Animal Farm

Comparison of characters to Russian Revolution

Animal Farm Russian Revolution

Mr. Jones Czar Nicholas II

• irresponsible to his animals (lets them • a poor leader at best, compared to

starve) western kings
• sometimes cruel - beats them with whip • cruel - sometimes brutal with opponents

• sometimes kind - mixes milk in animal • Sometimes kind - hired students as spies
mash to make $
Old Major Karl Marx

• taught Animalism • invented Communism

• workers do the work, rich keep the $, • "workers of the world unite", take over
animals revolt gov't

• dies before revolution •dies before Russian Revolution

Animalism Communism

• no owners, no rich, but no poor • same

• workers get a better life, all animals • all people equal
equal
• gov't owns everything, people own gov't
• everyone owns the farm
Snowball Leon Trotsky

• young, smart, good speaker, idealistic • other leader of "October Revolution"

• really wants to make life better for all • pure communist, followed Marx
• one of leaders of revolution • wanted to improve life for all in Russia

• chased away into exile by Napoleon's • chased away by Lenin's KGB (Lenin's
dogs secret police)
Napoleon Joseph Stalin

• not a good speaker, not as intelligent like
Snowball
• cruel, brutal, selfish, devious, corrupt
• his ambition is for power, killed
opponents
• not a good speaker, not educated like
Trotsky
• same as Napoleon, didn't follow Marx's
ideas
• cared for power, killed all that opposed

• used dogs, moses, and Squealor to
control animals
Squealer
• big mouth, talks a lot
• convinces animals to believe and follow
Napoleon
• Changes and manipulates the
commandments
The Dogs
• a 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
Moses the Raven
• tells animals about SugarCandy
mountain - Heaven
• animals can go there if they work hard
• Snowball and Major were against him
• they though Heaven was a lie to make
animals work
• Napoleon let him stay because he taught
animals to
• work and not complain
Mollie
• was vain - loved her beauty and self
• didn't think about the animal farm
• went with anyone who gave her what she
wanted
Boxer
• strong, hard working horse, believes in
him
• used KGB, allowed church, and
propagandized
Propaganda department of Lenin's
government
• worked for Stalin to support his image
• used any lie to convince the people to
follow Stalin
• benefited from the fact that education was
controlled
KGB - Secret Police
• not really police, but forced support for
Stalin
• used force, often killed entire families for
disobedience
• totally loyal, part of Lenin's power, even
over army
Religion
• Marx said "Opiate of the people" a lie
• used to make people not complain and do
their work
• Religion was tolerared because people
would work
• Stalin knew religion would stop violent
revolutions
Vain, selfish people in Russia and world
• some people didn't care about revolution
• only though about themselves
• went to other countries that offered more
for them
Dedicated, but tricked communist supporters
• people believed Stalin because he was
 Animal Farm "Communist"
• "Napoleon is always right", "I must work • many stayed loyal after it was obvious
harder" Stalin a tyrant

• gives his all, is betrayed by Napoleon,
who sells him
Benjamin
• old, wise donkey who is suspicious of
revolution
• thinks "nothing ever changes", is right
• his suspicions are true, about Boxer and
sign changes
Overall details about revolution
• betrayed by Stalin who ignored and killed
them
Skeptical people in Russia and outside Russia
• 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
Overall details of Russian Revolution

• it was supposed to make life better for all • supposed to fix problems from Czar
• life was worse at the end • life was even worse long after revolution
• The leaders became the same as, or
worse than, • Stalin made Czar look like a nice guy

• the other farmers (humans) they rebelled

against

Things
Some of the Symbolism from the book.

Animalism - Communism

Hoof & Horn - Hammer and Sickle

Animal Committees - (Soviet Committees). "Egg Production Committee for the hens, the
Clean Tails League for the cows, the Wild Comrades' Re-education Committee (the object
of this was to tame the rats and rabbits), the Whiter Wool Movement for the sheep,"

'Beasts of England' - The song 'Beasts of England' is a metaphor for the ideology of
Communism. In the novel it is said that the song spread throughout the countryside - just
as belief in the communist system spread throughout all of the labor unions in the world. In
many democratic countries (including the U.S.), socialist parties began to grow and
socialists politicians began winning seats in legislatures.

Windmill - The windmill is a symbol for Stalin's 'Five-Year plan'. Just a 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.

Drinking of alcohol - After the revolution it is decided that animals should never again
consume alcohol. After a short time, the pigs ignored began to break this cardinal rule.
This is a metaphor for the intoxicating effects of power.

'Milk' - Shortly after the revolution, the pigs are forced to decide what to do with the 'milk'
(a reference to some sort of commodity). The animals assume that the pigs will distribute it
equally among the masses, and are shocked when they discover that the pigs have decided
to keep it for themselves.

'Apples' - The pigs decided to keep the apples as well.

Places
Locations mentioned in the novel

Animal Farm - The Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.). 'Animal Farm' is the name the animals gave
their farm after the revolution.

Manor Farm - Russia. 'Manor Farm' was the name of the farm when Jones ran it.
Eventually, the Pigs decided that they preferred this old name to the new moniker 'Animal
Farm'.

Foxwood - Foxwood represents England. The novel describes it as "a large, neglected,
old-fashioned farm, much overgrown by woodland, with all its pastures worn out and its
hedges in a disgraceful condition. Its owner, Mr. Pilkington, was an easy-going gentleman
farmer who spent most of his time in fishing or hunting according to the season."

Pinchfiled - Pinchfiled represents Germany. Orwell described it as "The other farm, which
was called Pinchfield, was smaller and better kept. Its owner was a Mr. Frederick, a tough,
shrewd man, perpetually involved in lawsuits and with a name for driving hard bargains."

Willingdon - All of the farms mentioned in the book are located in the city of Willingdon,
which is a metaphor for Europe.
England - Since farms represent the various nations, England is a representation of the
entire world.

The 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.

The Red Lion - A Pub in Willingdon. This may represent the Royal Palace in England, or
could merely represent one of the smaller nations in Europe.

Sugar Candy Mountain - An obvious reference to 'Heaven'. In the novel, Moses

"...claimed to know of the existence of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain,
to which all animals went when they died. It was situated somewhere up in the sky, a little
distance beyond the clouds, Moses said. In Sugarcandy Mountain it was Sunday seven
days a week, clover was in season all the year round, and lump sugar and linseed cake
grew on the hedges. The animals hated Moses because he told tales and did no work, but
some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain, and the pigs had to argue very hard to
persuade them that there was no such place". Later in the novel, the Pigs quietly allow
Moses (the church) to return the farm. Here, Orwell is demonstrating religion's use an
"opiate of the masses". The Pigs realized that by offering their subjects the promise of a
mystical reward after their death, it would help make their miserable over-worked lives
more bearable for them to endure.