The book Animal Farm counteracts fantasy with the true events of the Russian Revolution and the leadership of Joseph Stalin. One firm example of this is the depiction of this realism in the cart horse Boxer from the Animal Farm and that of the working class of the Soviet Union after the Russian Revolution. The similarities between the two are almost spot on with history.
One example of this similarity is the way both were the powerhouse of their nation. Boxer was the most persistent worker on the Animal Farm and always put in extra work whenever he could. He hauled heavy stone from the rock quarry in order to create the windmill for the good of the Animal Farm. In the knick of hardship, he continued for the hope that things would grow better with the completion of the windmill.
The working class were very similar in the way they did things. The working class of the Soviet Union felt eager for change after the Russian Revolution and worked seemingly endless hours under the advisement of Stalin. Most worked extra hours of laborious work for the hope of better lives. Each working tirelessly on the infrastructure and making vast improvements to the country.
Both Boxer and the working class were not well educated. Boxer in the story was not given a solid education by the pigs. He had a very limited reading vocabulary and only knew the first four
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letters of the alphabet. The pigs used this advantage to confuse the residence of the farm by changing the rules to their liking because not many of the citizens could understand the writing. Since most animals were illiterate, they didn’t know if the rules were changed or if they had stayed the same as when they first established the farm for themselves. The working class citizens of the Soviet Union were not very well educated either. Most of the education of the Soviet Union were focused on the greatness of the nation and much of their science and social skills was based on Lenin's Ideology. Much of the traditional textbooks were replaced with those full of propaganda and carried lots of false information. This led to the citizens blind devotion to the nation. This blind devotion helped them pass and change some of the laws that benefitted the hierarchy. In Animal Farm, Boxer was taken advantage of by the pigs in various ways.
One of these ways was his labor in the farm. Once again, he did all the extra work and was the backbone of the farm. Once he became injured in the second construction of the windmill, the pigs took full advantage. Instead of sending him to a veterinary clinic, they sold his body to a neighboring glue company and used their profit to buy a case of alcohol. In the speech Old Major gave in the beginning of the book, he said that under animalism no animals would be butchered and ironically specifically said that Boxer would not be made into
glue. The hierarchy of Stalin also took advantage of its working class. He used their labor to build infrastructure and improvements. He stated that everyone was equal when he did little work compared to the backbreaking labor of the working class. Stalin didn’t always invest in technology that would provide easier labor but instead technology that boasted a large profit. Stalin also gave large disregard when it came to the well being of the workers. Boxer in Animal farm only cares for the good of Animal Farm and often boasts phrases saying that he must work harder and that his leader Napoleon was always in the right. “I must work harder” ,got him through the day with the sense that if he worked harder it would all be worth it in the end of things. “Napoleon is always right”, made him continually trust his tyrannic leader and helped him think that his merciless dictator was always in the right. Napoleon was always right when if you consider the right as what can benefit you the most out of a certain situation. The working class of the Soviet Union also strongly cared about the good of the nation. They also spouted the words of hard work to keep them going on the days when they thought they couldn’t go on. Most often also thought of Stalin as an amazing leader that could never be in the wrong on any decisions. They often didn’t wish to interfere with the well being and didn’t want to stand up to the tyranny of Stalin.
This also shows the resilience of Boxer, this also displays that not only can he inspire everyone else with his hard work, but also inspire himself to work even harder. The speech given by Squealer was completely ignored, and the animals looked to Boxers nebulous saying. After the battle of the windmill, where the windmill got destroyed for the second time, Boxer got shot in the leg with a shotgun. Although he is at the worst of times the book still displays that he still shows anguish towards his brethren: (106). “The pellets under the skin of boxer’s leg smarted painfully. He saw ahead of him the heavy labor of rebuilding the windmill.” Even though the windmill was just destroyed and boxer had just been shot, he still thought of the others thriving with the gift of electricity. Boxer, by doing this, is the most selfless creature in the farm. He doesn’t care about the pain and horrible paroxysm he will accost. When Boxer was being sent away to the knackers Benjamin, the old cantankerous mule, was so disconsolate that he was dying came galloping to tell the others. (121). “They were astonished to see Benjamin come galloping from the direction of
Consistently, Boxer is very loyal to the government, works harder than the rest of the animals in this novel, and represents the middle class during the 1930s. Furthermore, the working class worked very hard and was loyal to the government just like Boxer since he represents the working class. However, the middle class people eventually rebelled against the government for better working conditions and equality even though Boxer never did rebel in the novel. Therefore, Boxer and the working class are both diligent workers and are both loyal to their governments despite when the working classing rebels against the government for better working
In the beginning of the story Old Major gives a speech to the animals on the farm, and in this speech he mentions how cruel the humans are. During his speech Old Major uses Boxer the horse as an example when he says “You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds.” (Orwell 11). He then proceeds to tell the animals that once they revolt the cruelty will end, and at first it does, but soon the pigs begin to act more like humans. The pigs act so much like the humans that at the end of the book it is said that the other animals can’t even tell the difference between the pigs and the humans.
Boxer is being a conformist by listening what the pigs told to do without question. One good example is when he and the other animals are
One of the main characters of Animal Farm is the heartless and merciless leader Napoleon. Napoleon is a leader that prefers to have things his way and not cooperate with others, in other words really obnoxious. For example “He declared himself against the windmill from the start. One day, however, he arrived unexpectedly to examine the plan. He walked heavily round the sled, looked closely at every detail of the plans and snuffed at them once or twice, then stood for a little while contemplating them out of the corner of his eye; then suddenly lifted his leg, urinated over the plans and walked out without uttering a word.”(Page 33, chapter5) Thus, this proves that Napoleon is an obnoxious pig because just because he was against Snowball’s windmill idea he urinated all over his work so he could get his way.
There is a substantial amount of conflicts that occur in this satirical story. Often these conflicts are between the pigs and the rest of the animals. Only a minute portion of the animals didn’t really have some sort of conflict with Snowball, Napoleon, Squealer, or the rest of the dominating pigs. Overall, Snowball was a better leader than Napoleon, yet the animals reacted differently to Napoleon than to Snowball.
When the Clover and Muriel notice that the commandments of Animal Farm have been changing, Squealer assures the animals that no such action has been done and warns them that Mr. Jones may come back if the pigs did not get enough of their “necessities” for work. These “necessities” for work are merely just an excuse the pigs harness to deceive the other animals, who are not as intelligent, so that the pigs themselves can indulge the human creations that is originally created by animal effort. This endless greed and self-benefitting mindset is one of the reasons why Animal Farm fails to become the utopia, not only Old Major wants, but the utopia that all the animals fought for. In addition, after the Fredericks dynamite the windmill, Boxer, who receives major wounds, is sold to the Glue Boiler only to allow the pigs to “acquire the money to buy themselves another case of whisky” (Orwell 126). Boxer, one of Animal Farm’s most loyal workers is sold to the Horse slaughterer so that the pigs could self-indulge in a case of whisky. This government could not become any more corrupt as to not give their most hardworking subordinate a proper retirement or even an honorable burial. Overall, it is the manifestation of greed and selfishness that drives Animal Farm to corruption and
The issue of Boxer, the horse, represents how people are used for their skills and talents. As soon as they are no longer needed, they’re disregarded. Boxer was the hardest worker on the farm, constantly chanting “Napoleon is always right,” and “I will work harder”. He contributed the most to the development of the windmill. As soon as Boxer was unable to continue working, Napoleon got rid of him. “Boxer’s face disappeared at the window… boxer was never seen again.
At the beginning of the story, the Old Major calls a meeting in the barn and speaks about Rebellion and Animalism. Shortly after that the Old Major died’s and then the rebellion starts to take place. Mr. Jones is like a bad guy to the Animals. Napoleon to is also another major villain. But after Jones is gone, all of his tools are burned, and now its time for the animals to take a look around the farmhouse. The name Manor Farm is changed to Animal Farm and the Seven Commandments are established. They then start to begin the hay harvest. During the hay harvest Boxer says, “I will work harder” as his personal motto. The harvest turned out to be a success. At this point the pigs are now beginning to abuse their power. Pretty soon the pigeons are sent to spread the word of the rebellion to other animals. And Mr. Jones tries to recapture the farm in the Battle of the Cowshed.
As soon as Old Major had died Napoleon took his place as the leader of
Pigs walking on two feet, horses and sheep talking. This is how George Orwell satirizes human nature in his classic novel Animal Farm. Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The title of the book is also the setting for the action in the novel. The animals in the story decide to have a revolution and take control of the farm from the humans. Soon the story shows us how certain groups move from the original ideals of the revolution to a situation where there is domination by one group and submission by all the others. The major idea in this story is the political corruption of what was once a pure political ideal. Orwell uses satire to ridicule human traits in his characters such as Napoleon and Squealer. There are several different characters in the novel utilizing animals as symbols of people in real life during the Russian Revolution. Napoleon is the leader of the pigs that ultimately come to dominate the farm. The characteristics that we associate with pigs , lazy, greedy, and pushy are meant to symbolize the characteristics that the leaders of the Russian Revolution exhibited. Napoleon is admired by all of the animals because he is their leader. All of the animals believe that their leader wants to fulfill all of their needs. They also are convinced that Napoleon’s decisions are made the best interest of the animals. Napoleon’s piglike qualities are shown throughout the story. He exhibited greediness when he sold the dying horse, Boxer to a slaughterhouse for money so that he and the other pigs could purchase whiskey. Orwell ridicules human nature through Napoleon in the sense that he is trying to show how the greedy and power hungry eventually end in corruption.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a political satire of a totalitarian society ruled by a mighty dictatorship, in all probability a fable for the events surrounding the Russian Revolution of 1917. The animals of “Manor Farm” overthrow their human master after a long history of mistreatment. Led by the pigs, the farm animals continue to do their work, only with more pride, knowing that they are working for themselves, as opposed to working for humans. Little by little, the pigs become dominant, gaining more power and advantage over the other animals, so much so that they become as corrupt and power-hungry as their predecessors, the humans.
Animal Farm is set on the Mannor Farm, during the chaotic time of an animal revolution.
Animal Farm was a metaphor for the Russian Revolution. The animals on the farm overthrew the farmer who treated them unfairly, and they began their own government. As time went on the pigs made themselves rulers, the main pig in charge being Napoleon. Napoleon started to make the other farm animals do all the work while he relaxed and ordered others around. He trained the dogs to punish those who did not follow the rules of the farm, the main punishment being death. All the animals were under strict guidelines and had lost their freedom on their way to finding it again. This relates to Russian government almost identically. When Lenin, a communist leader, died, he put Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky against each other for power. S...
“When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself ‘I am going to produce a work of art.’ I write because there is some lie I want to expose and some fact I want to draw attention to…”