“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which.” Napoleon, the pig-headed dictator from the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, is a character whom I disliked deeply. Napoleon’s manipulative behaviour throughout the novel shows that his persona was designed to be hated, with the author taking frequent digs at his perfectly flawed character. I believe that Napoleon’s character shines a spotlight on the metaphoric plot of the entire novel, showing an almost parallel reflection of the Russian dictator Joseph Stalin. My feelings towards Napoleon make the story much clearer, helping me understand the reflection back to the real-life story of the Russian revolution through a cleverly laid out plot. Napoleon represents all that was wrong with Stalin, following the typical dictator format; he is constantly trying to get what is best for him, rather than the other animals on his farm.
Napoleon helped me understand Animal Farm through his constant manipulation of the other animals on the farm, an example of this being when he convinces the animals that the windmill was his own ingenious idea, rather than Snowball’s. From the instant Napoleon took over, it was clear how his leadership would play out. I immediately understood that he would be a cruel and ruthless tyrant towards the farm, carrying an excess of self-centred beliefs with him. It was very clear to me from the outset of the novel that Napoleon was a character I would come to loathe, especially during his cruel treatment towards the other animals of the story. His harsh character gave me an emotional connection to the book, as I felt sympathetic towards his victims. All of Napoleon’s malevolent actions made him that much easier to loathe, one of these being when he killed the ‘traitorous’ pigs, shown in in this quote from Chapter 7; “When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess.” These violent actions enriched the plot of the novel, showing the reflection of real life while still keeping the story relevant to the animals, which definitely helped my understanding of the text.
Napoleon’s character is one of the most public parallels to the Russian Revolution. Napoleon shows a clear reflection of Joseph Stalin, the dictator from the revolutionary period. He shows how the book is meant to represent the revolution, and he takes control of the farm in a manner that was extremely similar to how Stalin took Russia. This metaphoric style of writing makes it much easier for me to understand the text, as it so obviously links back to the real world. Whilst reading the novel, it was almost impossible not to develop an opinion on Napoleon’s form of leadership. I immediately began to compare his character to other famous dictators from history, which definitely helped me understand the true meaning behind Animal Farm. An example of Napoleon’s dictatorship is when he begins to have his dogs follow him everywhere. He uses them as his protectors, forcing them into harm’s way in order to save his own skin. The dogs are used to represent the KGB (Stalin’s bodyguard force), which once again shows Napoleon’s clear reflection of Stalin.
Napoleon is a manipulative character, designed to be hated. George Orwell makes sure that there is always something to dislike about Napoleon, be it his treatment of his so-called comrades, or the way he twists the seven commandments all for his benefit. A quote from the final chapter shows one of Napoleon’s major flaws. “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.” This quote shows his narcissistic, self-centered way of thinking, highlighting that he thinks the pigs are above any other species. In my opinion, Napoleon’s manipulation tactics are his own ingenious way of commanding the farm. He twists and controls the farm animal’s minds, almost brainwashing them, using propaganda to ensure they don’t develop their own opinions of how the farm should be led, similar to how the Capitol (from the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins) used propaganda and manipulation to keep the Districts in line. Both books used these tactics to prevent uprisings, and an overthrow of the governing powers. The similarities between these strategies made the text clearer for me, as I was able to understand the situation with ease.
Overall, Napoleon was a character from the novel whom I despised. His heartless actions enhanced the storyline, making it a more enjoyable book to read, as you never knew just what Napoleon would do next. His despicable actions towards his so-called comrades gave me an even stronger feeling of hatred towards him. Napoleon cleverly manipulated his loyal followers, showing false compassion towards them. Napoleon as a character was the perfect image of Joseph Stalin, the dictator he was designed to portray. George Orwell cleverly reflected the book to the real life events of the Russian Revolution, by representing many of the main characters as historical figures. To conclude, my emotional connection to Napoleon aided my understanding towards the book, making it easier to comprehend the various scenarios that took place within the storyline.
3 Comments
Add Yours →Hi Casey,
This is a fantastic start to your essay. Very well written and you express some very interesting ideas. Something to think about is to make sure the points you’re going to address in your body paragraphs clear in your introduction, outlining the three key points you are going to be making. Also think about how you could write a more compelling ‘hook’ to open your essay, this would elevate it further. This is a really good start, well done!
Hi Casey,
You have a very strong writing style here. Nice job identifying the metaphorical style, it would be good to provide specific examples of these though as that backs up the statements you are making. Quotes taken directly from the novel are good for this purpose. Remember that the question is about how your emotional response to the character helped you understand the novel as a whole. You need to keep bringing it back to your dislike of the character. Really strong start. Consider reworking your introduction to make it more gripping immediately. Try starting with a quote or a question as an experiment to achieve this.
Hi Casey,
You have started repeating yourself in parts of your essay. You have two paragraphs seemingly about manipulation and two paragraphs also heavily rely on the connection and parallels to Joseph Stalin. Need to make sure the three points you are discussing are all distinct and different, otherwise you create the impression that you don’t have a deeper understanding of the character. Also instead of simply stating that the author cleverly used… provide an example of how this was done. Try to vary your examples of connections to the world outside the novel as well. You can connect to other novels, films or real world events, both modern and historical, don’t limit yourself.