As Orwell wrote Animal Farm as an allegory—a symbolic representation of real events—many characters and events in the novel symbolize individuals or groups in the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union. Some of the characters who symbolize individuals or groups in Soviet society include Mr. Jones (the Russian Tsar and the old aristocratic order); Old Major (Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin); Napoleon (Stalin); Snowball (Trotsky); Squealer (the press); the dogs (the secret police); and Moses the Raven (organized religion). Nearly all of the other animals represent the working class and Soviet peasants.
Character Names Quotes in Animal Farm
At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws.