The Role of Squealer in Animal Farm

The first time we see Squealer is when some of the other animals question the consumption of milk and apples by the pigs. This point in the book is significant because it is the first time the pigs are seen to be giving themselves better quality food than the rest of the animals. Squealer is described in the book as a brilliant talker and persuasive. He is excitable and confuses the others with his skipping motions and whisking tail. These actions take the focus away from what he is actually saying. Squealer begins his explanation by using the word "comrades." The use of this word leads the animals to believe he is talking to them as an equal; this would make the animals more likely to believe what he is saying because the animals consider themselves all to be equal. He goes on to say "You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness or privilege." Here, he is assuming to tell the animals what they think and they believe him as they consider themselves to be equal. By telling them what they think, he is asserting himself over them and not acting as an equal. This is further emphasised when he tells them that pigs are the, "Brainworkers" and the milk and apples are a necessary part of their diet. Without them they would not be able to do their jobs and Mr Jones would come back. This is very clever and manipulative as animals are all very scared of Mr Jones and would not like to see him back under any circumstance. Squealer is very clever. He knows exactly how to twist what the pigs do in order to make it sound like a good idea to the less intelligent animals on the farm. Now that Squealer has successfully manipulated himself and the rest of the pigs out of this situation he knows he ...

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...in order to function correctly. He explains this work, the other animals do not understand but they agree it is necessary so again Squealer has managed to worm his way out of another confrontation with the animals. When the animals see the pigs parading round the court yard on their hind legs they are filled with terror. It is as if the humans have come back. In a way they never really left, the pigs taken on the roles of humans quite early on in the book.

Squealer made a very good job of manipulating every situation to hide what was really going on. Some of the animals were so stupid, for example the sheep started to sing "four legs good, two legs better!" This shows that Squealer did a very good job of portraying the pigs as a completely necessary part of the organisation and that everything they do is to make things better, but this is just for them.