If you’ve haven’t read George Orwell’s Animal Farm, a mere 93 pages, I recommend you do. I’ll wait. This article isn’t going anywhere. But if you have, you may not have realized the deeper, politically slanted meaning behind the “Fairy Story,” as George Orwell calls it. Here’s a character analysis of who the characters symbolize.
Old Major: This old boar symbolizes Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, the creators of communism. Wise and passionate, he inspires the other animals to rebel against Mr. Jones and take possession of the farm.
Napoleon: A power-hungry pig, he represents Joseph Stalin. After chasing Snowball away from the farm, he takes over and rules with absolute power, often taking the majority of the food for himself and his fellow pigs.
Snowball: A more intelligent pig than Napoleon, he symbolizes Trotsky. Trotsky was Stalin’s rival, until he was exiled and assassinated in Mexico at Stalin’s command. Snowball was driven off of the farm by Napoleon, after having a long and successful rule over the animals with plentiful food. He truly believed in the principles of Animalism, unlike Napoleon.
Squealer: Squealer is a pig who is excellent at speaking, but only truly cares about himself. Every time the pigs committed a wrong against Animalism, he convinced the other animals that they were in the right. He symbolizes the Soviet Press, which Stalin controlled.
Boxer: A kind and hardworking horse, his mottos were “Napoleon is always right,” and, “I will work harder.” He symbolizes the working group of males and the peasants of Russia.
Clover: A kind mare, she is appalled at Napoleon’s rule, but does not have the strength or willpower to rise against him. She represents the working group of females and peasants.
The Dogs: The dogs are antagonists in this story. Controlled by Napoleon, they drove Snowball off of the farm and many other heinous crimes. They symbolize the Soviet Secret Police.
Mr. Jones: The former owner of Animal Farm, or Manor Farm, as it was called, he became far too drunk to provide for the animals, and that was the cause of the uprising. He symbolizes the Russian Tsar.
Mr. Frederick: A vicious man, owner of the farm next door, he symbolizes Nazi Germany.
Mr. Pilkington: Another next-door farm owner, he prefers recreation to work and symbolizes the Allies.
As you many have noticed, many of the animals represent prominent figures in the Russian Revolution. That is actually what the story is about! George Orwell wrote this story to symbolize that, but it has been largely forgotten in today’s society. So now you know.
Sources:
George Orwell’s Animal Farm
Animal Farm Characters- Litcharts.com