Symbolism in Animal Farm Essay

Animal Farm Essay

What would a story be like if there was no symbolism in it? In the novel, Animal Farm, the symbols symbolize people, places and things that are related in todays society. Animal Farm is a novel with many symbols but I chose the Animal Farm, the windmill and the barn with the commandments because I thought that these three symbolizes are the main ones that make up the novel. All three symbols are related to the same theme-the ruling class pigs manipulation over the working class animals.

The first symbol is the animal farm. The Animal Farm is known as the Manor Farm throughout the book and it symbolizes Russia and the Soviet Union under the Communist Party. This farm stands for any human society because it has an internal structure of a nation, a government formed by the pigs, a police/army force that consists of the dogs, and the other animals are part of a working class.

Secondly, the windmill symbolizes the pigs manipulation of the other animals for their selves. The windmill was Snowballs idea who even researched on how to build one he even and created blue prints for it. Napoleon wanted his dogs to scare snowball out of the farm, so he can take full credit for the thought of the windmill. This is funny because when Snowball showed everyone the blueprints, Napoleon convinced all the animals that the windmill is a poor idea but when Snowball vanishes, Napoleon tells the animals that the windmill was his idea. He did this because the windmill will earn the pigs more money and therefore, increase their power as leaders. Napoleon had never been opposed to the windmill on the contrary, it was he who had advocated it in the beginning, said Squealer (39). The pigs force Boxer (the strongest animal on the farm) and the other animals to build the windmill. They also are not receiving a lot of food during the building of the windmill as the pigs are eating most of it. The conflict that the windmill has in the novel is that the pigs blame Snowball for the destruction of the windmill. The pigs try to make Snowball look guilty because they want the working class animals to dislike Snowball. Snowball was in a league with Jones from the start! He was Jones secret agent all the time, said Squealer (53). The windmill is also called the great windmill because it is a powerful object that shows the manipulation of the ruling pigs control over the working animals and it stands for modern projects done in Russia after the Russian Revolution.

Last but not least, the symbol that I think is the most important is the barn with the Seven Commandments. The barn represents the difference of authority between the ruling class pigs and the working class animals. The barn is also known as the farmhouse. After the rebellion, the pigs become the leaders of the farm and they start to live and work more in the farmhouse. It was about this time that the pigs suddenly moved into the farmhouse and took up residence there (45). This quote explains how the pigs are living under shelter. The farm serves as the pigs residence and the meeting place with humans. There round the long table, sat half a dozen farmers and half a dozen of the more eminent pigs, Napoleon head of the table (91). The barn is a very important place that symbolizes the difference between the pigs and the animals. The Seven Commandments are inscribed on the wall of the barn and were made up by the pigs so that the animals can live by them. They show the separations between the pigs and the other animals. The seven commandments would be inscribed on the wall; they would form an unalterable law by which the animals must live by forever, said Snowball (15). This quote is ironic because Napoleon changes the commandments to suit himself and the other pigs. For example, he changed the commandment that stated, No animal shall drink alcohol too, No animal shall drink alcohol, to excess! Also, Benjamin changed the last one saying that, All animals are equal too, All animal are equal. Some are more equal than others. For once Benjamin consented to break his rule, and he read out what was written on the wall-All animals are equal. Some are more equal than others (90). These two examples of the pigs altering the commandments show their power of manipulation.

This novel had many themes but I choose the symbols of the Animal Farm, the windmill and the barn/farmhouse with the commandments because they all fall under the same themes stating the pigs power and manipulation over the other animals. Symbolism is a major theme in all novels and especially Animal Farm because symbols are objects, characters, and figures that are used to represent key ideas or concepts. Without symbolism, a story would only be a story, not a novel.