Animal Farm

             This novel is a political allegory meaning that all of the characters and things in the novel represent something else. Orwell uses many symbols and metaphors to convey his message to the reader. He is strongly opposed to communism and the novel is his ways of displaying the ultimate downfall of the communist system. .
             The character of Old Major represents Karl Marx, the father of communism. Old Major instills in the common animals the will to rebel. He believes that the socialist system will work and in theory he is right but because of the "human" nature of the animals the system is doomed to fail. Napoleon and Snowball take over after the death of Old Major and twist his socialist plight into their own system of government.
             Napoleon is an obvious metaphor for Stalin and represents the flaw in the rebellion. He starts out as a good ruler but is soon corrupted by greed and power. His true character can be seen when he murders numerous animals that are suspected of scheming against him. In the end he is Comrade Napoleon, a dictator who will do anything even kill and brutalize his own people for the sake of power. His name also has some significance. Napoleon Bonaparte took over the French Revolution and formed his own empire which can be related to this novel.
             The metaphor for Trotsky is the character of Snowball. Both Snowball and Napoleon start out equally "ruling" the animals but their differences in opinion soon become prominent. As Orwell states " these two were never in agreement: whatever suggestion either of them made, the other could be counted to oppose it." The two of them were in a continuous battle for power and in the end there is only room for one; Napoleon. Snowball is driven off the farms by the dogs and the other animals are brain washed to believe that he was evil.
             Mr. Jones is a metaphor for Czar Nicholas II or the old czarist government. He also symbolizes the evils of capitalism.