Animal Farm Parallels In the book  Animal Farm

Animal Farm Parallels In the book Animal Farm, George Orwell uses animals to symbolically represent humans and man’s creation of government and society. Orwell allegorically uses animals and their social groups to criticize Joseph Stalin’s rise to power, the overall nature of mankind, and the many difficulties that people must face in life. In the story there are many parallels that symbolically represents situations from the Russian Revolution. Some of the parallels are Trotsky to Snowball,the different ideology and dislike for each other Stalin and Trotsky had to the disagreements between Napoleon and Snowball, and Stalins to Napoleons show trials. Orwell re­tells the Russian Revolution through a fable and uses animals and farms. The first parallel is Trotsky to Snowball. Leon Trotsky being an a powerful speaker won the votes of many Russians. He had great influence over Russia because he was a war hero. Trotsky led the Red Army to victory in the civil war against the White Army, he was also very organized which led to his victory. Orwell depicted Trotsky as Snowball the intellectual pig. “ Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive.” This shows how Snowball was like Trotsky. Another way of presenting this is how Snowball led the animals to triumph in the Battle of the Cowshed. “Jones and his his men... had entered the five barred gate and were coming... they were going to attempt to recapture of the farm. This had been long expected, and all preparations had been

made. Snowball... was in charge of the defensive operations. He gave orders quickly... every animal was at his post. Snowball launched his first attack... intended to create a little disorder...Snowball now launched his second line of attack... once again the men...were too strong for them ; a squeal from Snowball, which was a signal for retreat... the men gave a shout of triumph... Snowball had intended...as soon as they were well inside the yard, the three horses, and the three cows, and the rest of the pigs... suddenly emerged in their rear, cutting them off. Snowball now gave the signal for charge... Jones saw him coming, raised his gun and fired. The pellets scored bloody streaks along Snowball’s back, and a sheep dropped dead.... There was not an animal on the farm that did not take vengeance on them after his own fashion... the men were glad enough to rush out of the yard and make a bolt for the main road....The animals had now reassembled in the wildest excitement, each recounting his own exploits in the battle at the top of his voice... In the end, it was named the Battle of the Cowshed...” (46­50) This shows Snowballs intelligence because he was able to lead the animals to victory against their old masters. Snowball’s hopes and dreams for the farm was to educate the animals and help unite them. He did this through committees. Some of the committees he had set up was Egg Production, Clean tails, Wild Comadres’ RE­education, and Whiter Wool. The only committee that was successful was the re­education. All the animals eventually learned how to read and write, some better than others. Both Trotsky and Snowball were the most suitable candidates to replace Old Major ,or Lenin, and the two of them were sent out by their political rivals and blamed for everything that went wrong back home. Clearly Leon Trotsky was represented as Snowball. The second parallel was the hatred between Stalin and Trotsky to the disagreements between Napoleon and Snowball. Stalin and Trotsky disliked each other deeply because of the different ideology

they had on ruling the Russian people. Stalin was power hungry and was willing to do anything for his power. He was blinded by the power. Trotsky on the other hand was intellectual and was favored by the people because of how he was a war hero. “ Napoleon was a large, rather fierce­looking Berkshire boar, the only Berkshire on the farm, not much of a talker, but with a reputation of getting his own way. Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive, but was not considered to have the same depth of character.” This shows how the two boars were different and their characteristics. “Snowball and Napoleon were in disagreement. According to Napoleon, what the animals must do was to procure firearms and train themselves in the use of them. According to Snowball, they must send out more and more pigeons and stir up a rebellion among the animals on the other farm.” This shows how they both had different ways of ruling the farm. Eventually Napoleon leads the farm because he had driven Snowball out of the farm with his fierce dogs. In the Russian Revolution, after smearing his name, Joseph Stalin had exiled Leon Trotsky. Joseph Stalin became paranoid and sent an assassin to kill Trotsky. Napoleon and Stalin were both very cunning and persuaded people through fear, Trotsky and Snowball persuaded people with their words and their speeches. This presents how the displeasure between Stalin and Trotsky were represented in story through Napoleon and Snowball. The last parallel is Stalin’s show trials to Napoleons trials. The main target for Stalin’s trials were the people who helping in the Russian Revolution and the citizens who remembered Trotsky. Stalin’s show trials were fabricated. They made Leon Trotsky appear as a huge enemy. Joseph Stalin also put the people who helped him gain his power in the show trials. He trialled them because he was paranoid that they might go against him and tell the other russians all the things or ways he got into

power. An example of this fabrication was Stalin held a trial for someone be thought was working with Trotsky . They said that they were with Trotsky in a hotel and they looked into the case more and found out that he could have not been there because the hotel never was there or was closed long before the trial. Also the victims of the trails were found out by the secret police and sent to the prison in Serbia where they were tortured and executed, they also faced harsh weather conditions. “Immediately the dogs bounded forward, seized four of the pigs by the ears and dragged them , squealing with pain and terror , to Napoleone’s feet... The four pigs waited, trembling, with guilt written on every line on their countenances. Napoleon now called upon them to confess their crimes...Without prompting they confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since his expulsion... when they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out... pile of corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood...” This showed how ruthless Napoleon and how much he wanted to keep his power. Both Stalin and Napoleon’s trials were made of lies. They attacked any potential threats, this meaning anyone that could take away their power. All Napoleon and Stalin wanted was power, they did not care who they hurted to get to the top. Obviously, Orwell wrote Stalin as Napoleon in Animal Farm. The tale Animal Farm is symbolically retelling the Russian Revolution. The similarities were Trotsky to Snowball, the strong hatred between Trotsky and Stalin to Snowball and Napoleon’s disagreements, and Stalin’s show trials to Napoleon’s trials. The story is about how whoever is in power eventually abuses their power. People often say that a dove symbolizes purity and peace because of the white feathers. Orwell uses animals because the citizens of Russia were being treated like animals but did not realize it because it was slowly happening.

Work Cited Orwell, George. Animal Farm . Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.: New York 1946

Cited: Orwell, George. Animal Farm . Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.: New York 1946