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The Characters

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

In a hurry? Here's the happy meal version:

  • Old Major = Karl Marx, with a little bit of Vladimir Lenin thrown in
  • Snowball = Leon Trotsky
  • Napoleon = Josef Stalin, with a big fat allusion to, uh, Napoleon. (Bonaparte.)
  • Squealer = Propaganda in general; also possibly Vyacheslav Molotov in particular.
  • Moses = the Russian Orthodox Church
  • Boxer = Russian laborers and workers
  • Clover = Russian laborers and workers, of the female kind
  • Mollie = the bourgeoisie
  • Benjamin = possibly Orwell; possibly intellectuals in general
  • Mr. and Mrs. Jones = Tsar Nicholas II and his family; also capitalists in general
  • Mr. Pilkington = the U.S. and U.K.
  • Mr. Frederick = Hitler
  • Mr. Whymper = gullible westerners and intellectuals

Have time for a leisurely meal? Check out the "Character Analyses" for all these guys and gals.