Mankind Capitalist and Royalty

Mr Jones - Mr Jones is a farmer, and the owner of Manor Farm. He

represents the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov
(Nicholas II).

Mrs. Jones - She represents the Tsar's wife, Alexandra.

Mr. Pilkington - Owner of Foxwood (Leader of England). He doesn't represent one

person in particular, but rather is a composite of all of the leaders of England.

Mr. Frederick - Owner of Pinchfield (Leader of Germany). Frederick

is a composite of the leaders of Germany. However, throughout most of
the book, Frederick is a representation of Hitler. It is said that Frederick
had ''flogged an old horse to death (A reference to Hitler's euthanasia
program), he had starved his cows (A reference to the Jews?), he had
killed a dog by throwing it into the furnace (Most likely a reference to
Night of Knives), and that he amused himself in the evenings by
making cocks (French? / Children?) fight with splinters of razor-blade
tied to their spurs.''

Mr. Whymper - A solicitor living in Willingdon. Acted as an intermediary between

Animal Farm and the outside world in matters of trade. Represents capitalist who did
business with the Soviet state.

Pigs
The Communists

Napoleon - Napoleon is Joseph Stalin, the second leader of the Soviet

Union. Animal farm skips the short rule of Lenin (and seems to
combine Lenin with the character Old Major), and has Napoleon
leading the farm from the beginning of the revolution.

Squealer - This pig represents the Russian media, which spread

Stalin's version of the truth to the masses.

Snowball - Snowball represents Leo Trotsky. Trotsky was one of the original
revolutionaries. But as Stalin rose to power he became one of Stalin's biggest enemies, and
was eventually expelled from the Politburo in 1925 - one year after Stalin took control of
the nation. In the novel, Snowball was exiled from the farm just as Trotsky had been in
1929. But Trotsky was not only exiled in body, he was also exiled from the minds of the
Russian people - His historical role was altered; his face cut out of group photographs of
the leaders of the revolution. In Russia he was denounced as a traitor and conspirator and
in 1940 a Stalinist agent assassinated him in Mexico City.

Old Major - The father of 'Animalism'. He represents Karl Marx, but in some ways also
symbolizes the original communist leader - Vladimir Lenin. (In the book, Old major's
skull is displayed in a similar manner to the way Lenin's remains were displayed to the
public) The book also says that Old Major had been exhibited at shows under the name
Willingdon Beauty, but I'm not sure whether or not this is a reference to a real-life.

Horses
The Workers

Boxer - Boxer represents the working class. Boxer is portrayed as

being a dedicated worker, but as possessing a less-than-average
intelligence. His personal motto was, "I will work harder!" The
novel describes the horses as being the pig's "most faithful
disciples" and that they "absorbed everything that they were
told [by the pigs], and passed it on to the other animals by simple
arguments".

Clover - Boxer's female counterpart.

Mollie - Mollie seems to be some sort of representation of Russia's upper classes. But,
since Orwell portrays her as a horse - the same animal used to represent the 'working class'
horses Boxer & Clover - Mollie may simply represent members of the working class that
remained faithful to the Czar. In either case, Mollie was never really in favor of the
revolution. She went along with it, but she didn't actually engage in the fighting. Mollie
didn't mind being a 'servant' to the humans, since she was constantly being pampered by
them. After the revolution, Mollie begins to miss the beautiful ribbons (fine clothes) and
sugar cane (fine food) she used to receive from her human masters. She eventually flees
the animal farm to live elsewhere in Willingdon.

Dogs
The Army - The "Dogs of War"
Dogs - The dogs represent the military/police. In the beginning of the book, they voted
against accepting the rats & rabbits as 'comrades'. Shortly after the revolution, several
'pups' are stolen from their mothers. Later in the book, these pups (now fully grown - and
fully trained) protect Napoleon from a second potential revolution, and help to enforce his
decrees.

Jessie, Bluebell, Pincher - The only three dogs that are mentioned by name. They do not
have a very active role in the novel. All three are mentioned as being present at old major's
meeting, but Pincher is never mentioned again (except in the 'epilogue', when it is
mentioned that all three dogs are dead) - Jesse and Bluebell are the mothers of the 'pups'
which serve as Napoleon's bodyguards (and I assume Pincher is the father). Jesse and
Bluebell also participate in the 'Battle of the Windmill'.

Birds
Farmers, Clergy, And other 'non-labour' groups.

Birds - The primary motto of Animalism is "Four legs good, two legs bad". The birds
argued with this saying since it seems to exclude birds, which have two legs and two
wings. Squealer set them at ease by explaining, "A bird's wing, comrades, is an organ of
propulsion and not of manipulation. It should therefore be regarded as a leg. The
distinguishing mark of man is the hand, the instrument with which he does all his
mischief."
In real life, there were several classes of citizens 'left out' of socialist rhetoric as well.
Most of the communistic slogans dealt with the 'proletariat' - which was primarily a
reference to urban factory workers. The rural farmers, the clergy, the 'intelligentsia', and
other 'non-labour union' types probably felt left out, just as the birds did in the novel. And,
just as in real life, most would be left out - or killed - after the revolution.
The birds were different from the other animals - they stood on two legs. And in real-life,
the peasant farmers were unique as well - many of them owned land. Though the land was
eventually 'collectivized' by the state in the 1930's, these peasants were allowed to own
land ('walk on two legs') for the first decade of communism. Property owners in the city
lost their land (were forced to 'walk on four legs') immediately following the revolution.
And the primary reason for this, as Squealer explained above, was that the peasants
weren't using their ownership of property to enrich themselves on the backs of the workers
- they generally farmed the land themselves, and so their land ownership was tolerated for
some time (their wings were "an organ of propulsion, not of manipulation").

Moses - The raven Moses symbolizes the Russian Orthodox Church. In the beginning of
the novel, Moses was Mr. Jones's 'pet'. Moses fled the farm shortly after the revolution,
but eventually returned. Moses never did any work. All he did was sit around telling
stories - primarily of "Sugar Candy Mountain", a paradise where animals lived on after
they have died. At first Napoleon tried to get rid of Moses. But eventually Moses was
allowed to stay on the farm and was even given a small ration of 'beer'.

Hens - Peasant Farmers. In Chapter seven, Napoleon calls for the hens to 'surrender their
eggs'. This is a reference to Stalin's attempt to collectivize the peasant farmers of Russia.
The hens attempted to resist the order at first, just as the peasant farmers of the Ukraine.
But, just as in real life, they were eventually starved into submission. In the book, 9 hens
died during the incident. In real-life, it is estimated that somewhere between 4 and 10
million Ukrainian peasants were starved to death by Stalin.
In the book, it was also said that the Hens smashed their own eggs to protest Napoleon's
actions. In real-life, Ukrainian farmers would slaughter their own livestock before joining
a collective as a form of protest. So many farmers engaged in this practice, that livestock
in the Ukraine dwindled by 50%-80% between 1928 and 1935. The problem got so out of
hand that Stalin eventually executed any farmer found guilty of engaging in this practice.
Even the act of 'neglecting' your livestock was punishable by death.

Three young Black Minorca pullets - The leaders of the hen's 'resistance'. The book says
that these three chickens 'made a determined effort to thwart Napoleon's wishes'. The
dictionary defines a Minorca Hen as 'A domestic fowl of a breed originating in the
Mediterranean region and having white or black plumage.' - a reference to the Ukrainians
possibly? (although not exactly on the Mediterranean, the Ukraine is in the same general
area)
Never the less, It was the Ukrainian peasants who formed the primary resistance to Stalin's
attempts to collectivize farming, so the 'black Minorcan Pullets' are almost certainly a
reference to the Ukrainians.
But it is also possible that Orwell may be referring to specific group of Ukrainians - the
Ukrainian Kulaks. The Kulaks were middle and upper class peasants that owned farmland
in Ukraine. It was they that had the most to lose by collectivizing.
(And as a side note, Minorca is "A Spanish island in the Balearics of the western
Mediterranean Sea. Held by the British and the French at various times during the 18th
century, it was a Loyalist stronghold in the Spanish Civil War." This is curious since
Orwell had personally participated in the Spanish Civil War, and was probably well aware
of this islands' act of resistance.)

Cockerels - Serve as an alarm clock for Boxer. Napoleon had a black cockerel who
marched in front of him and acted as a kind of trumpeter (He would let out a loud "cock-a-
doodle-doo" before Napoleon spoke.) Frederick (Hitler) was said to hold cockfights where
the combatants had splinters of razor-blade tied to their spurs.

Pigeons - The pigeons, who fly out each day to spread the word about 'animalism' to the
other farms in Willingdon, represent the "Communist World Revolution" - The
Communist International, or Comintern, as it is widely known.

Geese - ? Mentioned in the "Beast of England"

Turkeys - ? Mentioned in the "Beast of England"

Ducks - They are generally only mentioned in conjunction with the hens, and, just like the
hens, are portrayed as being less intelligent than the other animals. The obviously
represent some type of peasantry, but it is unclear as to with specific group Orwell is
referring to since Orwell never gives any specifics of the Duck's role on the farm. The
book merely states that some ducklings (who have lost their mother) were present at Old
Major's 'meeting', and that clover has protected them so the other animals wouldn't
trample on them. The ducks are mentioned as assisting with building the windmill. It is
also said that they helped the hens "save five bushels of corn at the harvest by gathering up
the stray grains". The book also states that the Ducks, along with the Sheep and the hens,
were on the lower end of the intelligence scale - completely incapable of grasping the full
ideas of 'animalism'.
Since ducks are water-borne foul, it is possible that they may represent the 'farmers of the
sea' ... fishermen perhaps??

The Other Animals

Old Benjamin, the donkey - " Benjamin could read as well as any pig, but never
exercised his faculty. So far as he knew, he said, there was nothing worth reading." (Old
Men?)

Muriel, the white goat - Literate. (Old Ladies?)

The Cat - Voted on both sides of the 'rat-comrade' question. "The cat joined the Re-
education Committee and was very active in it for some days. She was seen one day
sitting on a roof and talking to some sparrows who were just out of her reach. She was
telling them that all animals were now comrades and that any sparrow who chose could
come and perch on her paw; but the sparrows kept their distance." The Cat disappeared
right before the 'purges'.

The cat seems to represents some of the more 'shady' members of Russian society, but it is
unclear exactly who Orwell had in mind. Con Men? Circus Folk? Gypsies?

Rats & Rabbits - The rats and rabbits are the wild animals that live on the farm. The
seem to represent beggars, thieves and gypsies. During the first animal meeting, a vote is
taken on whether or not these creatures should be considered as 'comrades'. It is decided
that they should be included as 'animals'.

It is also mentioned that Jones' men went out 'Rabbitting' shortly before the revolution
Perhaps a reference to the Czars' attempt to maintain 'law & order' when he sensed that a
revolt was near.

Cows - The cows are another animal that is scarcely mentioned in the book, so they too
are difficult to pin down. All that is said about them is that during the revolution "One of
the cows broke in the door of the store-shed with her horn and all the animals began to
help themselves from the bins." After the revolution, Napoleon creates a re-education
program for the cows called "the Clean Tails League". To me, this makes it sound like the
cows represents prostitutes. The 'clean tails' thing could be a reference to a anti-VD
campaign, but that could just be my imagination running away with me. They could
simply represent Milkmaids.

Fox - When Jones heard the Animals singing 'Beasts of England' at old major's meeting,
he feared that there was a 'Fox in the yard '. The fox is probably just a metaphor for
revolutionaries.

Sheep - The sheep represent the masses at large. "Four legs good, two legs bad! Four legs
good, two legs ba-a-a-a-d!"

Places
Locations mentioned in the novel

Animal Farm - The Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.). 'Animal Farm' is the name the animals gave
their farm after the revolution.

Manor Farm - Russia. 'Manor Farm' was the name of the farm when Jones ran it.
Eventually, the Pigs decided that they preferred this old name to the new moniker 'Animal
Farm'.

Foxwood - Foxwood represents England. The novel describes it as "a large, neglected,
old-fashioned farm, much overgrown by woodland, with all its pastures worn out and its
hedges in a disgraceful condition. Its owner, Mr. Pilkington, was an easy-going gentleman
farmer who spent most of his time in fishing or hunting according to the season."

Pinchfiled - Pinchfiled represents Germany. Orwell described it as "The other farm,

which was called Pinchfield, was smaller and better kept. Its owner was a Mr. Frederick, a
tough, shrewd man, perpetually involved in lawsuits and with a name for driving hard
bargains."

Willingdon - All of the farms mentioned in the book are located in the city of Willingdon,
which is a metaphor for Europe.
England - Since farms represent the various nations, England is a representation of the
entire world.

The Farmhouse - (The Kremlin.) Home of Mr. Jones (the Czar). After the revolution,
there were some that wanted to destroy the farmhouse, but it was decided to preserve it as
a museum. (The Kremlin was saved in a similar manner). Eventually, Napoleon (Stalin)
decided to take up residence there.

The Red Lion - A Pub in Willingdon. This may represent the Royal Palace in England, or
could merely represent one of the smaller nations in Europe.

Sugar Candy Mountain - An obvious reference to 'Heaven'. In the novel,

Moses "...claimed to know of the existence of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy
Mountain, to which all animals went when they died. It was situated somewhere up in the
sky, a little distance beyond the clouds, Moses said. In Sugarcandy Mountain it was
Sunday seven days a week, clover was in season all the year round, and lump sugar and
linseed cake grew on the hedges. The animals hated Moses because he told tales and did
no work, but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain, and the pigs had to argue
very hard to persuade them that there was no such place". Later in the novel, the Pigs
quietly allow Moses (the church) to return the farm. Here, Orwell is demonstrating
religion's use an "opiate of the masses". The Pigs realized that by offering their subjects
the promise of a mystical reward after their death, it would help make their miserable
over-worked lives more bearable for them to endure.

Things
Some of the Symbolism from the book.

Animalism - Communism

Hoof & Horn - Hammer and Sickle

Animal Committees - (Soviet Committees). "Egg Production Committee for the hens, the
Clean Tails League for the cows, the Wild Comrades' Re-education Committee (the object
of this was to tame the rats and rabbits), the Whiter Wool Movement for the sheep,"

'Beasts of England' - The song 'Beasts of England' is a metaphor for the ideology of
Communism. In the novel it is said that the song spread throughout the countryside - just
as belief in the communist system spread throughout all of the labor unions in the world.
In many democratic countries (including the U.S.), socialist parties began to grow and
socialists politicians began winning seats in legislatures.

Windmill - The windmill is a symbol for Stalin's 'Five-Year plan'. Just a the windmill was
promised to make the animal's life easier, the 'Five-Year Plan' was supposed to improve
Soviet industry to the point that the proletariats' life as well by increasing production and
allowing the soviets to shorten the work-week. And just like the windmill, Stalin's plan
was an utter failure. After the destruction of the Windmill, the Animals decided to build
another one and in real-life, Stalin kept churning out new 'Five-year Plans' - promising
that each new plan would solve all of Russia's problems and bring the USSR closer to
parity with the industrialized nations of the west.

Drinking of alcohol - After the revolution it is decided that animals should never again
consume alcohol. After a short time, the pigs ignored began to break this cardinal rule.
This is a metaphor for the intoxicating effects of power.

'Milk' - Shortly after the revolution, the pigs are forced to decide what to do with the
'milk' (a reference to some sort of commodity). The animals assume that the pigs will
distribute it equally among the masses, and are shocked when they discover that the pigs
have decided to keep it for themselves.

'Apples' - The pigs decided to keep the apples as well.

Key Events
A few of the Major Plot points in the novel

The Animal Revolt - The Russian Revolution.

Battle of Cowshed - The Return of Jones . Red October. The battle of the Tsarists forces
against the Bolsheviks. (The Reds vs. the Whites) "The civil war between the Bolsheviks
(Reds) and the anti-Bolsheviks (Whites) ravaged Russia until 1920. The Whites
represented all shades of anti-Communist groups, including members of the constituent
assembly. Several of their leaders favored setting up a military dictatorship, but few were
outspoken czarists."
For more info, follow these links...
www.infoplease.com
campus.northpark.edu
fresno.k12.ca.us

Pigeons sent to incite other rebellions - Cummunist Internetionale

The Meeting - The Soviet, The Pre-Bolshevik Provisional Government
From the book...
"Here the work of the coming week was planned out and resolutions were put forward and
debated. It was always the pigs who put forward the resolutions. The other animals
understood how to vote, but could never think of any resolutions of their own."

From Real Life...

"The Constituent Assembly met only once, in January 1918. Lenin dissolved it by issuing
his DRAFT DECREE and sent heavily armed guards to prevent its meeting again. Those
who were not Bolsheviks were indignant when they witnessed this unconstitutional act.
Just the same, there was no public outburst. Why the delegates did no more than weakly
protest is clear: the Bolsheviks had already taken action on what interested the people
most -- Bread, Land and Peace. Were the Russian people ready for democracy?
Regardless of how we can answer this question one thing is clear -- Lenin made it
impossible for the Assembly to meet."

The hens' revolt - This signifies the Ukrainian peasants’ bitter resistance to collective
farming. (See: HENS)

Destruction of the Windmill - This destruction is symbolic for the failure of the Five
Year Plan. In the Book, it was described as follows:
"November came, with raging south-west winds. Building had to stop because it was now
too wet to mix the cement. Finally there came a night when the gale was so violent that the
farm buildings rocked on their foundations and several tiles were blown off the roof of the
barn. The hens woke up squawking with terror because they had all dreamed
simultaneously of hearing a gun go off in the distance. In the morning the animals came
out of their stalls to find that the flagstaff had been blown down and an elm tree at the foot
of the orchard had been plucked up like a radish. They had just noticed this when a cry of
despair broke from every animal's throat. A terrible sight had met their eyes. The windmill
was in ruins." ... " He gave it as his opinion that Snowball had probably come from the
direction of Foxwood Farm"

The Purges of 1936-38: - (Ch 7) "Napoleon stood sternly surveying his audience; then he
uttered a high-pitched whimper. Immediately the dogs bounded forward, seized four of the
pigs by the ear and dragged them, squealing with pain and terror, to Napoleon's feet...."

Selling of the wood to Frederick - Nazi-Soviet pact

Battle of the Windmill - Battle of Stalingrad - German Invasion of Russia During WWII.