that is why the animals revolted to overthrow him. Old Major is the old pig who has the vision of "Animalism" and comes up with the original idea to take over the farm. Old Major is compared to Karl Marx who is the man who came up with Communism and died before the revolution was carried out just like Old Major. Napoleon is the boar who leads the revolution. Napoleon is mean, rude, selfish, and power hungry. Napoleon is the leader after the revolution and becomes the tyrant who runs Animal Farm with an iron fist. Napoleon gets rid of anyone who opposes him or is no use to him any longer. Napoleon portrays the dictator of the USSR Joesph Stalin. Stalin was, like Napoleon, an evil person with no remorse for anyone. Snowball is a very intelligent boar who is very important to the revolution.
Snowball is a great speaker and has many good ideas such as a windmill. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky. Trotsky was run off by Stalin and blamed for the problems that came to the USSR after his absence. Like Trotsky, Snowball was run off the farm and Napoleon stole Snowball's idea for the windmill and said it was his own idea. Since Trotsky and Stalin weren't very good guys they needed someone to be a buffer, they needed someone to convince people they were great leaders. Stalin had a whole Propaganda Department that controlled the media and the schools to make him look like a good wise leader. This department is interpreted by Squealer in Animal Farm. Squealer is a smooth talking boar who is used as Napoleon's mouth. He rewrites the commandments on the barn and tricks the other animals into believing that Napoleon is doing everything for the good of the farm. Boxer is a hard working horse. Boxer does most of the work that puts the windmill together. Boxer works himself almost to death. Once he cannot help on the farm anymore, Napoleon sells him to the glue factory to get slaughtered. Boxer is represented as the communist followers that followed Stalin no matter what and got betrayed in the end.
Mollie is another horse, but unlike Boxer she is much more superficial. Mollie likes to eat sugar cubes and have pretty bows tied in her hair. Mollie leaves before the revolution to go to Willingdon. Mollie liked humans because she was often treated better than the other animals. Mollie represents the selfish people in Russia that left before the revolution because that was easier. Early in the book Napoleon takes Jessie's puppies away to "educate" them. As Napoleon gains power the readers start to see the dogs again but in a much more vicious fashion. The dogs are used as Napoleon's personal police force and they run Snowball off the farm and kill the hens. The dogs represent Stalin's KGB police force that killed anyone who opposed him. Orwell used Allegory to make fun of and tell a great story of the Russian Revolution.
Snowball is a great speaker and has many good ideas such as a windmill. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky. Trotsky was run off by Stalin and blamed for the problems that came to the USSR after his absence. Like Trotsky, Snowball was run off the farm and Napoleon stole Snowball's idea for the windmill and said it was his own idea. Since Trotsky and Stalin weren't very good guys they needed someone to be a buffer, they needed someone to convince people they were great leaders. Stalin had a whole Propaganda Department that controlled the media and the schools to make him look like a good wise leader. This department is interpreted by Squealer in Animal Farm. Squealer is a smooth talking boar who is used as Napoleon's mouth. He rewrites the commandments on the barn and tricks the other animals into believing that Napoleon is doing everything for the good of the farm. Boxer is a hard working horse. Boxer does most of the work that puts the windmill together. Boxer works himself almost to death. Once he cannot help on the farm anymore, Napoleon sells him to the glue factory to get slaughtered. Boxer is represented as the communist followers that followed Stalin no matter what and got betrayed in the end.
Mollie is another horse, but unlike Boxer she is much more superficial. Mollie likes to eat sugar cubes and have pretty bows tied in her hair. Mollie leaves before the revolution to go to Willingdon. Mollie liked humans because she was often treated better than the other animals. Mollie represents the selfish people in Russia that left before the revolution because that was easier. Early in the book Napoleon takes Jessie's puppies away to "educate" them. As Napoleon gains power the readers start to see the dogs again but in a much more vicious fashion. The dogs are used as Napoleon's personal police force and they run Snowball off the farm and kill the hens. The dogs represent Stalin's KGB police force that killed anyone who opposed him. Orwell used Allegory to make fun of and tell a great story of the Russian Revolution.
Old Major- Karl Marx
Napoleon- Joseph Stalin
Snowball- Leon Trotsky
Squealer- Stalin's Propaganda Department
Mr. Jones- Czar Nicholas II
Pilkington- Churchill/Chamberlain
Fredrick- Hitler
Boxer- Communist supporters
Mollie- Selfish Russian's who left before Revolution
Moses- Russian Orthodox Church
Sheep- Blinded followers of Stalin
Puppies- Military/Police force/KGB
Napoleon- Joseph Stalin
Snowball- Leon Trotsky
Squealer- Stalin's Propaganda Department
Mr. Jones- Czar Nicholas II
Pilkington- Churchill/Chamberlain
Fredrick- Hitler
Boxer- Communist supporters
Mollie- Selfish Russian's who left before Revolution
Moses- Russian Orthodox Church
Sheep- Blinded followers of Stalin
Puppies- Military/Police force/KGB