Animal Farm Characters Analysis
Mr. Jones - He is the original owner of Manor Farm at the starting of the Novella, and is said to be lazy and unmotivated. He does not provide the animals with enough food and overworks them daily with the aid of cruel farmhands. He attempts to retake the farm but all his attempts are rebuffed and he is known to have passed away before the conclusion of the book.
Old Major - He is the ideological leader of Animalism, and responsible for giving the animals the song "Beasts of England." He promises the animals that one day man would be overthrown and all the farm animals would be liberated. He passes away soon after telling the animals about his dream, but Napoleon exhumes his skull and uses it as a means to legitimize the actions of his government.
Napoleon - He is a quiet but forceful pig who is responsible for shaping the ideology of Animalism, but he soon realizes that he is unable to compete with the more charismatic Snowball. He uses brute force to oust Snowball and installs a totalitarian government, and then uses the government to aggrandize himself and lead a life of luxury. By the end of the Novella, the pigs led by Napoleon are nearly indistinguishable from the humans.
Snowball - He is a clever and charismatic pig who manages to secure the majority vote on nearly all his motions through the use of his superior public speaking abilities. He is brutally ousted by Napoleon's dog police force and is later labeled a traitor by Napoleon's administration. Later on in the book, Napoleon blames all the mistakes of his government on Snowball and conducts several executions under the same pretext.
Squealer - He is the spokesperson of the pigs, and goes around explaining the controversial decisions that the pigs make. He uses complicated and convoluted language to deliberately mislead and confuse the farm animals. He is also responsible for changing the commandments on the barn wall to better suit the needs of the pigs.
Boxer - A strong horse that attempts to solve all the problems of the farm by working harder. He inspires the other animals with his quiet hard work and is responsible for a gargantuan share of the work involved in building the windmill. Boxer is betrayed by the pigs as he is never allowed to retire and is instead sold to the horse slaughterer.
Benjamin - The old and ill-tempered donkey refuses to change his behavior after the rebellion. He is intelligent and literate but refuses to read or tell the others about the things that are going awry under the rule of the pigs. He often states that donkeys live a long time and only becomes animated when he notices that his friend, Boxer, is being sold to be slaughtered.
