Animal Farm Parallels

Although I'm not completely certain about all of the symbolism in Animal Farm, it is glaringly apparent that there are very specific allegories throughout the book. Old Major is very obviously a mix between Karl Marx and Lenin. This is because he was the "founder" of Animal Farm in the same way that Karl Marx started the communist movement. He also relates to Lenin because he was a leader who died early into the revolution that he started. Another analogy that stands out to me is the dogs. They are all completely loyal to Napoleon and are used to keep everyone under submission, just like the Stalin's Cheka, or secret police force. Napoleon is also representative of Stalin. He uses his dogs, just like the Cheka, to keep any one person from getting too powerful. He also preforms "purges," such as when he got rid of Snowball. Snowball represents Trotsky in many ways. He is very persuasive and can convince the animals of almost anything, just like the way Trotsky was a master of propoganda. He is also a rival for Napoleon, and is removed from power after Stalin spreads horrible rumors about him and runs him off the farm. Squealer, another very convincing character, probably represents the head of propoganda for Stalin after he disposed of Trotsky. He does much of Napoleon's dirty work, by talking to the masses and convincing them that everything Napoleon does is right.

Orwell wrote this book to express his views on communism and the Soviet Union without stepping on any toes. By turning all the political leaders into animals and simplifying the entire revolution to events taking place on a farm, he can make his point in a subdued and unobtrusive way. His book is also much easier to read than a heavy textbook on communism might be, so he is also making the information and general ideas accessible to a wider range of people.