Animal
Farm
By George Orwell
Allegorical
Representations
“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
Why Animals?

In explaining how he came to write Animal
Farm, Orwell says he once saw a little boy
whipping a horse and later he wrote,

“It struck me that if only such animals became aware
of their strength we should have no power over them,
and that men exploit animals in much the same way
as the rich exploit the [worker].”
Children’s Book? – No!

After Animal Farm was published in 1945, George
Orwell discovered with horror that booksellers were
placing his novel on children’s shelves. According to
his housekeeper, he began traveling from bookstore
to bookstore requesting that the book be shelved with
adult works. This dual identity — as children’s story
and adult satire — has stayed with Orwell’s novel for
more than fifty years.
Significance Today


But why – now that Soviet Communism
has fallen and the Cold War is over –
does Animal Farm deserve our
attention? The answer lies in the power
of allegory. Allegorical fables, because
they require us to make comparisons
and connections, can be meaningful to
any reader in any historical period. The
story of Animal Farm will always have
lessons to teach us about the ways
that people abuse power and
manipulate others.
Orwell's chilling story of the betrayal of
idealism through tyranny and
corruption is as fresh and relevant
today as when it was first published in
1945.
Allegory

Most fables have two levels of meaning. On the surface, the
fable is about animals. But on a second level, the animals
stand for types of people or ideas. The way the animals
interact and the way the plot unfolds says something about
the nature of people or the value of ideas. Any type of
fiction that has multiple levels of meaning in this way is
called an allegory.
Allegory (cont’d)

Boxer
Animal Farm is strongly allegorical,
but it presents a very nice balance
between levels of meaning. On the
first level, the story about the
animals is very moving. But at the
same time, each of the animals does
serve as a symbol. The story's
second level involves the careful
critique Orwell constructed to
comment on Soviet Russia.
Allegory (cont’d)

Yet there is no reason that
allegory must be limited to
two levels. It is possible to
argue that Animal Farm
also has a third and more
general level of meaning. For
instance, the pigs need not
only represent specific
tyrannical soviet leaders.
They could also be symbols
for tyranny more broadly:
their qualities are therefore
not simply the historical
characteristics of a set of
actual men but are the
qualities of all leaders who
rely on repression and
manipulation.
Squealer, Snowball, & Napoleon
Characterization in Fables

We already know that a fable is a narration intended to enforce a
useful truth. Fables have two important characteristics. First, they
teach a moral or lesson. In Animal Farm, the moral involves Orwell’s
views about Soviet politics. Second, the characters are most
frequently animals. These animal characters often function as a
satiric device to point out the follies of humankind. Though Old
Major, Snowball, and Napoleon may represent Karl Marx, Leon
Trotsky, and Joseph Stalin, many of the story characters are much
more general. Some animals are grouped together as a single
character—“the sheep,” “the hens,” and “the dogs.” Orwell also
capitalizes on the traits generally associated with particular animals,
such as sheep as followers and dogs as loyal.
Czar Nicholas II

Mr. Jones

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The irresponsible owner of the
farm
Allows his animals to starve
and beats them with a whip
Sometimes shows random
kindness sometimes kind mixes milk in animal mash

Czar Nicholas II



Weak Russian leader during
the early 1900s
Often cruel and brutal to his
subjects
Displays isolated kindness hired students as spies to
make money
Karl Marx

Old Major



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An old boar whose speech about
the evils perpetrated by humans
rouses the animals into rebelling.
His philosophy concerning the
tyranny of Man is named
Animalism.
He teaches the animals the song
“Beasts of England”
Dies before revolution

Karl Marx / Lenin


The inventor/establisher of
communism
Wants to unite the working class
to overthrow the government.
Religion/Russian Orthodox Church

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Stalin used religious principles to
influence people to work and to
avoid revolt.
Marx said ”Religion in the opiate
of the masses"
Disconnected the working class
from here and now, dulling their
engagement in progressive
politics.
Religion was tolerated because
people would work
Stalin knew religion would stop
violent revolutions

Moses




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A tame raven and sometimespet of Jones who tells the
animals stories about a
paradise called Sugar Candy
Mountain.
animals can go there if they
work hard
Snowball and Major were
against him
they thought Heaven was a lie
to make animals work
Napoleon let him stay because
he taught animals to work and
not complain
KGB/Secret Police/Stalin’s
Bodyguards
The Dogs


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Private army that used fear
to force animals to work
Killed or intimidated any
opponent of Napoleon
Another part of Napoleon's
strategy to control animals



The KGB were not really
police, but mercenaries used
to force support for Stalin.
Used force, often killed entire
families for disobedience
Totally loyal, part of Stalin’s
power, even over army
Leon Trotsky

Snowball




Boar who becomes one of the
rebellion’s most valuable leaders.
After drawing complicated plans
for the construction of a windmill,
he is chased off of the farm
forever by Napoleon’s dogs and
thereafter used as a scapegoat
for the animals’ troubles.
young, smart, good speaker,
idealistic
really wants to make life better for
all

Leon Trotsky


A pure communist leader who was
influenced by the teachings of Karl
Marx.
He wanted to improve life for
people in Russia but was driven
away by Lenin’s KGB.
Joseph Stalin

Napoleon



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Boar who leads the rebellion against
Farmer Jones
After the rebellion’s success, he
systematically begins to control
all aspects of the farm until he is
an undisputed tyrant. Napoleon
An abrupt speaker, not as clever
like Snowball
Cruel, brutal, selfish, devious,
corrupt
His ambition is for power, killed
opponents
Used dogs, Moses, and Squealer to
control animals

Joseph Stain





The communist dictator of the
Soviet Union from 1922-1953 who
killed all who opposed him.
He loved power and used the KGB
(secret police) to enforce his
ruthless, corrupt antics.
An abrupt speaker, not educated
like Trotsky
Same as Napoleon, didn't follow
Marx's ideas
Used KGB, allowed church, and
propagandized
Working Class/Proletariat
BOXER



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Strong, hard-working horse,
believes in Animal Farm
"Napoleon is always right",
"I must work harder"
Gives his all, is betrayed by
Napoleon
A dedicated but dimwitted
horse who aids in the
building of the windmill.
Represents the dedicated
but tricked communist
supporters of Stalin. Many
stayed loyal even after it
was obvious Stalin was a
tyrant. Eventually they
were betrayed, ignored, and
even killed by him.
Clover = Female Working Class


Clover is a gentle, motherly, and
powerful mare, who supports the
revolution, but becomes
dismayed by the direction it takes
under Napoleon. Yet she has
neither the will nor the
personality to resist the pigs. She
becomes a witness to the
corruption of the revolution as it
turns into a totalitarian state,
though she only vaguely
understands that something has
gone wrong.
Clover symbolizes the female
working class and peasants of the
Soviet Union.
Propaganda/Newspaper
 Squealer





=
A big mouth pig who becomes
Napoleon’s mouthpiece.
Throughout the novel, he
displays his ability to
manipulate the animals’
thoughts through the use of
hollow, yet convincing
rhetoric.
Convinces animals to believe
and follow Napoleon
Changes and manipulates the
commandments
Represents the propaganda
department that worked to
support Stalin’s image; the
members of the department
would use lies to convince the
people to follow Stalin.
Benefited from the fact that
education was controlled.
Upper-class Skilled Worker or
Bourgeoisie who fled the U.S.S.R.





Mollie
A vain horse who resists the
animal rebellion because she
doesn't want to give up the
petting and treats, she receives
from humans.
Went with anyone who gave her
what she wanted
Mollie represents vain, selfish
people in Russia and throughout
the world who ignored the
revolution and sought residence
in more inviting countries.
Aristocracy themselves
Went to other countries that
offered more for them
Older Generation Who are
Critics of the Rebellion
Benjamin =




Old, wise donkey who is
suspicious of revolution
Thinks "nothing ever changes", is
right
The most cynical of all the
animals, the farm's donkey doubts
the leadership of the pigs but is
faithfully devoted to Boxer
His suspicions are true, about
Boxer and sign changes



Benjamin represents all the
skeptical people in Russia and
elsewhere who weren’t sure
revolution would change anything.
Realized that a crazy leader can
call himself communist
Knew that communism wouldn't
work with power hungry leaders
The Minority of Working Class who
are Educated



Muriel
A goat who believes in the
rebellion, she watches as Animal
Farm slips away from its founding
principles.
Muriel represents the minority of
working-class people who are
educated enough to decide things
for themselves and find critical
and hypocritical problems with
their leaders. Unfortunately for
the other animals, Muriel is not
charismatic or inspired enough to
take action and oppose Napoleon
and his pigs.
Communist Party Loyalists,
Friends of Stalin


The Pigs
They got all the
luxuries, and hardly
had to do anything,
but keep secrets from
their fellow mates,
and boss people
around.
Unskilled Working Class
The Sheep



Not tremendously clever, the
sheep remind themselves of
the principles of animalism by
chanting "four legs good, two
legs bad."
Uneducated in anything but
Animalism, the sheep believe
whatever propaganda is told to
them and follow orders.
They represent the duped
citizens of a totalitarian state.



Unethical, Silent Rejecters of
the
“New
Order”
The Cat
The unethical, “lazy” people who
go along with Communism even
though they see its issues,
because it means they get fed,
without having to work.
Voted on both sides of the 'ratcomrade' question. "The cat
joined the Re-education
Committee and was very active in
it for some days. She was seen
one day sitting on a roof and
talking to some sparrows who
were just out of her reach. She
was telling them that all animals
were now comrades and that any
sparrow who chose could come
and perch on her paw; but the
sparrows kept their distance."
The Cat disappeared right before
the 'purges'.
Soviet Propaganda Delivered to Other
Countries Through Seeking Wealth


Mr. Whymper =
The human that the
pigs use as their
connection to the
outside world,
Whymper symbolizes
capitalists who got
rich doing business
with the USSR.
Place Where Greed and Lust
Dominate


Farmhouse =
(The Kremlin.) Home of
Mr. Jones (the Czar).
After the revolution, there
were some that wanted
to destroy the farmhouse,
but it was decided to
preserve it as a museum.
(The Kremlin was saved
in a similar manner).
Eventually, Napoleon
(Stalin) decided to take
up residence there.
Gun =

The gun started out
as a symbol for the
animal’s freedom only
to become a symbol
for Napoleon’s
oppression and rule.
Flag =
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This was the flag during the
Russian Revolution. The
symbols on the flag are a
hammer and a sickle.
Hammer: The workers
(factory/industrial) Sickle:
Farmers
This is the flag that was made
during the Revolution in
Animal Farm. The symbols on
the flag are a hoof and a horn.
Hoof: Hammer from the
Russian flag (the workers)
Horn: Sickle from the Russian
flag (farmers)
The Overthrow of the Czar


The Battle of
Cowshed=
The Return of Jones . Red
October. The battle of the
Tsarists forces against the
Bolsheviks. (The Reds vs. the
Whites) "The civil war between
the Bolsheviks (Reds) and the
anti-Bolsheviks (Whites)
ravaged Russia until 1920.
Luxuries of the life enjoyed by
the middle class

Ribbons!
Sugar & Apples =


Commodities for the
Privileged
Signs of wealth
Milk =

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Vodka
After the revolution it is
decided that animals
should never again
consume milk/alcohol.
After a short time, the
pigs began to break this
cardinal rule.
This could also be a
metaphor for the
intoxicating effects of
power.
Windmill = Soviet Industry

The windmill is a symbol for
Stalin's 'Five-Year plan'. Just as
the windmill was promised to
make the animal's life easier, the
'Five-Year Plan' was supposed to
improve Soviet industry to the
point that the proletariats' life as
well by increasing production and
allowing the soviets to shorten
the work-week. And just like the
windmill, Stalin's plan was an
utter failure. After the destruction
of the Windmill, the Animals
decided to build another one and
in real-life, Stalin kept churning
out new 'Five-year Plans' promising that each new plan
would solve all of Russia's
problems and bring the USSR
closer to parity with the
industrialized nations of the west.
More Characters

Mr. Pilkington –
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Mr. Frederick –
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Owner of Foxwood (Roosevelt and Churchill). He doesn't
represent one person in particular, but rather is a composite.
Owner of Pinchfield = Hitler. It is said that Frederick had
''flogged an old horse to death (A reference to Hitler's
euthanasia program), he had starved his cows (A reference to
the Jews), he had killed a dog by throwing it into the furnace
(Most likely a reference to Night of Knives), and that he amused
himself in the evenings by making cocks fight with splinters of
razor-blade tied to their spurs.'‘
See “Handout” for more information.
Minimus = Propaganda take over of Art

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A pig who writes propaganda
poems and songs praising
Napoleon and Animal Farm.
Minimus represents the takeover
of art by propaganda in a
totalitarian state that aims to
control what its citizens think.
A movement was initiated to put
all arts to service of the
dictatorship of the proletariat.
The ideas of “Proletkult "
(Proletarian Cultural and
Enlightenment Organizations)
attracted the interests of Russian
avant-garde, such as Kazimir
Malevich. However, the ideas of
the avant-garde eventually
clashed with the newly emerged
state-sponsored direction of
Socialist Realism.
Events
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
The Animal Revolt - The Russian Revolution.
Battle of Cowshed - The Return of Jones . Red October. The battle of the
Tsarists forces against the Bolsheviks. (The Reds vs. the Whites) "The civil
war between the Bolsheviks (Reds) and the anti-Bolsheviks (Whites)
ravaged Russia until 1920. The Whites represented all shades of antiCommunist groups, including members of the constituent assembly. Several
of their leaders favored setting up a military dictatorship, but few were
outspoken czarists."
Pigeons sent to incite other rebellions - Communist Internationale
Events
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
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The hens' revolt - This signifies the Ukrainian
peasants’ bitter resistance to collective farming.
Selling of the wood to Frederick - Nazi-Soviet
pact
Battle of the Windmill - Battle of Stalingrad German Invasion of Russia During WWII.
Animalism = Communism

Animalism

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
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Taught my Old Major
No rich, but no poor
Better life for workers
All animals are equal
Everyone owns the
farm

Communism




Invented by Karl Marx
All people are equal
Government owns
everything
People own the
government
Animal Farm Revolution
= Russian Revolution

Animal Farm Revolution

Was supposed to make life
better for all, but . . .


Life was worse at the end.
The leaders became the
same as, or worse than the
other farmers (humans) they
rebelled against.

Russian Revolution

Was supposed to fix the
problems created by the
Czar, but . . .


Life was even worse after
the revolution.
Stalin made the Czar look
like a nice guy.
A “simple” story becomes:



A moral warning against the abuse of
power
A fable of human strengths and
weaknesses
My bias: When a populace doesn’t pay
close attention to its leadership,
hegemony (a dominant culture maintains
its dominant position) sets in and the
general population bears the brunt.
How do we steer clear of the dangers
Orwell warns us against?


By becoming and staying informed, of
course, but this is not as easy as it might
sound.
Why?