Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

The role of the pigs in the novel "Animal Farm" by George Orwell.

Good Essays
757 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The role of the pigs in the novel "Animal Farm" by George Orwell.
The pigs are perhaps the most interesting characters in the novel, "Animal Farm", written by George Orwell. They bring conflict and perceive as the most important animals in their Animal Revolution and most important people involved in Russian history. Throughout this fairytale, they become what they had hoped to destroy.

The role of the pigs in this story is that they are true leaders. They represent the Bolsheviks of Russia. They are the highest in the animal society structure and highest in the level of intelligence. The pigs led all animalism activities such as planning how to do away with Mr. Jones, and strategic ways to fight in wars and defeat any invaders. They make all choices about animal life, despite calling for majority votes. Due to lack of intelligence and mentally persuaded minds, the other animals did abide by the rules of all the pigs. Pigs were the ones who built this revolution, and turned out to be the ones who would destroy everything they fought against. However, all the pigs weren't exactly the "bad guys," as what they appear to be.

The most important pigs in this novel are Old Major, Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer. Old Major is a very important character in which that the revolution took place because of his desires, and his virtue making other animals feel comfortable under his rule. He taught and preached Animalism and the greatness of freedom to the common animals. He showed this when he recalled this song from a dream, Beasts of England. It gave the common animals a feeling that they were being treated poorly and they deserved better than what they got. It was truly important because what he told the common animals came from his heart and was the truth. A true follower of Major became of Snowball. Snowball was a young and smart motivational speaker. He was a character that really wanted to make life better for the animals in an exact way that Old Major wanted. Snowball was the better pig that was in a power struggle with Napoleon to run the Animal Revolution.

Napoleon and Squealer is a totally different pair. Napoleon is power crazy and is very egotistic. He is cruel, brutal, selfish, and devious. He kills for his own benefit. He plays a great part in the creation of this revolution, but an even bigger factor for destroying it. Napoleon was a terrible pig that eventually would go against everything that all the common animals wanted. He would not have gotten far however, if it wasn't his acquaintance, Squealer. Squealer was a propagandist for Napoleon, even if he believed in otherwise against Napoleon. Squealer benefited from this harsh treatment. Together, they made the perfect, evil, couple. They are against all values and what is right.

The pig's role of leadership is incoherently fading. They go from being a leader of the people to a silent rude awakening of the common animals. They changed dramatically throughout, being not positive about even just one of there choices that they make as a leader. They were wobbly and uncertain about everything. What brought about this change was their own conscience. At first they wanted to do what was better for the civilization. After realizing that the power was in their hand, they became greedy by self inflicted power crazy schemes. They realized everything that the human race took advantage of, they could too. It got to a point in which they were going to realize this, because a leader is someone who is in charge, but sometimes that leader can get out of hand with leading. They lead to a point where there is nothing left to do for their economy for a while, and it is at that moment that they realize the power they control.

Orwell emphasizes human characteristics through the ways of the pigs. He tells the reader that humans can corrupt just like everything else in this world. The human mind is world of total sickness. Humans will take stuff to new levels just to benefit themselves. When backed up, humans can go way too far over petty issues. These pigs are power crazy, egotistical maniacs. Aren't we all sometimes?

The pigs in this book serve a moral purpose and lesson in learning about our civilization and the way people are. Orwell tries to tell all of us today, how to avoid situations where bad things can happen through the means of this novel. Everything changes. People must control over bad starts before they actually occur. The animals in Animal Farm however, didn't.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    xThe pigs were able to rise to power fairly easily through their imposition of propaganda to alter the animals’ thoughts and actions to the pigs’ favor. The pigs come to resemble humans, the last sign of their total dominance so the farm continues to run as it had for years, still ridden with oppressive leaders. The tale shows that a revolution does not always bring great change or a better outcome because the story does not end in a resolution or promise of a revolution. The idea of propaganda being implemented by a leader in order to rise to power is a theme that recurs throughout history, but as a teacher points out not only in governments.…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    the farmer goes horribly wrong as the victors create a new tyranny among themselves”, to represent the uprising Russian Revolution during a Communist society. Orwell wanted to let people know that even though it sounded good in the beginning it was no different to the rules in the past, they alter it to their bidding. In the book, the pigs were manipulative, selfish against the other animals, and showed greed. They were not as lazy because they were the leaders, but they did not do any work. The pigs were acting just like the other human farmers, taking the produce from the animals without putting in labor.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Orwell's 'Animal Farm' is an allegory because it represents Stalin's rise to power in Russia. His dictatorship to the people of Russia is how Napoleon treated the animals on the farm. Napoleon the pig represents Joseph Stalin, the dictating leader of the Soviet Union. Napoleon tricked the other animals into believing he was the only one that wanted the best for them. He slowly brought the farm from a more equal state to a state where he was considered and treated as a king. He also murdered any of the animals who opposed him or stood in his way, without trial. Stalin did the same by consolidating power and expanding the limits of his role. He eliminated anyone who tried to oppose him. He organized a massive purge where "enemies" were imprisoned,…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The pigs , who immediately assume responsibility of the farm, , use their intelligence to take advantage of the other animals . For instance, Squealer the pig tells the animals,” It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back!” Squealer represents the corrupt media that brainwashed the people into believing that the government’s actions were justified during the Russian Revolution.…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “Animal Farm” the allegory of the Russian revolution by George Orwell. This book mostly is about animals rebelling against their leading but later just going back to what it started because of its own kind. The pig name is napoleon and he changes the whole farm due to his selfishness and use of power. He ends up letting his power take over of his humility making him human like. Napoleon shows several examples of his brutal and skilled actions throughout the book.…

    • 368 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the past, the Russian Revolution is falling into action throughout these events in Animal Farm. George Orwell, the author of the novel, writes on how he feels about the October and February Revolutions. He uses characters to portray the history in the people and events during the revolution. These characters allow readers to know how George reflected the purpose of the historic event. Three major characters used are Boxer, Squealer, and the sheep. Orwell critiques society through Boxer, Squealer, and the sheep with their actions, characterization, and dialogue in the novel.…

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Animal Farm is most famous in the West as a stinging critique of the history and rhetoric of the Russian Revolution. Retelling the story of the emergence and development of Soviet communism in the form of an animal fable, Animal Farm allegorizes the rise to power of the dictator Joseph Stalin. In the novella, the overthrow of the human oppressor Mr. Jones by a democratic coalition of animals quickly gives way to the consolidation of power among the pigs. Much like the Soviet intelligentsia, the pigs establish themselves as the ruling class in the new society. The struggle for preeminence between Leon Trotsky and Stalin emerges in the rivalry between the pigs Snowball and Napoleon. In both the historical and fictional cases, the idealistic but politically less powerful figure (Trotsky and…

    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As soon as Old Major dies, the pigs take the role of organising and managing all of the animals. At first they remain loyal to their fellow animals, but the moment they are faced with something they want, they use their superior intellect to deceive the other animals. Because the animals don’t know any better, they trust what the pigs tell them. The pigs also limit the education offered to the lower animals by destroying the children’s book they use to learn to read and write immediately after they’re done with it. The pigs use their intelligence to oppress the animals and force them into submission. On the other end of the scale, the animals are extremely ignorant to what goes on around them. Simply, the pigs were leaders and the animals were followers. The lower animals where never the ones to put forward resolutions to a problems it was always the pigs, they knew how to vote but nothing past that. They were continually ignorant to any decisions, including ones that harmed…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Comrades we the pigs are in charge because we are the smartest animals in the farm. We are not doing this to hurt you, but to protect you. We need to save our energy that’s why we sleep on the beds. And eat all the apples and grains. Do you want Mr.Jones to come back to the farm. We are the only animals that can run a farm.…

    • 160 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The government is a very crucial part to our welfare as a society. They provide for their people and country. However, in Animal Farm, their government runs the lives of the animals. Napoleon, the president, cares not about the animals that live under his care, but only of himself. He, the leader of their pig-run government, not only manipulated, but abused the animals he once called comrades.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Animal Farm is the mother of all allegories with its childlike fairytale that hides the deep truths of politics. One must search through the textbooks of history to find the true meaning of this classic novella. In comparing Animal Farm to real life governments one can have a much better understanding on how political philosophies work. As millions of people read through the book, their eyes are opened to the flaws and defects of different types of leadership. People can now see how they are being blindfolded by the government in order to keep them from acknowledging the greediness of the ruling class. As a result, the classic novella Animal Farm by George Orwell shows many important perspectives on the different…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After Old Major had died, the power had been passed along to the other pigs Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer. This is when we start to see the power turning into evil. In the beginning they wanted to make it a truly equal society and they did this by making the Seven Commandments; one including “All animals are equal”. But throughout the book, we see that the pigs become the ‘leaders’, which…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To survive the pigs have to adapt to a more human life. The pigs are smart. “They explained that by their studies of the past three months the pigs had succeeded in reducing the principles of animalism into seven commandments.” (p. 24 Orwell) just like the animals humans have the Ten Commandments. These commandments lead to law and order for the land. Further more they have their own national anthem. “It is called Beast Of England.” (p. 12 Orwell) The Star Spangled Banner is the national anthem for the humans. The animals are able to come up with many things that are thought of as human things.…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Intended to work perfectly, the communist manifesto, inspired by Karl Marx, includes a world where equality is prevalent and everyone can indulge in resources. However, while the animals attempt at his fantasy, the pigs’ totalitarianism proves inevitable. As the pigs’ reign over the farm proliferates rapidly, the animals’ free will and thought dwindle away; even in the purest of hands, power ultimately corrupts and the hope that all are equal comes crashing down. In Orwell’s Animal Farm, some blame the animal’s ignorance and gullibility for the demise of Animal Farm, however through Napoleon’s tyranny and master manipulation, scapegoating Snowball, and Squealer’s powerful rhetoric, the pigs continue to bask in power and eventually turn into…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Animal Farm

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages

    portrays the theme of abuse of power. When the pigs declare themselves leaders if animal farm, they say that they will run a proper, equal farm. Josef Stalin abused his power as leader of Russia. Yet, the pigs prove that power is too much for them. They start taking advantage of the other animals. They started corrupting small things at first then they realized that they could not be stopped so they took full advantage of the animals. “Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs? The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” This quote shows how the pigs started out by running an animal friendly farm, but eventually they began to resemble the corrupt leaders they revolted against.…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics