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

Squealer is presented as a selfish and vicious character with a lack of a conscience who manipulates information for his own selfish purposes. 

Squealer character summary   

Why is Squealer important?

Squealer is depicted as:

• Manipulative: Squealer lies to the other animals by stating that sharing food equally would be against the principles of Animalism. A summary of the Commandments becomes a mantra for the sheep who continually chant, “Four legs good, two legs bad” and reveals how indoctrinated some animals have become. The pigs use the Commandments as propaganda to help them maintain control and they amend or remove any Commandment that does not benefit them. By the end of the novella, the Commandments have been condensed to one nonsensical principle: “some animals are more equal than others”.

• Vicious: The ignorance and lack of education of many of the animals make them susceptible to believing misinformation and propaganda and are therefore easily manipulated by Squealer into hard labour: “the animals worked like slaves”. Squealer viciously exploits their ignorance to ensure their continued obedience, thus ensuring the animals accept their suffering as necessary. His brutality is further revealed in Chapter 7, when some of the animals are executed.

Squealer’s use of language

The manner in which Squealer manipulates language has severe consequences for both the animals and the events in the novella. 

• Rhetoric: Squealer’s use of rhetoric and propaganda is used to establish and maintain power over the other animals and is crucial to Napoleon’s rule. He gradually twists and distorts information to justify the pigs’ behaviour and to keep most of the other animals ignorant. The most egregious instance of his deceitful manipulation occurs when Boxer is sent to the slaughterhouse and he convinces the animals that Boxer was taken to a veterinary hospital instead. He deceitfully exploits emotions to divert suspicion from Napoleon, referring to Boxer’s death as “the most affecting sight” he had ever seen.

• Threatening: Squealer convinces the animals that Napoleon is acting in their best interests and repeatedly uses threatening language to instil fear in the animals. Through his rhetoric, the pigs exploit the other animals by making them work longer hours and reducing their food rations. He claims, for example, that “it is for your sake that we drink that milk”. He continually threatens the return of Jones if the other animals fail to comply with the rules: “Jones would come back!”

• Omissions and half-truths: Squealer’s strategy of using omissions and half-truths maintains Napoleon’s authority. He continually confuses the animals, making them doubt their own memory of events: “Squealer was soon able to convince them that their memories had been at fault”. By suggesting the animals’ memories are unreliable, he creates doubt in their minds and ensures that they solely rely on him for the “truth”. For instance, he claims Snowball sabotaged the windmill despite clear evidence that it was damaged by a storm.

Squealer’s key quotes    

Squealer’s character development

Squealer character interpretation

Propaganda

Animalism and the creation of the Seven Commandments are allegorical references to Communism. The altering of the Commandments reflects the way the Soviet government continually revised history to exercise control over people’s beliefs. Initially, the Commandments symbolised a utopian vision where all animals were equal. As Napoleon’s propagandist, Squealer convinces the animals that the Commandments have not changed. For instance, when Squealer secretly amends the Commandment “No animal shall kill any other animal” to “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause”, he convinces the animals that this is how it had always been, thus highlighting the dangers of misinformation and propaganda.