Stalin’s five-year plan was made to upgrade Russia and bring it current with the rest of the world within a five-year period. In Orwell’s book Animal Farm, Napoleon – Snowball thinks up the idea of constructing a windmill which looks like it is designed to bring the farm up to current technology. In both cases, Stalin and Napoleon come off trying to sell their ideas with the impression that it is to better the lives of the people and the animals of the farm, but in reality the ideas are just dreams thought up to make the leaders look good.
Snowball is a pig who lives on the farm, and is Napoleon’s adversary. He wants to be leader and is always causing problems for Napoleon. In Soviet history, Snowball is like Trotsky, who is Stalin’s rival. Snowball and Trotsky are always trying to get the animals and people to understand that what the leader is doing is not best for them. In both cases, Stalin and Napoleon get tired of the competition and run them off by turning the animals and people against them.
Boxer is a cart horse who works night and day on the windmill and for Napoleon’s cause. When he hurts his hoof and is unable to work, Napoleon is uncaring and sends him off to the slaughterhouse since he is of no further use. Some of the animals come to realize what is happening and are mad at Napoleon, but Napoleon talks his way out of it by convincing the animals that they are mistaken and the hospital uses vehicles marked “slaughterhouse” to pick up injured animals. Stalin’s character was similar as he used people for his own advantage, and when they were not further useful to him, he eliminated them.
The dogs represent Napoleon’s secret police. Napoleon raised them up from pups so they think his way and will do anything for him. They help hunt down Snowball and do Napoleon’s dirty work so everyone is afraid of them. The dogs keep Napoleon in power and act like Stalin’s Russian secret police, who used any means they could to keep Stalin in power. Squealer is the compassionate one and tries to set the animals’ minds at rest and keep peace. He was Orwell’s reparation of propaganda. Squealer expressed napoleons ideas in a way that always made him seam right.
