Discuss Orwell's portrayal of major characters and their significance and roles in "Animal Farm".

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timbrady eNotes educator| Certified Educator

Here's a brief summary of the major characters and who they represent from "real" life.  These come from a variety of sources and are generally accepted as the people the characters represent:

1. Mr. Jones: Tsar Nicholas, the original enemy. He provided an enemy, someone the animals could join together to foment the revolution.

2. Old Major: Karl Marx. He provided the idealism that fueled the for a better situation for the people

3. Napoleon: fierce looking Boar who becomes the dictator of AF: Stalin

4. Snowball: great military leader who is eventually run off the Farm by Napoleon: Leon Trotsky

5. Squealer: a fat pig who is the voice of Napoleon: “Pravda” (“Truth,” how ironic!).  He is responsible for all the propaganda operations on the farm.

6. Boxer: hard working horse: the loyal (if thoughtless) proletariat

7. Benjamin: a cynical donkey: represents the people who didn’t expect much and just continued life under Stalin

8. Mollie: Mr. Jones’ cart horse: the aristocracy under the Tsar/Old Russia

9. Moses: the Raven and spy for Jones: the Church, promising better things in another life

(Sugarcandy Mountain). Stalin’s relationship with the Church was utilitarian; when he thought it a problem he banned it; when he thought it might help him, he actually tried, in the spring of 1944, to reconcile with the Pope. In order to gain support for his Polish policy, he received an American priest, Father Orlemanski, and tried to use him in some way; it didn’t work.

10. Mr. Pilkington: tries to help Jones get his farm back after the rebellion: believed to be England and Churchill

11. Mr. Frederick: farm owner who blows up the windmill: Hitler

12. Mr. Wymper: negotiates sales with Napoleon: Capitalists

13. Dogs: the secret police


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