Animal Farm
George Orwell
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Character Analysis: Major
Introduced as an old Middle White boar, Major is one of the most esteemed animals on the farm, responsible for fostering widespread belief in a system prioritising the wellbeing of animals. As the Prize boar of Jones, Major has been lucky enough to escape an early death, unlike his fellow animals. This has given him the opportunity to appreciate the extent to which humans have exploited animals: “I have had a long life; I have had much time for thought as I lay alone in my stall.”
Major can be considered the primary engineer of change on the farm. His philosophy is most notably expressed within the opening chapter, whereby he expounds his values and desires for a world in which animals are free from oppression. Major asserts rebellion to be the key in initiating holistic change, and prompts the farm to adopt his system of thought. His song, “Beasts of England” becomes a major source of inspiration for the animals in their ensuing endeavours for change. Orwell characterises Major’s principles as being an idealistic projection of society, yet asserts how these goals are unattainable due to humanity’s inherent desire for power. This is something we see throughout the novella, as Major’s ideals are gradually warped to benefit the pigs.
Orwell integrates the historical personalities of both Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin in his creation of Major as a character. Marx was a German philosopher, most renowned for his 1848 composition The Communist Manifesto, the ideas of which formed the logical basis for revolution against capitalist systems. In a similar fashion, Lenin was a communist revolutionary who adopted Marxist ideals to lead the Bolshevik Party in the wake of the Russian Revolution. In considering this, we can see many of the ways in which Orwell incorporates the historic personages of Marx and Lenin into the character of Major, particularly their political perspectives and beliefs in rebellion as a catalyst for change.
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Animal Farm
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Animal Farm captures the events of the 1917 Russian Revolution. In February 1917, the oppressive and autocratic Tsarist government was overthrown and replaced with the unpopular Provisional Government, which later, in October,
was also overthrown, this time by the communist Bolshevik Party. The aftermath of this rebellion is reincarnated in the form of a fable, the events of which reflect the hostile political landscape of Orwell’s context and ensuing social injustice.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm begins in Manor farm, where it is revealed that the drunken farmer Mr Jones has been continually mistreating his animals. Old Major, a wise and esteemed boar now approaching his final days, calls together a meeting, where he tells the other animals of his dream – a utopian society, where the farm animals are free to live a life without the burden of slavery by mankind. In this speech, Major declares rebellion to be the key in achieving this idealistic society and patriotically accentuates his speech with the anthem “Beasts of England,” which becomes a symbol of the animals’ freedom and integrity. Shortly after, Major dies, leaving his dream behind for the other farm animals to achieve.
Plans of rebellion are made, with the pigs establishing themselves as leaders of the coup. With a united effort, the animals are able to drive Mr Jones away from the farm and soon find themselves revelling in freedom. Without the control of Mr Jones, the farm flourishes and the animals experience freedom for the first time in a long time. However, the future of the farm shortly becomes a point of conflict between the established leaders, Snowball and Napoleon, as the two pigs have differing aspirations for the farm. The struggle for power culminates in Snowball eventually being driven away, giving Napoleon total unopposed control over the farm. With Napoleon at the helm, the ideals of equality on the farm seem to quickly vanish, with the pigs slowly establishing control through false claims of altruism. Through rhetoric and propaganda, the other animals are compelled to follow the pigs’ leadership.
Life on the farm for all the other animals except the pigs becomes inevitably worse under the rule of Napoleon. The rewards of labour on the farm are used to ensure a luxurious lifestyle for the pigs, subsequently subverting the concept of an equal society once proposed by Major. In fact, life on the farm seems to be worse than it had been under the control of Mr Jones. This is symbolically exemplified in the conclusion of the novella, where the other farm animals witness the transformation of the pigs as they begin to walk on two legs and play cards, eerily resembling the humans who oppressed the animals in the first place.
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