Animal Farm

All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. George Orwells novel

Animal Farm is a metaphor for communism and the ideology that was prevalent during the

Russian Revolution. It represents the horrible oppression and misplaced leadership that took

place during that time. Each character, event, idea, and setting allegorically connects the real- life

revolution to Orwells fictional piece of literature, Animal Farm.

Every character in the allegory, a story in which the characters and events that take place

are symbols for ideas about human life or a political or historical event, Animal Farm represents

an important figure or group of people in the Russian Revolution. For example, Old Major

represents both Karl Marx, the German political economist, and Vladimir Ilych Lenin, the

Russian Revolution leader. The soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin is depicted by the boar Napolean.

Snowball represents Leon Trotsky, who was chased out of Russia, or the Soviet Union, just as

Snowball was chased out of Manor Farm, or Animal Farm. The character Boxer, an extremely

hard- working and strong, but rather dull, horse, symbolizes the working class of the Soviet

Union. Squealer depicts the Soviet media who used propaganda to promote Stalins tyranny and

to guarantee that the citizens didnt revolt against Stalins leadership. Moses, the raven, is a

symbol for the Russian Orthodox Church. Mr. Jones, the previous owner of the farm, represents

Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov, the last czar of Russia. Romanov was forced to leave Russia,

just as Mr. Jones was forced to leave Manor Farm. Mr. Pilkington is the owner of the farm

Foxwood, and he represents the leaders of England. Mr. Frederick, the owner of Pinchfield

Farm, represents the leaders of Germany.

The events and ideas included in the novel all connect to those of the Russian Revolution.

Animalism is a symbol for communism. Animalism is designed to make all animals equal, as
communism is designed to make all workers equal. Animalism also says animals shall no longer

work for humans, as communism says workers shall no longer work for capitalists. The song

Beasts of England represents the idea of communism. Beasts of England spread throughout

the countryside surrounding Animal Farm, while the idea of communism spread throughout the

world. The windmill that the animals worked so hard to complete, despite the many drawbacks,

represents Stalins Five-Year-Plan. The Five-Year-Plan kept having more and more problems,

buts Stalin just kept coming up with new-and-improved versions of it. The Animal Revolt

represents the Russian Revolution; just as the individual battles of the Animal Revolt represent

individual battles of the revolution.

The settings and places are, as in any story, very important, and they, too represent

places that played a part in the Russian Revolution. Animal Farm symbolizes the Soviet Union,

and the name Manor Farm, as Animal Farm was called when it was under the control of Mr.

Jones, symbolizes the name Russia, as it was called under the rule of the previous czar,

Romanov. Animal Farm is eventually changed back to Manor Farm, as the Soviet Union was

eventually changed back to Russia. The farm Foxwood represents England, and Pinchfield

represents Germany. The town in which Animal Farm is located, Willingdon, symbolizes

Europe, and England, the country Willingdon resides in, symbolizes the whole world. The

farmhouse in which Mr. and Mrs. Jones used to live in represents the Kremlin, where the czar of

Russia dwells. During the revolution, many people wanted to destroy the Kremlin, but it was

decided that it, as with the farmhouse, would be preserved as museum. Stalin eventually took up

residency in the Kremlin, just as Napolean and the other pigs moved into the farmhouse. The

raven, Moses was constantly talking about Sugar Candy Mountain, as the Russian Orthodox

Church preached about Heaven. In the beginning of the revolution, Moses and the church were
both dismissed, and, in Moses case, left, or in the case of the church, faded away. After a while,

however, both came back into play, and were even welcomed. It seems the leaders decided it was

best to give the citizens something good to look forward to after death so that they would not

give up on their bleak and desolate lives on earth.

Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is a direct allegory for the real- life events of the

Russian Revolution. Even after all the hardships and pains the animals of Animal Farm and the

people of Russia went through to be free, they ended up again under the rule of a tyrant. Their

lives were just as oppressed and morbid as they had been before the revolution, and they were

none the wiser.