Essay Sample on Animal Farm: An Allegory To The Russian Revolution

With global modernization, it is safe to say that the world is in one of the best states it has been in a long time. We have faced many challenges to get here, however. Our ancestors have fought wars, struggled to find food, and faced harsh conditions to survive.  One event that defined history was the Russian Revolution. Taking place in 1917 and going until June 16, 1923, the Russian revolution defined new standards for totalitarianism; a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state. The goal of totalitarianism is to centralize the government and control the people. One popular novel made as an allegory for the Russian Revolution is George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Napoleon, one of several pigs, is ultimately distinguished as the leader of Animal Farm. Because Napoleon constantly reminds the other animals that Jones could return, uses dogs to scare the animals into submission, and hosts a public execution to discourage communication with Snowball, it is safe to say that Napoleon’s single most effective tool for getting the animals to fall into line with his wishes without rebelling against him is fear.

Some readers may try and argue that Napoleon exploited the stupidity of the other animals for his best interests, but this is not the case. Napoleon exploits their fear of Jones returning, instead. This shows in the several times he says, “Surely there is no one among you who wishes to see Jones come back” (Orwell 52, 70, 80). This quote is repeated three times throughout the story and plays a big role in the story. This quote has multiple different variations throughout the story, however, the message remains the same throughout all of the quotes, Napoleon wants the animals to believe that without him in power and without doing what he wishes, Jones will return. A quote that perfectly captures how effective this method of fear is, “‘…Surely, comrades, you do not want Jones back?’ Once again this argument was unanswerable. Certainly the animals did not want Jones back” (Orwell 70). It acknowledges the animals' fear of Jones and solidifies that for the reader when it says, “Certainly the animals did not want Jones back” (Orwell 70). This moment is super important for the reader because, despite not being the first time it is said, it includes that one, well-needed detail and states the animals' fear. Obviously, up until this point, we could make a solid assumption and base it off of statements made by the animals to say that yes, they were afraid of Jones, but this piece of evidence just drives that argument even further. In using this statement, Napoleon knows that the animals are afraid of Jones and he knows that as long as they believe that he can make sure that Jones stays away, he can maintain power and control over the animals of Animal Farm.

Another method Napoleon uses to maintain control by making the animals fear him is his dogs. After Napoleon realizes that he is starting to lose influence over the animals and that they agree with Snowball more than himself, he releases nine dogs he had been raising for months. The dogs were initially introduced on page 72, but their purpose evolved significantly throughout the book. The dogs were an amazing method of scaring the animals and were possibly the greatest tool Napoleon had to keep the animals in line. At the end of chapter five, Squealer, Napoleon's right-hand man, explains to the other animals that, in fact, Napoleon had never been opposed to the idea of building the windmill he says, “He had SEEMED to oppose the windmill, simply as a manoeuvre to get rid of Snowball, who was a dangerous character and a bad influence” (Orwell 71). Squealer described the strategy as “tactics.” This was a new word to the animals and they did not understand what it meant but, “…the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions” (Orwell 72). This is another amazing example of how Napoleon used the dogs to scare the animals. The animals were too afraid to ask for clarification on this new concept and therefore, they accepted something that they did not understand as an explanation for something that made no sense to them.

Arguably the single most frightening tactic Napoleon used to keep his control over the animals was hosting a public execution. Napoleon made the animals confess to crimes that they had supposedly committed. The animals felt pressured into confessing to crimes they were, arguably, making up. The animals claimed that Snowball had come to them in a dream or communicated with them in some way and told them to betray Napoleon. It becomes apparent just how frightening this sight was when the book says, “with [Napoleon’s] nine huge dogs frisking round him and uttering growls that sent shivers down all the animals' spines. They all cowered silently in their places, seeming to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen” (Orwell 91 and 92). The pigs are the first to be confronted. They were not asked nor escorted to come forth either, “the dogs bounded forward, seized four of the pigs by the ear and dragged them, squealing with pain and terror, to Napoleon's feet” (Orwell 92). This shows how forceful Napoleon was. This also shows that Napoleon did not make it easy for the animals to deny any allegations against them, as they fear that if they stay silent or oppose Napoleon, they will be killed. The pigs confess that Snowball had been secretly communicating with them and that he had confessed that he had been Jones’ secret agent for years. The pigs were then killed, “When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out” (Orwell 93). In total, there were more than 11 animals killed at the end of the execution. Orwell describes it as “a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood” (Orwell 93). This execution would have been a perfect spot to finish the book because it captures the control Napoleon had over the other animals. They were wrapped around his finger and willing to confess to crimes they had not committed for his satisfaction.

Some readers may argue that the animals were extremely loyal to Napoleon and that is why they behaved in the manner that they did but presented this evidence it is nearly impossible to deny that they were afraid for their lives. Napoleon used the threat of Jones returning to the farm, dogs to silence the other animals' voices, and a public execution all in order to scare the animals into submission. Orwell does a perfect job of capturing the totalitarian ideologies in this novel by outlining how Napoleon used scare tactics to manipulate the animals, but how he also lies to the animals to make himself look like a good guy and paint Snowball as a public enemy.