Animal Farm

5 Pages 1209 Words

Animal Farm: Russian Communism Portrayed Through Character


The novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is an allegory portraying the dangers of a totalitarian government. It seeks to show how a society where all live completely equal has not been, and cannot be achieved. Orwell, through the use of the character Squealer, shows how propaganda can affect members of a communist society in a negative way. By drawing parallels to events in communist Russia, Orwell’s Animal Farm illustrates how propaganda was used to control the Soviet people by deceiving them, threatening them and keeping them ignorant in an attempt to maintain order. The story uses simple language to explain and expose the corruption of communist Russia.
Throughout the story, Orwell uses Squealer to illustrate how propaganda persuaded and victimized Russian citizens. Squealer is a sly, crafty pig who is not only intelligent, but a manipulative speaker as well. His cunning is key to the deception of the other animals. In chapter three, Squealer deceives the animals of the farm for the first time. The animals find out that the milk and apples are given solely to the pigs, and Squealer is sent to explain the uneven distribution of farm resources. “‘Comrades’ he cried. ‘You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?’” (Orwell 42) He goes on to explain, “‘Milk and apples (this has been proved by science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers (42). Here, Squealer tries to convince the animals that it’s for health reasons that they take the apples and milk, but he tries to persuade them in other ways as well. Squealer continues, “‘the whole management and organization of this farm depend on us…. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples’” (42). Finally, he convinces them with fear. “‘Do you...