Animal Farm: Boxer Character Analysis (AQA GCSE English Literature): Revision Note

Boxer is the strongest animal on the farm and he is dedicated and hard-working. However, his devotion and lack of education means he is unable to see the corruption around him. 

Boxer character summary    

Why is Boxer important?

Boxer is depicted as:

• Loyal and hard-working: Boxer represents the loyal and hardworking animals on the farm and he is held in high regard by many. His maxim is “I shall work harder”. He is a brave fighter: in the Battle of the Cowshed he fights “like a stallion” and Napoleon awards him a military decoration, “Animal Hero, First Class”. As he is a large cart-horse and the strongest animal on the farm, he could easily revolt against the pigs and dogs. However, he is so accustomed to following orders from humans that he never once considers challenging the status quo.

• Uneducated: Boxer is uneducated and finds it difficult to “marshal his thoughts”. Although he is firmly committed to the principles of Animalism, his understanding of them is very limited. On one occasion he does attempt to challenge Squealer but he becomes confused and therefore accepts the lie that Snowball was an agent for Mr Jones, demonstrating both his naivety and also his blind allegiance.

• Vulnerable: The pigs take advantage of Boxer’s hard work and by the end of the novella he is weak from starvation and from trying to rebuild the windmill. As he is no longer useful to the pigs, Boxer is deceived into thinking he is going to “the hospital in Willingdon” for treatment, though instead, he is sent to the “Horse Slaughterer and Glue-Boiler”. The other animals are horrified by the barbarity of the pigs and they desperately try to save him but “Boxer was never seen again”. His demise is one of the most poignant events in the novella.

Boxer’s use of language

• Simplistic: Boxer’s lack of education means that his language is simplistic and straightforward. His limited vocabulary means that he relies on maxims, for instance, “I will work harder”. This demonstrates his belief that hard work and sacrifice are key to solving the problems on the farm. However, his thinking is flawed as it ignores the corruption and exploitation around him. Ironically, due to his lack of education, he is unable to read the sign on the van which takes him to the slaughter house.

• Unquestioning: Boxer’s language is largely unquestioning which demonstrates his strong work ethic and devotion to Animalism, but also his acceptance of authority, as he does not challenge or question the pigs’ rule. Indeed, his unquestioning language reinforces the pigs’ control over him; his maxim, “Napoleon is always right” illustrates how he accepts authority without question. 

Boxer’s key quotes  

Boxer’s character development

Boxer character interpretation

Exploitation

Animalism and its ideas about equality are based on the Communist ideas of Karl Marx and Lenin: Communism aimed to create a society where resources and labour are shared equally. However, as Orwell aims to show, the reality of Communism is that labour and resources are never truly shared equally: power always seems to corrupt those in charge.

In Animal Farm, Boxer represents the downtrodden Russian peasants, who were exploited both by the power of Tsar Nicholas II (here, represented by Mr Jones) and subsequently by the Communist leaders, exactly the leaders who claimed they were saving the working classes. Boxer demonstrates the working classes’ industriousness but also their potential exploitation by intellectuals and their ideas. Despite his strength, allegiance and perseverance, Boxer is exploited by the very system he helped to create, and the very leader — Napoleon — to whom he showed total loyalty.