Animal FarmCharacter List
Mr. Jones: the owner of Manor Farm in England, and alcoholic who treated his animals poorly;
he symbolizes all farmers; note his generic name. He is also the most obvious villain on Animal Farm. He also represents the Russian Czars, especially Czar or Tsar Nicholas II (czar or tsar: A male monarch or emperor, especially one of the emperors who ruled Russia until the revolution of 1917).
Old Major: the prize Middle White Boar who identifies man as the cause of all the animals’ problems, formulates the ideas of Animalism, and calls for revolution against man;
he is a metaphor for Karl Marx and V.I.Lenin. His speech is a like a grandfatherly philosophy of revolution and change that will benefit all animals. His philosophy is the ideal, pure vision of socialism.
Napoleon: fierce looking Berkshire boar who becomes the tyrannical leader of Animal Farm;
he is the chief villain of the farm. The name Napoleon is coincidental since the legendary dictator of France, Napoleon, was thought by many to be the Anti-Christ. He represents or acts as a metaphor for Stalin. Stalin abandoned the purist philosophy of socialism taught by Marx by giving himself absolute power and luxury while the proletariat (working people) were left to suffer.
Snowball:vicious pig leader of Animal Farm and military tactician who is run off the farm by Napoleon; he is similar to Napoleon at least in the beginning of the story, but as time goes by, it becomes apparent that one of them must go. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky, the archrival of Stalin.
Squealer: a fat porker and a convincing speaker who becomes Napoleon’s “mouthpiece.” He calms the fears and doubt of the other animals and it is said that he can turn “black into white.” He is first described as a manipulator and persuader. Critics compare him with Soviet propaganda or information meant to manipulate the public, or, the Pravda, or the Russian newspaper of the 1930’s that was the primary source of media information. The Pravda was seized by Stalin and his new Bolshevik regime. Squealer, like the newspaper, is the link between Napoleon and the other animals. The Pravda still exists as a major daily newspaper in Russia.
Boxer: loyal, hardworking horse that believes in the Revolution and everything Napoleon says;
he represents the loyal proletariat or unskilled labor or working class. This class was impressed with Stalin (Napoleon) as it appears that they will benefit most from his new system. He also is the metaphor for the Boxer Rebellion in China in the early twentieth century. This was the beginning of communism in China, and communism is still the form of government there.
Clover: stout mare and friend of Boxer, that is also used to represent the proletariat, or unskilled working class.
Old Benjamin:cynical donkey and friend of Boxer who thinks life will continue to go badly, even after the revolution; he stands for the “silent majority” who didn’t protest, but did what was necessary to survive under the Tsar or under Stalin;hesymbolizes the older generation who are critics of the new rebellion. He has a maturity that the other animals lack. He is not sucked in by Napoleon’s propaganda like the others. He remains unchanged after the rebellion. In the end of the story, Benjamin can’t remember what life on the farm was like before the rebellion.
Mollie:Mr. Jones’s cart horse who is vain and fond of ribbons, special treatment and lump sugar; she is a metaphor for the aristocracy and the fact that socialism does not work for everyone. She can’t be bothered by politics, and like the United States, she represents consumerism, as she likes to have ribbons in her hair and is constantly sucking on a sugar cube. She characterizes the typical upper class or upper-middle-class skilled worker who suffers under the new communism concept.
Bluebell: a dog whose puppies are taken and trained by Napoleon
Jessie: another dog whose pups are taken by Napoleon
Pincher: a third dog
Muriel: the white goat who learns how to read; she represents the minority working class who is educated enough to see the hypocritical problems with their leader. She can think for herself and she is the one who reads the commandments to Clover, showing her education.
Moses: the raven and spy for Mr. Jones who tells the animals about Sugar Candy Mountain, a place where they won’t have to work and where they will have all the food they want; he represents Orwell’s view of the Church or the two major organized religions in Russia at that time (Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches). In Orwell’s opinion, the Church is used as a tool by dictatorships to keep the working class people hopeful and productive, hence his lies about the mysterious Sugar Candy Mountain. The animals of the farm hated Moses as he only told stories and never worked. His reappearance late in the novel parallels Stalin’s attempt to reach out to the Catholic Church in regards to his policy towards Poland.
Sheep: followers of Napoleon who are taught by Squealer to call out slogans at critical moments; they could be seen as the loyal followers of the Bolsheviks.
Minimus: a pig who writes poems about Napoleon.
Pigs: Napoleon’s support; they symbolize the communist party loyalists and friends of Stalin. Unlike the other animals, the pigs live in luxury and enjoy the benefits of society that they help control. During the Russian Revolution and directly after it, this group was also known as the Bolsheviks.
Dogs: They represent Napoleon’s bodyguards or more specifically the KGB or secret police used by Stalin.
--- Together, the dogs and pigs also represent the Russian army.
Pigeons: symbolize Soviet propaganda, not to Russia, but to other countries, like Germany, England, France, and the U.S.
Mr. Pilkington: the owner of Foxwood Farm, who tries to help Jones recover his farm after the Rebellion; he represents Great Britain or England and Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of England.
Foxwood Farm: represents England.
Mr. Frederick: the owner of Pinchfield Farm; he symbolizes Hitler and Germany.
Pinchfield Farm: represents Germany.
Mr. Whymper: the agent who sees an opportunity to make money by helping Napoleon carry on trade with the outside world; he symbolizes capitalists and western businessmen and journalists from the west who support capitalism.
The wild animals: represent the peasants of Russia.
The farm buildings: stand in for the Kremlin (the executive branch of the government of Russia).
Windmill:stands for Russian industry that has been built up by the working class.
Destruction of the windmill: is a symbol for the failure of the “Five Year Plan”.