Transcript Russian Revolution

Animal Farm
Comparing Characters Events in the Book to that of the Russian Revolution
Nicholas Share and Mohammad Munim
Animal Farm
Russia/Soviet Union
The whole basis of the plot revolves around the allegory between the Animal Farm
and Russia. The Farm’s progression throughout the story is very similar to the
progression of Russia during the Russian Revolution. The fall of one ruler and the rise
of the next is present within both stories and sets the basis for the rest of the story.
The windmill present on the farm symbolizes Soviet Industry which rises and
collapses throughout the years. Each of the Animals on the farm represents a specific
person or group during the Russian Revolution.
Mr. Jones
The owner of the farm before the rebellion.
Treats the animals with disrespect and makes
their lives miserable.
Czar Nicholas II
The last czar of Russia before the Russian
Revolution. Was disliked by many people in
Russia because he had too much power.
Mr. Jones, through his low popularity with the animals and his loss of power, represents
Czar Nicholas in the allegory. The actions that surrounded Mr. Jones in the book are very
similar to what happened to Czar Nicholas during the Russian Revolution. Both possessed
supreme power before being overthrown and, for this very reason, they are both disliked
by their “subjects” (the animals on the farm and the citizens of Russia respectively). The
animals chase Mr. Jones off his farm by force which is similar to how Nicholas was forced
out of his own house at gunpoint. They were both banished from their kingdom and are
the last to rule in the form of government that they held. They both represent a hostile
force that is repressing the free will of the people.
Old Major
An old pig who influences the rebellion with ideas
about equality and freedom.
Karl Marx
The author of the Communist Manifesto who
invented communism and helped inspire the Russian
Revolution.
Old Major, through his ideas about equality and freedom, represents Karl Marx. Both
envisioned a perfect world where everyone could live happily without social classes or
money to pit one against another. They openly expressed their ideas to the public. Old
Major expressed his ideas in one speech while Marx usually expressed his ideas in books
and essays. Their ideas were highly influential in both scenarios and ultimately led to
rebellion of the people. However, their plans were both highly delusional because they
had several faults. Neither of them considered the greedy and conceited people that
would inevitably cause Communism/Animalism to fail. The Governments that they
organized were rather weak which led corrupt leaders (Stalin/Napoleon) to take
advantage of it and gain power for themselves.
Moses
A raven friendly with Jones who preaches to the other
animals about a magical and wonderful place called
Sugar Candy Mountain.
Russian Orthodox Church
The Christian Church in Russia that was formally
supported by the czars before the Russian Revolution.
Lost influence when communism began. (Seraphim of
Sarov)
Moses, through his preaching to the other animals about “Sugar Candy Mountain”,
represents the Russian Orthodox Church. Just as Moses was close to Jones, the Russian
Orthodox Church benefited from the czarist government that Russia originally had. It
received finical backing from the government just as Moses received food from Jones.
However, after the rebellion/revolution, both lost significant power and almost completely
fell to nothing. Moses’ preaching about Sugar Candy Mountain is very similar to the
Christian concept of heaven that the Russian Orthodox Church strongly believed in. The
pigs in the book disagree with Moses’ teachings of Sugar Candy Mountain by calling
them “silly stories.” Similarly, the leaders of the Russian Revolution dismissed religion as
a “distraction”.
Snowball
A clever and passionate pig who helps lead in the best
interest of the animals before being exiled by
Napoleon.
Leon Trotsky
An intelligent organizer who helped lead the
Bolsheviks with Stalin. After the Revolution, he got
into many disputes with Stalin, his rival.
Snowball, through his passionate speeches and skilled planning, represents Leon Trotsky.
Both of them start out with much influence in the government after leading in the
rebellion/revolution. However, their influence is short-lived as they both develop
powerful rivals (Napoleon/Stalin). They both extremely skilled public speakers,
captivating audiences with glittering words and ambitious plans. Neither of them is able
to withstand the aggressive power that their rival holds. They are exiled from their home
and forced to move on to other places. Of all of the characters, Snowball seems to least
represent his counterpart. While Trotsky was often impatient and hostile, Snowball was
enthusiastic and eager to improve the animal’s lives. Trotsky was also very critical of the
Russian government while Snowball was very accepting of Animalism.
Napoleon
A large and power-hungry pig who rules in the
best interest of himself, slowly breaking all the
rules and becoming more human.
Joseph Stalin
The ruthless ruler of Soviet Russia who changed
from wanting to sincerely help Russia into a
greedy power-hungry dictator.
Napoleon, in his dominating control over the animals, represents Joseph Stalin. They both
served as rulers when the revolution/rebellion was just beginning and supposedly were
working for equality. However, as they began to gain more control, they took advantage of
their leadership to gain more power for themselves even though their government was
supposed to be based on equality. They both represent hypocrisy through how they
become more and more like who ruled before them despite their strong opposition to how
that force ruled (Nicholas II/Jones). They both ruled with others at first but slowly rose
above the others and eliminated any competition. Their ideas about the physical
limitations of their subjects was extremely delusional. They would force them to work for
long periods of time with little compensation.
Boxer
Boxer is a hardworking and strong
horse that aids greatly with manual
labor. He is not very intelligent and
he always has faith that Napoleon is
right.
Clover
Clover is an older mare who aids in
manual labor and serves as a
companion to Boxer. She often has
doubts about Napoleon but keeps them
to herself.
Proletariat
The Proletariat was the common
working class of Russia during The
Russian Revolution. They blindly put
their faith into Stalin believing that
everything he did was good.
Boxer and Clover, through their hard work and blind loyalty to Napoleon, represent the
Proletariat, or the working class of Russia. Since they were less educated, the Proletariat were
more gullible and prone to believe just about anything they were told. Similarly, Boxer and
Clover follow Napoleon through all of his evil, thinking it is for the best of the animals. They
provide most of the manual labor, just as the Proletariat provided most of the labor during the
Revolution. Boxer fits this description better than Clover because he displays more
determination than any of the animals with his statement “I must work harder” attitude. Clover
more likely represents a typical woman during the revolution. She differs from a Proletariat
because she is often skeptical of Napoleon’s decisions. She is one of the only that senses that
Napoleon is tricking them but her inability to express this keeps her from taking action.
Squealer
A devious and tricky pig who is notoriously
good at public speaking and often gives
only part of the truth to sway animals to
his side.
The Pravda
The Pravda was a newspaper during the Russian
Revolution that strongly supported Communism.
It had great influence over the minds of the
people, using propaganda to gain their support.
Squealer, through his tactful wording and propaganda-littered information, represents the
Pravda, or the Russian Newspaper during the Revolution. Both served as sources of information
to the people and both of them displayed this information in ways that didn’t give the whole
truth. They were biased toward one side (Communism/Animalism) and use sugar-coated words
to make their side appear more appealing. They can make failures look like successes and make
heroes look like villains, all through the simple process of propaganda. Everyone automatically
assumes that they are telling the truth since they have so much influence in the community.
Both were formally supported by the government. For example, Squealer’s speeches were
strongly supported by Napoleon while the Pravda was supported by Stalin in Russia.
Mollie
The White Russians
Mollie is a pretty but stubborn young mare who
enjoys putting ribbons in her mane and eating
sugar. She doesn’t like working very much and
does things mostly for her own benefit.
The White Russians were the people during the revolution
who opposed communism and preferred a system of
Capitalism, much like the US has. They work for themselves
and want to be able to rise above others in society with luxury.
Mollie, through her selfishness and opposition to Animalism, represents the White Russians, or
those who opposed Communism. Although Mollie plays a small part in the book, her part is very
meaningful to the story because people like her and Napoleon are the reasons that Communism
doesn’t work. The White Russians were typically fairly wealthy people who wanted to rise high
above everyone in society and afford luxuries that are represented by ribbons and sugar in the
book. Mollie refused to work hard when she felt there was no benefit to herself and was the first
animal to break a rule by talking to a human, which would be typical of the White Russians who
broke the Communist laws. Mollie also ends up leaving the farm which many White Russians did
as well to gain more opportunity for themselves .
Benjamin
• Old Benjamin is an elderly donkey who is rather unchanged
since the rebellion
•Does his work in the same way as usual, never becoming too
excited or disappointed with anything
•never embraces the idea of the rebellion; knows that revolt is
just a temporary change and will flop at the end
•represents the cynical people in Russia who doubted their
leader but still continued to live as usual
The Pigs
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surround and support Napoleon, the ultimate ruler
symbolize the communist party loyalists and friends
of Stalin: the Politburo
live in luxury and enjoy the benefits of the society
they control; no one but the pigs got richer on the
farm
changed many previous commandments to benefit
themselves
convey the inequality and hypocrisy that existed in
communistic societies
The Dogs
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represent the KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti or
Committee for State Security)
might even represent Stalin’s personal bodyguards
arch defenders of Napoleon’s policies and are a dangerous force
that the animals must contend with
as Napoleon first enacted these “mindless robots” to kill Snowball,
Stalin enacted his secret police force to kill Trotsky in Mexico
“Though not yet full grown, they were huge dogs, and as fiercelooking as wolves. They kept close to Napoleon. It was noticed that
they wagged their tails in the same way as the other dogs used to
do to Mr. Jones.”
were used to carry out any executions of “disloyal” comrades
Other Animals
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represent the proletariat, or working class of
unskilled laborers
like their counterparts during Stalin’s system,
depended on their backs and not their brains
these masses fall into the bottom of society and are
the focal points of the rulers’ brainwashing tactics
stubborn and easily swayed; their ability to easily
give into the hypocrisy of the pigs is really what
strengthened Napoleon’s power
• are at the mercy of the ruler
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Mr. Frederick (Pinchfield Farm)
described as “a tough, shrewd man, perpetually involved in lawsuits
and with a name for driving hard bargains”
allegorical representation of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, where
Pinchfield represents Germany
initially worried about the Rebellion on Mr. Jones’s farm, suspecting
that such revolutionary ideas may spread to his own animals and thus
spreads false propaganda - similar to what Hitler feared would be an
aftereffect in Germany of the nationalistic movements in Russia
towards the end, Napoleon sells a pile of timber to Frederick.
Believing that he did the best possible to raise the price, he is
shocked when Mr. Whymper comes running back to tell Napoleon,
“The bank-notes were forgeries! Frederick had got the timber for
nothing!”
agreement between Napoleon and Frederick represents the
agreement between Stalin and Hitler in 1941; Soviet Russia and Nazi
Germany (both bitter enemies at the time) agreed to divvy up Eastern
Europe to maintain their spheres of influence
Just like Frederick’s trickery, Hitler broke the 1940 agreement. In
1941, Germany attacked Soviet territory, which started the war on the
Eastern Front.
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Pilkington (Foxwood Farm)
The easygoing gentleman farmer who runs Foxwood (a neighboring
farm), which represents the capitalist governments of England and the
US
bitter enemy of Frederick- represents the enmity between US/Britain
and Nazi Germany
Pilkington's large, poorly managed farm is allegorical to the sprawling
British Empire, which was crumbling during the war. This is in contrast
to Frederick, who has the opposite scenario of a small, strictly
managed farm (like Germany)
Napoleon’s fluctuation in choosing a validated business partner
regarding the timber represents Soviet Russia’s partnering with
Germany in the first part of the war, and then with the capitalist Allies
during the second part
the meeting at the farmhouse at the end of the novel symbolizes the
Tehran Conference in 1943, when the ‘Big 3’ met for the first time
in another sense, the fight/shouting between Napoleon and Pilkington
at the end of the novel represents the Cold War era between the US
and Soviet Russia that erupted following World War II
the simultaneous Ace of Spades the two were fighting over represents
territory of Cuba and the nuclear missiles present there
The Farmhouse
location where the pigs
unfairly reside and
make their plans
following Jones’s
departure
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The Kremlin
• represents the Kremlin
in Russia- fortified
complex that serves as
the official residence of
the Russian head of
state
• site of all the meetings
in both settings