Fear and communism in Animal Farm: Orwell's critique of revolution

Animal Farm

The Use of Fear in Animal Farm

The use of fear plays a significant part in the campaign of Napoleon to gain control of Animal Farm in George Orwell's "fairy story" of the same name. The satirical representation of Stalin uses, of course, other tactics to consolidate his power -- such as the propaganda spewing by Squealer, historical revisionism, and the exploitation of the sheep's ignorance. However, fear underlies each of these elements, and this paper will provide two examples to show how Napoleon uses fear to turn Animal Farm into a communist environment.

The most obvious example of the use of the fear tactic comes when Napoleon trains the pups of the farm (Jessie and Bluebell's litter, to be exact) to be his own personal guard dogs -- ferocious, vicious animals that repulse any threat to Napoleon's position of authority. The dogs that Napoleon raises come to represent a kind of brutal police force -- call them the NKVD -- of Animal Farm. The worker animals' first glimpse of them is after Snowball has just delivered his lecture concerning the erection of the windmill. Suddenly, Napoleon's attack dogs chase Snowball from the podium, across the farm, and through the hedge. Stunned by this unexpected course of events, the animals can muster no query. Some of the lesser politicized pigs mount a murmur, but "the dogs sitting round Napoleon let out deep, menacing growls, and the pigs fell silent and sat down again" (Chapter 5, par. 16).

The other example of fear tactic is the constant threat of the return of Jones. The image of Jones as an object of oppression is conjured up by the mastermind propagandist Squealer. Squealer effects the specter of Jones to assuage the murmuring of the animals after it is discovered that the milk and apples are all going to the pigs' bellies. Squealer, speaking on behalf of the pigs, objects that the only reason the pigs consume the milk and apples (it is not out of the "spirit of selfishness and privilege," says Squealer) is because such items are good for pigs' health. Since the maintenance of the farm relies solely upon the guidance and well-being of the pigs, it is necessary that they themselves maintain their health -- despite the fact that they do not enjoy the taste of milk and apples. In other words, the pigs' gorging themselves is an act of selflessness, for should they let their physical and mental powers wane, the evil Jones would certainly reappear to take back the farm. Jones becomes the scapegoat for the pigs' selfishness -- and the fear tactic is woven neatly into a soliloquy about the noble virtues of the pigs. All of it, of course, is a lie (Chapter 3, par. 14).

Likewise, as Squealer prances about "skipping from side to side and whisking his tail," the observation of Albert Camus appears true: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear" -- and certainly Squealer is hardly respectable in his sad attempt to excuse the pigs' indulgence. It is only the fear tactic that really lets the pigs off the hook, for "if there was one thing that the animals were completely certain of, it was that they did not want Jones back" (Chapter 3, par. 15).