Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is a cautionary fable about the futile quest for equality through political change. Set on a British farm, the satirical novel is based on the Russian Revolution of 1917 and uses personified animal characters to expose the dangers of a totalitarian government.
The main characters are:
Old Major, a highly respected boar who represents the historical figure, communist leader Karl Marx.
Snowball is a boar and one of the leaders among the pigs who is young, but intelligent, and represents an abstract idea of evil.
Napoleon is a stubborn boar who represents a communist tyrant.
Squealer is a porker pig who is talented in the art of argument and deception. He represents the propaganda machine of a totalitarian government.
Mr. Jones is a man who owns the land that is taken over by his animals. He represents a corrupt government.
Pilkington is a man and the owner of another farm that is large and unkempt. He prefers pursuing his hobbies to maintaining his land and represents the Allied countries.
Frederick is a cruel man and the owner of a small adjacent farm. He represents Adolf Hitler.
Boxer is a large male horse who is respected for his steadiness of character and work ethic. He represents the uneducated and exploited working class, who take propaganda to heart and believe in the government’s cause without question.
Whymper is a man and lawyer who acts as Animal Farm’s intermediary to the human world, while ignoring the atrocities committed there. He represents nations that profit from conducting business with brutal dictators.
The sheep are naïve and loyal to the tenets of Animal Farm and represent ignorant masses who blindly follow their government.
Watch the full book summary video youtu.be/BFP1IMyKyy4?si=84ywow-qqlgyOca2
Read our full guide gradesaver.com/animal-farm/study-guide/video-animal-farm
Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is a cautionary fable about the futile quest for equality through political change. Set on a British farm, the satirical novel is based on the Russian Revolution of 1917 and uses personified animal characters to expose the dangers of a totalitarian government.
The main characters are:
Old Major, a highly respected boar who represents the historical figure, communist leader Karl Marx.
Snowball is a boar and one of the leaders among the pigs who is young, but intelligent, and represents an abstract idea of evil.
Napoleon is a stubborn boar who represents a communist tyrant.
Squealer is a porker pig who is talented in the art of argument and deception. He represents the propaganda machine of a totalitarian government.
Mr. Jones is a man who owns the land that is taken over by his animals. He represents a corrupt government.
Pilkington is a man and the owner of another farm that is large and unkempt. He prefers pursuing his hobbies to maintaining his land and represents the Allied countries.
Frederick is a cruel man and the owner of a small adjacent farm. He represents Adolf Hitler.
Boxer is a large male horse who is respected for his steadiness of character and work ethic. He represents the uneducated and exploited working class, who take propaganda to heart and believe in the government’s cause without question.
Whymper is a man and lawyer who acts as Animal Farm’s intermediary to the human world, while ignoring the atrocities committed there. He represents nations that profit from conducting business with brutal dictators.
The sheep are naïve and loyal to the tenets of Animal Farm and represent ignorant masses who blindly follow their government.
Watch the full book summary video youtu.be/BFP1IMyKyy4?si=84ywow-qqlgyOca2
Read our full guide gradesaver.com/animal-farm/study-guide/video-animal-farm
