Animal Farm
...characterization by using characters in the novel to represent key figures in the russian revolution as well as to represent general groups of society. The novel has strong political themes such as the corruption of Socialist Ideals in the soviet union and the danger of a niave working class as well as the theme of betrayal.
In Animal Farm the animals play the roles of Bolshevik revolutionaries who overthrow their oppressive human owners, setting it up as a commune in which all the animals are at first equal. But soon disparities begin to emerge between different social classes/species. In the end the pigs become the very being they originally rebelled against and the animals can only look on in dismay and they realize the pigs betrayal to them.
CHARACTERS Some of the characters in the book have clear real life counterparts whereas others are intended to show general groups of society. The pig Napoleon is based upon Russian dictator Joseph Stalin. Napoleon gradually builds up his power
The ousting of the humans after the farmers forget to feed the animals represents the Russian Revolution of 1917 that led to the removal of Tsar Nicholas II and his family after a series of wars that resulted in famine and poverty.
Mr. Jones effort to re-take the farm “The Battle of the Cowshed” symbolizes the Russian Civil War in which the western capitalist governments sent soldiers to try to remove the Bolsheviks from power.
Napoleon's removal of Snowball is like Stalin’s removal of Leon Trotsky from power in 1927 and his subsequent expulsion and murder.
Squealer constantly changing the commandments on Napoleon's orders may refer to the constant adjustments to the Communist theory by the people in power. Also, his lies to animals of past events they cannot remember refers to the revision of history texts to glorify Stalin during his regime. The animals who completely...
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