Animal Farm Mini-Essay

In each of the animials in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, there lies a person or type of person in Russian Communism. Boxer represents the people who unconditionally supported Stalin, later assasinated because he was a safety risk to the pigs. Clover represents the educated people who were putting the puzzle together. However, the pigs are some of the most predominant symbols in the story.

Major, a boar in the beginning of the book, represents Marx. Karl Marx was a European philosopher who set the basis for Communism. Similarly, Major gave a speech of a wonderful society without humans, where everyone was equal. His speech inspired all the animals in the farm. He states, “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing...yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself." With this quote, he incites that all humans are evil. Later, when the farmer’s family is overthrown, the phrase “Four legs good, Two legs bad” is formed. The lesser animals in the farm have been completely misguided by the speech that all humans are horrible and selfish people. In reality, this is not the case.

Some time after Major dies, a revolt by the farm animals occurs.They are led by Snowball and Napoleon, the successive boars after Major. Although their cause is the same, they have a different view on the future of the farm animals. Snowball desires to fulfill the dream Major had. He creates a set of seven laws fashioned after the ideals of Major. Snowball states, “All animals are equal”. He creates this law based on Major’s speech. Essentially, Snowball is the creature that goes through thick and thin with the other farm animals. All of the animals are amazed by his dedication to them through his words

Napoleon, on the other hand, resembles more of a serpent. Sometime later, the two enter a fight, and Napoleon is projected to lose the election. In response, Napoleon uses his own secret police to get rid of Snowball, the same way Stalin did to Trotsky. Then, he begins to change up Snowball’s laws. Referring to the one above, it newly stated, “All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others.” He utilizes the lower intellect of the animals against them. And the animals don’t notice the changes he’s made.

In conclusion, Napoleon and Snowball had completely different views of Major’s ideal, and the way they convinced the other animals were completely different as well.