Animal Farm Important Characters
Napoleon
One of the boars who lives on Animal Farm, Napoleon is a crafty, manipulative pig who rises to power after the rebellion by disposing of his rival, Snowball. Representative of Stalin ruling the Soviet Union, Napoleon forces the other animals of the farm to perform backbreaking labour for minimal rations and employs a pack of violent dogs and propagandizing underlings to suppress dissent. By the end of the novel, Napoleon, along with the other pigs, transition into becoming humans themselves.
Snowball
Another boar on the farm, Snowball is known for giving impassioned speeches, and is an instrumental force during the Battle of the Cowshed. Following continued disagreement on how the farm should be run, Snowball is chased from the farm by Napoleon's violent dogs, and is never seen again. Compared to Napoleon's Stalin, Snowball represents Trotsky, a Russian revolutionary who Stalin ran out of Russia and eventually had killed.
Squealer
A smooth talking pig, Squealer acts as Napoleon's minister of propaganda, offering convenient explanations for unequal treatment, and painting over the Seven Commandments to suit the new desires of the pigs.
Old Major
An old boar who inspires the rebellion with his idea of a utopian society where all animals are free, Old Major is representative of both Marx and Lenin, whose ideals were twisted under Stalin's brutal rule.
Mr Jones
The farmer in control of Manor Farm before it's overthrown by the animals, Jones is portrayed as a lazy, ineffectual drunk, representative of Tsar Nicholas II and the Russian royal family.
Boxer
A large, strong cart-horse, Boxer is the hardest working animal on the farm, and devotes himself ceaselessly to the cause. Boxer's two mottos are "I will work harder", and "Napoleon is always right", demonstrating his unshakeable work ethic and blind devotion. Representative of the working class people under Stalin's rule, the pigs have Boxer sent to slaughter once he is too old and sick to continue working.
Benjamin
A donkey who has been on the farm for a very long time, Benjamin does not buy into the idealism of the rebellion, and continues to work just as he did before. The only animal who sees through the intentions of the pigs, Benjamin mostly keeps his opinions to himself, but interjects when he sees Boxer is being taken by a horse slaughterer.
Clover
A female cart-horse, Clover is a dedicated worker who often wonders if the pigs are breaking the commandments, but is easily convinced otherwise, and assumes that she has remembered incorrectly.
Mollie
The pretty horse who pulls Jones' carriage, Mollie dislikes work and does not actively participate in the rebellion. Following the Battle of the Cowshed, she leaves the farm in order to be owned and pampered by humans once again.
Frederick
Owner of neighbouring farm Pinchfield, Frederick is described as tough and shrewd, and uses fake pound notes to pay Napoleon for timber. Frederick is representative of Adolf Hitler, who signed a neutrality pact with the Soviet Union but later broke it during WWII.
Pilkington
Owner of the other neighbouring farm, Foxwood, Pilkington is described as more easy going than Frederick, although his farm is larger and in poorer condition. At the end of the novella, Pilkington equates the lower animals with working class people, all of whom pose a problem to rulers like he and Napoleon. Representative of the English and American governments, Pilkington's similar attitudes towards the working class represent capitalism as equally exploitative towards working classes.
Mr Whymper
A man hired by Napoleon to be a go-between in dealings with other humans, Whymper helps the pigs to sell their products to the outside world.
Moses
A raven who was Mr Jones' pet, Moses is exiled but returns some years after the rebellion. Moses tells the other animals that when they die they will go to Sugarcandy Mountain, a wonderful, heaven-like place. Representing religion, Moses is used by both sets of rulers to give the workers hope for reward after death, which makes them more likely to accept their lack of reward during life.
One of the boars who lives on Animal Farm, Napoleon is a crafty, manipulative pig who rises to power after the rebellion by disposing of his rival, Snowball. Representative of Stalin ruling the Soviet Union, Napoleon forces the other animals of the farm to perform backbreaking labour for minimal rations and employs a pack of violent dogs and propagandizing underlings to suppress dissent. By the end of the novel, Napoleon, along with the other pigs, transition into becoming humans themselves.
Snowball
Another boar on the farm, Snowball is known for giving impassioned speeches, and is an instrumental force during the Battle of the Cowshed. Following continued disagreement on how the farm should be run, Snowball is chased from the farm by Napoleon's violent dogs, and is never seen again. Compared to Napoleon's Stalin, Snowball represents Trotsky, a Russian revolutionary who Stalin ran out of Russia and eventually had killed.
Squealer
A smooth talking pig, Squealer acts as Napoleon's minister of propaganda, offering convenient explanations for unequal treatment, and painting over the Seven Commandments to suit the new desires of the pigs.
Old Major
An old boar who inspires the rebellion with his idea of a utopian society where all animals are free, Old Major is representative of both Marx and Lenin, whose ideals were twisted under Stalin's brutal rule.
Mr Jones
The farmer in control of Manor Farm before it's overthrown by the animals, Jones is portrayed as a lazy, ineffectual drunk, representative of Tsar Nicholas II and the Russian royal family.
Boxer
A large, strong cart-horse, Boxer is the hardest working animal on the farm, and devotes himself ceaselessly to the cause. Boxer's two mottos are "I will work harder", and "Napoleon is always right", demonstrating his unshakeable work ethic and blind devotion. Representative of the working class people under Stalin's rule, the pigs have Boxer sent to slaughter once he is too old and sick to continue working.
Benjamin
A donkey who has been on the farm for a very long time, Benjamin does not buy into the idealism of the rebellion, and continues to work just as he did before. The only animal who sees through the intentions of the pigs, Benjamin mostly keeps his opinions to himself, but interjects when he sees Boxer is being taken by a horse slaughterer.
Clover
A female cart-horse, Clover is a dedicated worker who often wonders if the pigs are breaking the commandments, but is easily convinced otherwise, and assumes that she has remembered incorrectly.
Mollie
The pretty horse who pulls Jones' carriage, Mollie dislikes work and does not actively participate in the rebellion. Following the Battle of the Cowshed, she leaves the farm in order to be owned and pampered by humans once again.
Frederick
Owner of neighbouring farm Pinchfield, Frederick is described as tough and shrewd, and uses fake pound notes to pay Napoleon for timber. Frederick is representative of Adolf Hitler, who signed a neutrality pact with the Soviet Union but later broke it during WWII.
Pilkington
Owner of the other neighbouring farm, Foxwood, Pilkington is described as more easy going than Frederick, although his farm is larger and in poorer condition. At the end of the novella, Pilkington equates the lower animals with working class people, all of whom pose a problem to rulers like he and Napoleon. Representative of the English and American governments, Pilkington's similar attitudes towards the working class represent capitalism as equally exploitative towards working classes.
Mr Whymper
A man hired by Napoleon to be a go-between in dealings with other humans, Whymper helps the pigs to sell their products to the outside world.
Moses
A raven who was Mr Jones' pet, Moses is exiled but returns some years after the rebellion. Moses tells the other animals that when they die they will go to Sugarcandy Mountain, a wonderful, heaven-like place. Representing religion, Moses is used by both sets of rulers to give the workers hope for reward after death, which makes them more likely to accept their lack of reward during life.
To link to this Animal Farm Important Characters page, copy the following code to your site: