Animal Farm: Characters (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Characters

It is vital that you understand that characters are often used symbolically to express ideas. Orwell uses all of his characters to symbolise various ideas prevalent in his society, and the differences between characters reflect contemporary debates. Therefore, it is very useful not only to learn about each character individually but how they compare and contrast to other characters in the novella. 

It is important to consider the range of strategies used by Orwell to create and develop characters within Animal Farm. This includes: 

• how characters are established 

• how characters are presented: 

  • physical appearance or suggestions about this 

  • actions and motives for them

  • what they say and think

  • how they interact with others

  • what others say and think about them 

• how far the characters conform to or subvert stereotypes 

• their relationships between other characters

Old Major

• Old Major is presented as an aged boar and is described as a “majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance”:

  • As the oldest animal on the farm, he is depicted as astute, compassionate and self-assured

• Despite only being present in Chapter I, Old Major is an important minor character and Orwell positions his speech as a fundamental aspect of the narrative

• As a character, he introduces the principal theories and ideas on which the revolution is to be based:

  • Animalism becomes the revolutionary philosophy adopted by the animals and is based on Old Major’s aspirations for a utopian society

• Orwell depicts him as visionary and inspirational and he appears almost god-like when he preaches to the other animals 

• His commanding use of rhetoric persuades the animals to rebel:

  • He adeptly reduces complex philosophy to simple maxims so that all of the animals can understand

  • He teaches them the song “Beasts of England” which inspires, unifies and motivates the animals

• From Old Major’s perspective, Man consumes without producing and he contends that the life of animals is one of “misery and slavery” due to their exploitation by man:

  • He appeals to the animals to “remove Man from the scene” so that “the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished forever”

• Orwell uses the character of Old Major to explore ideas about power, control and inequality:

  • He attempts to present the animals with values in order to inspire them, for example: “All animals are equal”

  • He is also used to warn the animals from becoming like humans or adopting their vices, for example: “Remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him"

• The consequences of Old Major’s speech are far-reaching:

  • In some ways, his speech could be viewed positively as it leads to the eviction of Jones and enables Animalism to become a reality for a short period of time

  • However, it also becomes the catalyst for Napoleon’s rise to power and the subsequent brutality on the farm which follows:

    • It could be argued that without Old Major, there would have been no rebellion

• Hence, Old Major can also be viewed as a flawed character:

  • He places the cause of all the animals’ problems entirely on Man by declaring: “All men are enemies. All animals are comrades”

  • His concept that Man is simply evil and animals are simply good is too simplistic and somewhat naïve 

• His use of absolutist language could also be viewed as serving to drive one group against another:

  • Indeed, Old Major could be viewed as preparing the way for Napoleon by instilling authoritarian attitudes in the animals

• Despite Old Major’s best intentions, his admirable and principled ideas are subject to corruption by others for their own benefit:

  • For Orwell, it is not necessarily merely the doctrine which is at fault but the individuals who occupy positions of power and authority within it

• While Old Major’s vision is distilled into Seven Commandments they are continually amended and finally destroyed:

  • By the end of the novella, none of Old Major’s revolutionary principles remain

Napoleon

• Napoleon is first presented as a “fierce-looking boar”, the “only Berkshire on the farm” and one with a “reputation for getting his own way”

  • His description alludes to his manipulative, ambitious, ruthless and tyrannical nature

• Although present at the early meetings of the new state, Napoleon fails to contribute to its ideology or its early efforts to establish itself:

  • He is presented as lacking the idealism of Snowball or Old Major

• Orwell portrays Napoleon as successful in attaining the support of the animals prior to Squealer’s use of propaganda and the use of his dogs

  • Through his powerful and highly persuasive speech, he unites the animals and causes the revolution and declares: “Man is the only real enemy we have”

• However, in order to maintain his power and authority, he uses violence and propaganda as methods of control:

  • He resorts to using force (through his army of dogs) to silence any opposition and to protect himself

  • He controls information (mainly through Squealer) to discredit opponents such as Snowball and to falsify information

• He is a ruthless dictator, solely concerned with his own power and will stop at nothing to gain absolute control:

  • His amendments to the commandments illustrate his willingness to subvert the laws for his own gain

  • His final act of propaganda is to rewrite the seventh commandment to: “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others”

• He rules through fear and his slogan “Vote for Napoleon and the full manger” is used to instil fear into the animals, as they may starve without his leadership

• As a dictator, his brutality and determination are clearly evident:

  • He utilises propaganda to persuade the animals that he is powerful and without fault

  • He perceives Snowball as a threat and a challenge to his leadership and has him removed

• Napoleon is portrayed as having strong leadership skills and both him and Snowball are the natural leaders during the early part of the rebellion:

  • While Snowball has a much wider vision of an improved future, Napoleon is more narrow-sighted and merely thinks of short-term gains

• He is astute and intelligent and knows how to exploit the weaknesses in others and is able to play on their fears, ignorance and stupidity:

  • Napoleon understands that knowledge is power and therefore keeps the other animals in ignorance while the pigs learn useful skills

• Napoleon cleverly indoctrinates the younger groups and focuses his attention on the puppies while Snowball is more idealistic and tries to educate everyone:

  • It suggests Napoleon does not believe in educating the masses and his solitary teaching of the puppies also indicates that he is conspiring against potential opposition leaders

• In some ways, Napoleon could be viewed as an unrealistic character as he has no redeeming features, at least not in any moral sense

  • Orwell depicts Napoleon as a largely silent character which could indicate he is secretive and lacks any transparency or honesty with the others  

• Orwell portrays Napoleon’s transformation into Jones; however, he is much crueller and more vicious:

  • Up until the final chapter, the animals continually fail to realise that their leader is equally as depraved as Jones and disregard all the evidence which might prove it

Snowball

• Snowball is presented as “a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive”

  • Orwell presents Snowball as an articulate orator who is skilled at putting his ideas across to the animals and a much more eloquent communicator than Napoleon 

  • The inventiveness of his imagination is evident in both his long-term vision of a golden age and in practical details such as building a windmill, which indicate that he is inspirational and forward-thinking 

• Snowball is depicted as the animal most in agreement with Old Major’s philosophy:

  • He makes many attempts to use his knowledge to the other animals’ advantage, for example: “Snowball read it aloud for the benefit of the others”

• He is fervent in his belief in equality and the philosophy of Animalism and this is demonstrated by his yearning to educate all of the animals:

  • Although he attempts to teach the other animals to read, his efforts are ultimately doomed as many of the animals lack the motivation to do so

  • His admirable efforts are also in sharp contrast to Napoleon who educates the puppies in isolation

• While his numerous committees fail, his dedication to organising them further reveals his desire to improve the animals' lives:

  • However, ultimately his idealism leads to his downfall

• He is responsible for condensing the commandments into a single maxim: "four legs good, two legs bad" so that the least intelligent can easily comprehend his message

• While first depicted as a companion of Napoleon, he becomes a ferocious rival of his

• He is depicted as a traitor by Napoleon and Squealer and his character is irreversibly smeared by their propaganda

• Napoleon ensures that Snowball’s ideas become misappropriated and his character denigrated

• In the Battle of the Cowshed, Snowball is portrayed as valiant whereas Napoleon is not, yet both earn commendations for their actions:

  • In this regard, Orwell could be seen to be criticising leaders who take the glory for the bravery of their populations

  • Indeed, the events of The Battle of the Cowshed are rewritten and Snowball’s legacy is almost entirely forgotten

• Snowball is presented as a natural leader: he is intellectual, eloquent and inspirational and attempts to present a vision of the future

• Orwell presents Snowball positively though he is not an idealised character and has his own flaws:

  • He exploits the other animals for his own gain when he fails to say anything about taking the milk and apples for the pigs, however he is still intended to be presented as a better alternative to Napoleon

  • Orwell may also have used his character to signify the senselessness of electing principled figures to positions of power and he serves as a reminder that it is power itself that corrupts

Squealer

• Squealer is first described as “a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point, he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tale which was somehow very persuasive”

• Squealer is a skilful orator and he manipulates language to oppress the other animals on the farm, for example: “The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white”

  • Squealer is presented as a propagandist for the pigs

• As Napoleon is not an effective or commanding orator, he uses Squealer as his principal means of communication:

  • He acts as Napoleon's spokesperson and his Minister of Propaganda throughout the narrative

• Squealer’s function in the narrative is to spread misinformation and propaganda:

  • He deceptively limits the animals’ understanding of events on the farm and tries to mitigate any potential challenges to the elite’s authority

  • He is also used to create and maintain distance between the animals and Napoleon

• As a character, Squealer is presented as one with a lack of a conscience and he manipulates information for his own selfish purposes:

  • The most heinous example of his vicious manipulation is when he persuades the animals that Boxer was sent to a veterinary hospital rather than the slaughter house

• He is an opportunist and not only does he thrive within the new society which has been created but he also revels in it

• Squealer’s language is highly persuasive and emotive:

  • He deliberately employs linguistic devices such as direct address, rhetorical devices, repetition and emotive language to manipulate the animals

  • His complex use of language is also used to confuse and intimidate the less intelligent animals 

• Squealer is able to convince animals that Napoleon is working in their best interests:

  • It could be viewed that Squealer is fundamental to Napoleon remaining in power as he can manipulate language extremely well

• His steadfast loyalty to his leader makes him a very effective agent to Napoleon:

  • He continually rationalises Napoleon's rule and vilifies Snowball's reputation

• He is adept at dealing with lies, half-truths or deliberate omissions and his propaganda is used to instil fear so that the animals conform:

  • He skilfully creates self-doubt and a sense of hopelessness among the animals

• Squealer’s maliciousness is evident as he continues to exploit Boxer even after his death:

  • He uses propaganda to convince the animals that Boxer spent his final hours praising Animal Farm and Napoleon and that his only regret was not completing the windmill:

    • His lies are used to manipulate the other animals into completing it in Boxer’s honour

• Orwell does not reveal to what extent Squealer’s propaganda is his own work or that of Napoleon and the other pigs

Boxer

• Boxer is presented as the strongest animal on the farm and is described as “an enormous beast … and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together”

• His presence encourages the majority of the other animals to work hard and he is presented as being “universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work”

• He is governed by a simple philosophy of labour and as a strong horse, his role on the farm is pivotal to its success

• He is fully committed to the principles of Animalism and believes he can improve the lives of others simply through hard work:

  • His determination and resilience are demonstrated through his motto: “I must work harder”

• Boxer can be viewed as representative of the decent, ordinary, working-class worker majority, as he is dedicated, faithful and industrious:

  • However, Orwell uses his character to demonstrate the working-classes’ flaw in their inability to comprehend evident forms of corruption 

• Boxer is committed, generous and self-sacrificing though his lack of intelligence means he is inevitably exploited by the totalitarian regime:

  • He becomes one of Napoleon’s and Snowball’s most devoted followers and his blind allegiance to Napoleon means that he fails to understand that the ideals of the revolution are being corrupted 

  • This is evident through his repeated phrase that “Napoleon is always right”

• Orwell presents Boxer as the most sympathetic character in the novella:

  • His tragic demise and death at a glue factory creates both shock and pathos

  • His death exposes the truth of life on Animal Farm by demonstrating that the animals will never retire

• Despite his enormity, Boxer fails to comprehend how his strength could be used to effect change:

  • He unintentionally contributes to the exploitation of the other animals due to his lack of any critical viewpoint

Minor Characters

Benjamin 

• Benjamin is presented as the oldest and most stubborn character in the novella: he is described as the “oldest animal on the farm, and the worst tempered. He seldom talked, … usually to make some cynical remark”

• From the outset Orwell depicts the two sides of his character: his devotion to Boxer and also his bitter cynicism:

  • He is suspicious of anything new and could be viewed as having a very realistic view of human nature

• He is the only animal who does not either support or oppose the rebellion: “Benjamin was the only animal who did not side with either faction”

• He is also the only other character on the farm, besides the pigs, who can read and write, however he fails to utilise his skills as he “never exercised his faculty. So far as he knew, he said, there was nothing worth reading”

• He is the only animal to understand that Boxer was sold to the glue factory, but he realises this too late to change it:

  • His frantic attempts to save Boxer demonstrate his loyalty towards him

• He appears oblivious and indifferent towards the situation on the farm and is ineffective and unwilling to do anything to effect change:

  • When the animals urge him to read the amended commandments to them, he simply refuses to “interfere in such matters”

  • It is only at the final collapse of Animalism that Benjamin agrees to read the commandments to the others

• Benjamin is depicted as the uninvolved intellectual who despite his wisdom, offers nothing:

• Orwell uses Benjamin as symbolic of those who are aware of oppressive rules but to choose to ignore them

Clover

• Clover is presented as a caring and loyal figure and exhibits more sympathy and kindness than any of the other characters:

  • She is shocked and distressed by the atrocities that occur on the farm

• As a character, Clover is presented in many ways as the female equivalent of Boxer and Orwell states that “these two had great difficulty in thinking anything for themselves”

  • Clover and Boxer are not intelligent enough to examine debates in detail and once they have accepted the pigs as leaders, they both give them their blind obedience

  • Like Boxer, she represents the unthinking working class, who are so easily led by corrupt leaders

• Boxer's physical prowess, as well as Clover's maternal and caring character, make them both powerful in other ways

Mr Jones

• Mr Jones is immediately characterised as irresponsible and self-indulgent and “too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes”:

  • His fondness of alcohol also signifies his weakness which ultimately enables the animals to drive him off his farm

• Jones is the cause of the revolution and his neglect and brutality towards his animals is unpardonable

• He is sharply contrasted with Old Major who commands great respect among the animals

• Orwell uses Jones to demonstrate how leaders become irrelevant once removed from their position of authority

Mollie

• Mollie is presented described as a “Foolish, pretty white mare” which reflects her immaturity and naivety

• She is indolent, vain and obsessed with material possessions and reflects the conceit and self-centredness of some members of society

  • She represents the class who is selfishly interested only in privileges like sugar and ribbons 

  • She is used to represent the middle classes who fail to recognise the necessity for revolution