Animal Farm as an Allegory for Revolution Essay

We can associate the situation of the Animals at Orwells Animal Farm under the rule of Mr. Jones with the circumstances of the October Revolution. Old Major can be identified with Lenin or Karl Marx. The prototype of Mr. Jones was Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Similarly to the society of Tsarist Russia, the Animals were encouraged to raise a rebellion against the human, fighting in the name of freedom, brotherhood, equality and solidarity.

Soon after their version of the Revolution, they found themselves under the yoke of pigs that, who in the novel symbolised Bolsheviks, who had the most privileged position and grabbed the whole power for themselves.

Competition for influence between Snowball and Napoleon after the outbreak of the revolt is similar to the conflict between Stalin and Trotsky. As was the case in reality, Snowball ends up expelled from the farm (Leon Trotsky was forced to leave Russia and after many years was killed at Stalins command). Napoleon gains power using dogs, which are associated with Peoples Commissariat of Internal Affairs. Stalin also eliminated the rest of the supporters of his opponent. The author of this novel also used elements of Stalins governance, such as informers, surveillance, cooperation with Germany the prototype of Mr. Frederick was Adolf Hitler, with fast abandonment of mottos of equality and social justice, exploitation of workers, whose work was always summed up in percents, but had no influence on the improvement of their life, distinguishing Party members as people of a better category and overwhelming propaganda.

He also showed cult of a person being the leader, described with similar phrases as Stalin, e.g. Comrade Napoleon, Father of All Animals, Terror of Mankind, Protector of the Sheep-fold, Ducklings' Friend, Napoleons character was painted as a benefactor and everything positive was attributed to him: You would often hear one hen remark to another, "Under the guidance of our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days;" or two cows, enjoying a drink at the pool, would exclaim, "Thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, how excellent this water tastes! Napoleon, as well as Stalin, was worried about his life: Even in the farmhouse, it was said, Napoleon inhabited separate apartments from the others. He took his meals alone, with two dogs to wait upon him, and always ate from the Crown Derby dinner service which had been in the glass cupboard in the drawing-room. ()In the middle of the summer the animals were alarmed to hear that three hens had come forward and confessed that, inspired by Snowball, they had entered into a plot to murder Napoleon. They were executed immediately, and fresh precautions for Napoleon's safety were taken. Four dogs guarded his bed at night, one at each corner, and a young pig named Pinkeye was given the task of tasting all his food before he ate it, lest it should be poisoned. The Russian people who excel at work epitomise the character of Boxer, the horse faithfull and always loyal to Napoleon, who was mainly modelled on the superproductive Soviet worker.

The intimidated animals, used to incessant work, saw the results of their efficiency every Sunday: On Sunday mornings Squealer, holding down a long strip of paper with his trotter, would read out to them lists of figures proving that the production of every class of foodstuff had increased by two hundred per cent, three hundred per cent, or five hundred per cent, as the case might be. The animals saw no reason to disbelieve him, especially as they could no longer remember very clearly what conditions had been like before the Rebellion. All the same, there were days when they felt that they would sooner have had less figures and more food. The occupants of Animal Farm epitomise the society of Soviet Russia intimidated, oppressed, with no possibility to decide about themselves.

Georges Danton, one of the organisers and leaders of the French Revolution in 1789, in Bchners Dantons Death said: Revolution is like Saturn, it devours its own children. This phrase perfectly reflects the fate of the authentic characters of the October Revolution and the fate of the Animals from Animal Farm, which under the banners of freedom, equality and brotherhood took up the fight with human, won it, and did everything as dictated by the tyrannical pigs led by Napoleon.