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George Orwell's Animal Farm

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The Fairy Story we all know so well is not a fairy story at all, it is a very real event, and it happened right under our noses. George Orwell's “Animal Farm” was an allegorical novella written about the Russian Revolution. Set on a farm with a cast of almost exclusively animals Orwell used this novel to illustrate how Russia had failed in their revolution in a way that was easy to understand and translate. In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, many animals represent important figures and groups from the Russian Revolution. This is proven in particular by three animals, all with uncanny resemblances to Russian Revolutionaries.

The first animal with a Russian counterpart is Snowball the pig, who represents Leon Trotsky, the Russian politician …show more content…
Mollie, the white mare, represents the Russian bourgeoisie. For both Mollie and the Bourgeoisie, life was easier, and better, before the revolution. “The stupidest questions of all were asked by Mollie, the white mare. The very first question she asked Snowball was: “Will there still be sugar after the Rebellion?” (Pg. ) This example paints a clear picture of Mollie’s quality of life before the revolution, she couldn’t understand why the animals would revolt, because, in her eyes, there was nothing to revolt over. The Bourgeoisie were also confused by the revolution, especially when they realized it meant sharing all their wealth and being brought down to the same level as the rest of the country. “She was late for work every morning and excused herself by saying that she had overslept, and she complained of mysterious pains, although her appetite was excellent.” (Pg. ) As seen in Animal Farm, Mollie had to work after the revolution, something she didn’t enjoy or have to do prior to it. The same thing happened to the Bourgeoisie after the revolution. They had to work more than they ever had before, and they still had to give up their money. This clearly shows that life was easier for both groups before the revolution. Another similarity between Mollie and the Bourgeoisie was how both “ran away” from their nations. “One of Mr. Pilkington’s men was standing on the other side of the …show more content…
Both Stalin and Napoleon ruled with an absolute monarchy, and not a good one. “Napoleon was now never spoken of simply as “Napoleon.” He was always referred to in formal style as “our Leader, Comrade Napoleon,” (Pg. ) This is a great example of how Napoleon gradually turned himself into their leader, without the animals even realizing it. Stalin, though elected as leader, did the same thing as Napoleon and manipulated his way into a complete monarchy, with full power and no rules restricting him. Another example of Napoleon and Stalin's harmful absolute monarchy is the famine they caused in their nations. “For days at a time, the animals had nothing to eat but chaff and mangels. Starvation seemed to stare them in the face” (Pg. ) It is well known that Stalin's industrialization of Russia caused one of the worst man-made famines in history, and as this example shows, Orwell made sure Napoleon caused a horrendous famine throughout the farm as well. This illustrates both the horror of their reins and the similarities between them. While Stalin and Napoleon each led with full power, another parallel between the two is their use of force to maintain control. Stalin’s security agency, the OGPU staged show trials of “enemies of the people”, controlled all of the Soviet security and even the Red Army. This is an important example because it shows how

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