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Symbolism in Animal Farm
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Symbolism and Allegory in Animal Farm
Animal Symbols Cont.
The Dogs -The KGB, the police
The Puppies: - Stalin's guards
Muriel (goat) - a wise old woman
Moses (raven) - organized religion
The hens - peasant farmers
Rats and Rabbits - gypsies and thieves
Pigeons - the spread of communism
Sheep - masses of people
Character Symbols
Humans:
Mr. Jones - Czar Nicholas II
Mrs. Jones - Alexandria, wife of Nicholas
Farmer Pilkington: English leaders
Farmer Frederik: Hitler
Pigs:
Old Major - a mixture of Lenin and Karl Marx (Karl Marx is thought of as the founder of communism)
Snowball - Leon Trotsky
Napoleon - Joseph Stalin
Squealer - Soviet Propaganda
Setting Symbols
Manor Farm: Russia under the czar
Animal Farm: The USSR
The United Soviet States of Russia or, the Soviet Union, was created in 1922 after the success of the Bolshevik Revolution. At the beginning of communist rule in Russia, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Leon Trotsky shared power. However, Lenin's declining health allowed Stalin to gain power and eventually push Trotsky into exile.
The Farmhouse: The Kremlin, the seat of Soviet govt.
Sugar Candy Mountain: heaven
Historical Context
Animal Symbols Cont.
George Orwell devoted his literary career to anti-communist writing. He was heavily influenced by the Spanish Civil War, in which he fought against communism and was shot in the throat by a sniper.
In Animal Farm, the characters and setting are both symbolic of key entities involved in the communist movement.
Allegory
Horses and Donkeys:
Boxer - the Soviet working class men
Clover - the Soviet working class women, caring women
Mollie - an upper class, selfish woman
Benjamin - a wise old man, Orwell
Foil
In literature, a foil is a character that contrasts with another character. This contrast is usually used to highlight certain character traits.
*In Animal Farm, we see the idea of a foil most clearly between Snowball and Napoleon. Orwell also makes use of the verb form of foil (to thwart) with the two characters.
An allegory is a literary piece, artwork, or song in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about life, or political and historical events.