Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin
In the novel Animal Farm, many of the animals show to be influenced by the dominant figures in the Russian Revolution. Here I will be focusing on Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin and how they can be compared to certain characters in the book.
Lenin (1870-1924)
Vladimir Lenin was a leading political figure and a revolutionary thinker who was often influenced by the ideology of Marxism and Karl Marx. He was ruthless but at the same time also rational and sensible. Old Major, although he is short-lived in the book, is the animal counterpart for Lenin. This can be identified by the fact that Lenin was compelled by Marx’s belief in the power of Communism, and urges the lower class to come together to claim their rightful place …show more content…
However, he has a bad reputation for his brutal ways of working and was the cause of millions of deaths as he took fear in his stride. So, which Animal Farm character has the most likeness? For some parts of the book, it can be said that Napoleon was used to represent Stalin as the character is focused on achieving power, simply for the sake of having that authority and power; therefore uninterested in the ideas and points that the other animals have to make. He is also represented by Squealer occasionally, with the concept that he is in fact an idealist who is driven to make change. Given that this completely contradicts my previous point, it has its own twist to show that this is only a propaganda gimmick to give the reader that impression, referring to Stalin’s extensive use of propaganda. Moreover, Stalin’s/Napoleon’s rise to supremacy is due to animals like Boxer/Boxer’s human counterparts- the type of character who will consume any information that is given to them by their leader without a single original thought in their mind. Therefore, Stalin can be linked to Marxism as a result of his similarities to
In the novel Animal Farm, many of the animals show to be influenced by the dominant figures in the Russian Revolution. Here I will be focusing on Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin and how they can be compared to certain characters in the book.
Lenin (1870-1924)
Vladimir Lenin was a leading political figure and a revolutionary thinker who was often influenced by the ideology of Marxism and Karl Marx. He was ruthless but at the same time also rational and sensible. Old Major, although he is short-lived in the book, is the animal counterpart for Lenin. This can be identified by the fact that Lenin was compelled by Marx’s belief in the power of Communism, and urges the lower class to come together to claim their rightful place …show more content…
However, he has a bad reputation for his brutal ways of working and was the cause of millions of deaths as he took fear in his stride. So, which Animal Farm character has the most likeness? For some parts of the book, it can be said that Napoleon was used to represent Stalin as the character is focused on achieving power, simply for the sake of having that authority and power; therefore uninterested in the ideas and points that the other animals have to make. He is also represented by Squealer occasionally, with the concept that he is in fact an idealist who is driven to make change. Given that this completely contradicts my previous point, it has its own twist to show that this is only a propaganda gimmick to give the reader that impression, referring to Stalin’s extensive use of propaganda. Moreover, Stalin’s/Napoleon’s rise to supremacy is due to animals like Boxer/Boxer’s human counterparts- the type of character who will consume any information that is given to them by their leader without a single original thought in their mind. Therefore, Stalin can be linked to Marxism as a result of his similarities to