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Animal Farm as an Allegory

 

Their animal commandment said, "any person that walked on two feet was an enemy" (33). Napoleon also told them to remember that "in the fight against man, we (the animals) must not come to resemble man" (21). Napoleon and the pigs started to bear a resemblance to and become friends with the enemy. A further instance of how the pigs resemble man is when the pigs move into the farmhouse and sleep in the humans" bed (70). This relates to how Napoleon is attaining the authority, respect, and the privilege. Napoleon is not giving the other animals these privileges that he is getting, and he slowly becomes human as the book progresses. All this is an allegory to Russian Revolution. All of the characters of the farm have a special role in Russian Revolution. The farm itself represents Russia, with its poor conditions and unjust leaders. Napoleon resembles the mad dictator known as Joseph Stalin, and Snowball, who was betrayed by Napoleon and banished from the farm (Russia), is an allegory of Trotsky. Old Major could be easily matched with Karl Marx, who is responsible for the "spark" of revolution. The rest of the animals also play certain parts in the parallel; Boxer as the working class, Molly as White Russia (those who fled Russia), and Napoleon's three vicious dogs are characters of the secret police of Joseph Stalin (Napoleon).
             The statement also describes "the psychological foundation of revolution, its processes and the irony of displacement". When referring to Animal Farm, the psychological foundation refers to Old Major's speech at the barn, where he announces "Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself.


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