Animal Farm Characters

Characters of Animal Farm Napoleon is a pig who has a lust for power and authority. He takes advantage of the other animals because of his superior intelligence. Napoleon uses terror, violence, and acts of trickery to get his way. He cares not for the wellbeing of his fellow comrades, but only for himself and living the most luxurious life as possible. He commits many crimes, but the worst crime he commits is completely transforming into Mr. Jones and ruining the dreams and hopes of the animals on the farm. Napoleon completely slaughters the plans Old Major had laid out for them. Snowball is the logical thinking pig that has every intention to make things on the farm better and more fair. He devotes himself to helping all of the animals, even the less intelligent ones, grasp the idea of Animalism. Snowball tries his best to stick to the plans Old Major had bestowed upon them. He is selfless and noble, which is why he and Napoleon seem to always clash together. Napoleon’s sidekick, Squealer, is a very clever pig. He is loyal to Napoleon and sticks around him to gain knowledge and information. Anytime Napoleon does something that the other animals find questionable, Squealer is the one to defend him, right or wrong. Although Squealer is most definitely intelligent, he is not always truthful. He lies to the animals in attempts to justify the rules the pigs are breaking on the farm. He tells many tales, but the most outrageous lie is told when Boxer is supposedly taken away to a “veterinary hospital”. Boxer is tall and mighty horse who devotes himself to all citizens on the farm. He constantly pushes himself to work as hard as he possibly can. His personal slogan- “I will work harder”- shows just how determined he is to do his part, if not more. Throughout the rebellion, he proves himself to be a valuable worker and soldier. Despite his great strength, Boxer does not possess great intelligence, which is why Napoleon is able to fool him into thinking he is being sent to a veterinary hospital when he collapses during the rebuilding of the windmill. He is selfless, thoughtful, strong, and hardworking until the very end of his life. The stubborn donkey, Benjamin, refuses to ever be enthusiastic about the rebellion from the very beginning. While all of his comrades are excited that the farm will now be run and governed by their own kind rather than humans, Benjamin tells them, “Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey.” The message that Benjamin is trying to convey is that although the farm is no longer run by humans, another form of tyranny will soon begin. Benjamin knows that life as they know it will carry on as it as it always has, badly. Mollie is a shallow materialist who does not care about the worries, hardships, or struggles of her fellow comrades. Her only concerns about the revolution are if she will still have sugar and her prize ribbons. Instead of being strong, loyal, and hardworking like the other horses, Mollie proves herself to be the complete opposite. She is bribed off of the farm with material things and cares nothing for politics or the struggles of the animals. Jones represents the tyranny which the animals rebel against. He cares little for Manor Farm and the animals who work there. He is everything that animal kind does not want for a leader. On occasions, Jones even forgets to feed his animals. Throughout ‘Animal Farm’, Jones is portrayed as a careless, forgetful, human who is unable to reclaim his farm. However, it is questionable whether or not the farm was better off without him. Each character has their own outlook on the rebellion and how it has played out. Despite the different levels of intelligence, every animal has the sense that they are not treated fairly and that a change for the better has yet to happen. One thing all of the animals have in common is that they all want to feel like they are important, and they all want to be treated as though they are equal. However, not all of the animals are smart enough to know what needs to happen in order for that to be accomplished. Excluding the pigs and Mollie, all of the animals have a common goal that they want to strive toward. The plan Old Major had set out for them was one they all agreed on. Although the animals don’t have the power to achieve that goal, they still have eachother.