The book Animal Farm by George Orwell displays animals who become discontented with the farmer who owns them. When they decide life has become unbearable, they start a revolution and overthrow their farmer. Once they drive the farmer out, the animals have complete control of the farm. After the humans have been gone for some time, however, life becomes worse due to certain power-hungry animals. Because of the events that happened and the character’s actions, Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian Revolution.
Old-Major, an old show pig on the farm, represents Karl Marx, a Russian who sparked deas of the Russian Revolution. In the very beginning of the story, Old Major calls a meeting for all the animals where he discusses the cruel rule of Farmer Jones’s hand. He believes the animals must all join forces to overthrow the farmer to escape their miserable, laborious lives, and the animals should receive all of the wealth because they do all of the work. Since Karl Marx spoke out about overthrowing the unfair government to the Russian citizens, Old Major is an allegory for him.
Both of these figures believe the working class of people produce the wealth, nd these working class people deserve compensation for their labors. They inspired their people to revolt against those who were treating them poorly. The man Old Major believed to be unjust was Farmer Jones, who solely ran and ruled the farm. Farmer Jones treated his animals poorly, such as when he forgot to feed his animals, which caused them to revolt. In this way, Farmer Jones represents Czar Nicholas II, for they both treat those under them cruelly. They forget to feed their working class, which causes them to be thrown out of power.
The pigs n the farm also allegorically symbolize the people of Soviet Russia. For example, Napoleon allegorically represents Joseph Stalin. In the beginning, Napoleon is a seemingly good pig who wants to make the farm a better place, and he uses this facade to gain power and support from other animals. Once he gains enough support, he uses his position to kick another leader out so he can then gain complete control of the farm. Similarly, Joseph Stalin became the General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1922, and he used this position to obtain support from the Russian citizens.
Once he gained the support he needed, he removed his competition from power, and he became the supreme leader of the Communist Party. This proves the similarities between Stalin and Napoleon, for they are both power-hungry individuals who will stop at nothing to get what they desire, even if it means betraying others. They use their positions as a mean to rise to the top, and they squash any who dare to rival them. Snowball, another pig, is an allegory for Leon Trotsky. Snowball strongly believes in the ideas taught by Old Major, and he truly wishes the best for the farm.
He believes hat Animalism will greatly benefit all farm animals, and he desires to spread it to the other farms. When the farmers come back to the farm to battle, Snowball leads the animals to victory, much like Trotsky led his people to victory in the Russian Civil War. Trotsky believes in the true, original ideas of Communism, and wants to spread them around the globe, much like Snowball wants to spread Animalism across the land. Both of these leaders are kind-hearted and want the best for those that they govern, but their reign lasts for only a moment because malicious forces send them into exile.
Squealer, another pig on the farm, represents Nazi Propaganda artists. The book describes Squealer as a pig who can talk his way out of any situation due to his eloquent way with words. When Napoleon stays as leader for a while, he begins committing corrupt actions behind the animals’ backs, and the animals began hearing rumors about these actions. Once the animals start to question Napoleon’s fidelity, Squealer begins to explain the motives or “truths” of his actions. Squealer stretches the truth and tells animals believable lies to trick them into believing Napoleon’s ntentions were pure.
This strongly resembles the Soviet Propaganda Artists who created ads and posters in Stalin’s favor to trick the Russian people into thinking of him as a just leader. Both Squealer and the artists lied to their people so their leaders could gain more support. Both Napoleon and Stalin felt they needed protection, so they utilized guards to intimidate those who tried to speak against them. In Soviet Russia, Stalin had bodyguards called the KGB. The KGB acted as spies and silenced anyone who opposed Stalin, just as Napoleon had dogs who protected him.
Theses dogs listened to what the farm animals said about Napoleon, and if they said something against their leader, they scared them into silence. The dogs are an allegory for the KGB because they both looked after their leaders, and they made sure those who spoke against the ruler was silenced. Many of the animals beneath the pigs represent other figures from Soviet Russia. For example, Boxer, the big, burly horse of the farm, represents the working class. Boxer works harder than any other animal on the farm, and he adopts the maxim, “I will work harder.
Boxer strongly supports Napoleon, and performs any task to improve life on the farm. At the end of the book, he grows old and cannot work anymore, and instead of the compensation and retirement he deserves, Napoleon betrays him by sending him to the knackers, where a man slaughters him. Similarly, the working class of Russia strongly supported Joseph Stalin because they desperately desired a better class and a better community. Joseph Stalin betrayed, ignored, and killed the working class, despite their hard work and support.
The working class and Boxer give all hey have for a cause they believe in, but their leaders betray them in the end where they face their demise. Mollie is another horse in the story who represents the Bourgeoisie, or the middle class people. The wealthy citizens in Russia did not accept the Revolution, and when they saw more inviting countries with better opportunities, they left their homeland to live there. Mollie is a vain horse who cares about materialistic things. She dismisses and even objects to the Revolution, for she will run out of bows and sugar cubes.
When she sees humans ho offer these things to her, she leaves the farm for a more pampered lifestyle. Mollie and the middle class both reject the revolutions in their homelands because they were no longer able to enjoy the material things they once did. When life became rough, they decided to leave. Moses the raven is an allegory for Religion in the Soviet Union. Moses preaches about Sugarcandy Mountain, where he says the animals will go after they die. The pigs find him irritating, and he leaves for a while, but he eventually comes back.
Similarly, Stalin found the hurches in Russia irksome, and he destroyed their camps and their people. The churches, however, did not completely disappear, for there were about 500 left in 1940. The churches were found irritating, but they never truly left the Russian people, just like Moses never truly left those on the Animal Farm. The farmers on the farms outside of animal farm represent leaders from countries outside of Soviet Russia. Pilkington and Foxwood Farm represent Winston Churchill and the United Kingdom. Britain sent troops after the Russian Revolution to limit Soviet support of the German War effort.
