Essay/Term paper: Orwell's animal farm: summary of characters

Essay, term paper, research paper:  George Orwell

Orwell's Animal Farm: Summary of Characters


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.