Animal Farm Study Guide
A comprehensive analysis of Orwell's political allegory
Key Themes
Power and Corruption
The central theme showing how power corrupts even the most idealistic leaders, as seen in Napoleon's transformation.
Totalitarianism
Orwell's warning about the dangers of totalitarian regimes and how they manipulate truth and history.
Propaganda and Manipulation
The use of language and propaganda to control the masses, exemplified by Squealer's speeches and slogans.
Class Struggle
The representation of different social classes and how revolutionary ideals can be betrayed by new elites.
Characters & Historical Parallels
Napoleon → Stalin
The power-hungry pig who becomes a dictator, representing Stalin's rise to power and authoritarian rule.
Snowball → Trotsky
The idealistic pig who is exiled, representing Leon Trotsky's expulsion from the Soviet Union.
Old Major → Marx/Lenin
The wise old boar whose revolutionary ideas inspire the rebellion, representing Marx's communist theory.
Boxer → Working Class
The loyal, hardworking horse who represents the exploited working class and their blind faith in leadership.
Squealer → Propaganda Machine
The persuasive pig who manipulates language and truth, representing state propaganda and media control.
Important Symbols
The Windmill
Represents the Soviet Union's failed industrialization plans and how leaders use grand projects to distract from problems.
The Seven Commandments
Represent the original revolutionary ideals that are gradually corrupted and rewritten to serve the ruling class.
The Flag
The green flag with horn and hoof symbolizes the animal revolution and unity that is eventually corrupted.
Mr. Jones
The original farmer represents Tsar Nicholas II and the old regime that was overthrown in the Russian Revolution.
Historical Context
Published in 1945, Animal Farm was Orwell's critique of the Soviet Union under Stalin's rule. The novella allegorically retells the story of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent development of the Soviet Union into a totalitarian state.
Orwell, a democratic socialist, was deeply troubled by Stalin's betrayal of socialist ideals. He witnessed firsthand the corruption of revolutionary movements during his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War, which influenced his writing of this political allegory.
The book serves as a warning about the cyclical nature of tyranny and how revolutionary movements can be corrupted by power, making it relevant to any society where freedom and equality are threatened.