Animal Farm: Foil 2 key examples

Snowball is an articulate and enthusiastic leader. He’s a great speaker, and he’s steadfastly committed to the principles of Animalism and to the betterment of the farm. He spearheads the windmill project, which he hopes will eventually allow the animals to do less hard labor and to enjoy their freedom more. Snowball believes in using technology and education to improve the animals' lives and to promote equality. He also bolsters literacy on the farmyard, and organizes committees to involve all animals in the decision-making process. His speeches and ideas inspire the animals and attempt to distribute power horizontally.

In stark contrast, Napoleon is self-centered and power-hungry. He sees Snowball’s efforts as being too idealistic, and quickly decides to push him out. Napoleon prefers to consolidate power rather than share it, working behind the scenes with Squealer to undermine Snowball. His methods are manipulative and often brutal, as rather than attempting to convince the other animals of the value of his ideas, he uses intimidation and propaganda to maintain control. Unlike Snowball, Napoleon prioritizes his own dominance and the privileges it brings. This comes to a head when he sends his pack of dogs to chase Snowball off the farm and capitalizes on this exile to use Snowball as a scapegoat for all of the farm’s later troubles. The dynamic between these two pigs points to the way revolutions can be derailed by those who prioritize personal power over collective good. In positioning Snowball and Napoleon as foils, Orwell explores the interplay between personal power and equality.

Boxer is the farm’s touchstone for loyalty, dedication, and physical strength. His personal maxims are "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right." He unquestioningly obeys the orders the pigs give him and encourages others to do the same. He assumes that if he doesn’t understand something the pigs are doing, it must be because he is stupid, not because they are wrong. Boxer's immense physical strength and tireless labor are vital to the farm's initial success and are the main force behind erecting the windmill. The big, kind horse is easily exploited, and he represents a tendency of some members of the working class to follow their leaders unquestioningly. When he becomes injured while working on the windmill, Napoleon sells him for glue, ruthlessly betraying Boxer as soon as he loses his strength. Through this, Orwell points out that the ruling class’s solidarity with the working class only extends as far as their interests—as soon as the working class is no longer useful to the ruling class, the amity stops.

Squealer the pig, on the other hand, remains very useful to Napoleon even though he isn’t physically strong. He is Napoleon's mouthpiece and the farm's chief propagandist. He uses language to manipulate and control the other animals, spreading lies and altering history where it’s necessary. Boxer's tragic fate is, in part, caused by his unwavering loyalty. Squealer's cunning use of language to maintain the pigs' dominance exploits that loyalty to its utmost. 

The trust that the animals have for their leaders make many of them easy targets for Squealer's manipulative tactics. For instance, when the pigs alter the commandments to suit their needs, Squealer skillfully reassures them. Squealer's ability to twist the truth eventually extends to gaslighting, as he convinces the animals that "No animal shall sleep in a bed" was always meant to include "with sheets” to justify the pigs’ indulgent choices. When Boxer is kidnapped and taken to the knackers’ to die, Squealer deceitfully “explains” that Boxer is being taken to a veterinary hospital. He chastises the animals for daring to think Napoleon would sell Boxer, using their own guilt and confusion against them. Boxer's hardworking, loyal, and naively trusting nature is the opposite of Squealer's clever, self-interested manipulations. Both are fiercely loyal to Napoleon, but with vastly different results.