Animal Farm
by George Orwell
Table of Contents
Cast of Characters
Old Major – Old Major is based on a combination of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. He is one of the pigs, an older boar. He calls the animals together to discuss what he perceives as the inequities of how animals are treated under the farm system. He teaches the animals the song “Beasts of England” and inspires the Rebellion with his vision of a utopian society, which is based on Socialist principles. Old Major dies, thus leaving Napoleon and Snowball to vie for control of Animal Farm after his death.
Napoleon – Based on Joseph Stalin, Napoleon is one of the two pigs that compete for leadership of Animal Farm after the death of Old Major. He is a persuasive speaker, and this power helps him becomes the leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. However, his persuasion is not always successful, and Napoleon resorts to force and intimidation to keep the other animals subservient to him. Napoleon is different from the other pigs in a number of ways. He is a Berkshire boar, which means he is a different breed than the other pigs. Napoleon is very jealous of anyone else exercising power or authority on Animal Farm.
Snowball – Based on Leon Trotsky, Snowball is Napoleon’s rival for leadership of the Animal Farm after the Rebellion. Snowball does not gain leadership, despite his ability to engage in persuasive speech and his clear reasoning and vision for the future of Animal Farm. Snowball is eventually expelled from Animal Farm and becomes a scapegoat used by Napoleon whenever there are any failures at the far
Boxer – Boxer is a male cart horse who works hard for Animal Farm after the Rebellion. Boxer is good friends with Benjamin, the donkey, though the two hardly have any conversations. He is loyal to Napoleon, who takes advantage of Boxer’s combination of great strength and low intelligence.
Squealer – Squealer is in charge of distributing Napoleon’s propaganda to Animal Farm. Napoleon uses Squealer to...
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