Napoleon And The Other Animals example essay topic

A Theme of Betrayal Betrayal is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel, Animal Farm. It is the basis for all acts committed by the residents of, "Animal Farm", both deviously and inadvertently. Many of the animals did not understand that the deeds they carried out were betraying one another. By accepting the mistaken commandments that had been re-written from time to time, was a perfidy against the animals' morals and beliefs.

One might argue that to betray is a habitual stroke taken by many in order to achieve in life. Within politics deception is not looked down upon, but is not entirely accepted. A reason for infidelity is power. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

It is what spurs betrayal. Napoleon, Squealer, Snowball, Jones and the other humans, Boxer, and even Clover; were victims of treachery. Orwell writes this allegorical story to be compared with the Russian Revolution, where the Czar, Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky embody the characters of Orwell's novel; the Jones' as Czar Nicholas II, Old Major as Lenin, Napoleon as Stalin, and Snowball as Trotsky. Throughout the novel this extended metaphor represent actual incidences that took place in Russia during and after the reign of the Romanofs'. In the beginning of the novel the first act of betrayal was when Old Major called the meeting of the barn animals. He declared that all humans were bad and that they took away the privileges intended for the animals.

Old Major was in fact handing down the knowledge that he had acquired through the duration of his life, to the younger, more clever pigs. "Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of man, and the produce of our labor will be our own". (pg. 7) He wanted the animals to take charge, betray the humans, and rule themselves. Snowball, together with the Napoleon and the other animals overthrew the Jones' and took their place as curators of the farm.

In a sense Snowball and Napoleon betrayed all that was known to them, by refusing humans and all their customs. Their actions can be mirrored with that of Stalin, Lenin, and Trotsky. Czar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate by these three; just as Jones was forced out of his farm. Snowball did not deceive his fellow animals into thinking that life will be horrid, but persuaded them to betray their routine life for one that was uncertain and susceptible to failure.

Napoleon on the other hand willfully betrayed his friends when he literally ran Snowball from the farm and began to control all of the decisions. He duped Snowball into thinking that they were both going to run the farm with the input of everybody. Napoleon had his loyal dogs run Snowball off the farm in order to take control of the dealings. In all respects, the feats taken by Napoleon had been adjusted to make him look like the one that knew all and of course the one that was given all the perquisites.

Terminating the windmill project and then starting it up again declaring that he was the genius that thought of all the ideas put forth by Snowball. "Napoleon ahd never really been opposed to the windmill... The windmill was, in fact, Napoleon's own creation". (pg. 41) Napoleon took the accomplishments of Snowball and made them his own, verbalizing to the populace that he was the wise and all knowing pig. He deemed Snowball to be a thief of ideas and endeavors.

Re-writing the commandments to fit his needs was a betrayal to the moral code of the rebellion and all that it stood for. Clover happened to notice the changes that occurred over night with the commandments, but she never suspected that the pigs would be disloyal to the doctrine that had been instilled in the her from day one. Each time a query regarding the behavior of the pigs came, Clover would examine the commandments with Muriel. And every time the pigs were in the right. "Muriel... read me the fourth commandment". (pg. 47) Squealer, the faithful servant of Napoleon was always sent to the barn in order to convince the animals that everything that was done by Napoleon was to better their lives and to thwart Jones in his plans to reclaim the farm. Dealing with Mr. Whymper, Mr. Fredrick, and Mr. Pilkington; was against the rules, but Napoleon affirmed that it would help the situation if the animals dealt with humans.

Sleeping in beds in the farm house and drinking alcohol were also crime committed by the pigs, but again the commandments were changed and squealer made yet another speech of how it was good for the animals if the pigs had a separate meeting place. This information was taken reluctantly because of the three growling dogs that backed Squealer's speech. Napoleon sold timber to the neighboring farm, and they rebuilt the windmill because supposedly Snowball came in the middle of the night to destroy the hard word of the animals. "Comrades... do you know who is responsible for this? ... SNOWBALL". (pg. 49) Napoleon used Snowball as a scapegoat for all problems that can be traced back to Napoleon.

Through the workers disillusionment Napoleon saw fit to exploit Snowball and how he purportedly mislead the farm into near failure. Through these double-dealings, Napoleon was able to keep the support of the animals. The inadvertent connivers of mendacity were the animals themselves. Each worker betrayed the regulations circulated at the beginning of the rebellion. Every animal accepted the altered laws of Napoleon without one thought to it, they left behind what they had originally fought for: "Four legs good, two legs bad". At the Battle of the Windmill Boxer belted with a number of pellets and never complained but when the pain was too great he was sold.

Boxer, the horse that never quit was rewarded in the end by being sold to a glue maker / horse slaughterer. He adopted the maxims, "Napoleon is always right". and "I will work harder". Napoleon was in desperate need of money and he sold Boxer to the horse slaughterer. Napoleon forced many animals to confess to false crimes and butchered to make an example of what would happen to those who betrayed him. At the end the biggest betrayal of all, the pigs walk on two legs and invited the neighboring farmers (humans) to come join them at their debauchery. "Four legs are good, two legs are better!" (pg. 91) The pigs and humans laughed, drank and played.

While the animals were spying on their leader, they discovered that they have been working for less food and longer hours while the pigs eat the profits. At the end there was a quarrel and the working animals were not able to see a difference between Napoleon and the other pigs and the humans. .".. from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which". Stalin, the embodiment of Napoleon betrays his followers into having them believe that all were equal and deserved what their leaders received. Napoleon runs Snowball out, the one that truly believed equality should be shared, and deluded the animal workers into working for his benefit.

When the farm inhabitants drove out the Jones' they did not want to work and have the product be reduced to feed the owners / leaders, but it was inescapable. Napoleon betrayed all that he came in contact with. "ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.".