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Dueling Protagonists: Exploring the Roles of Napoleon and Snowball in Animal Farm
Generally, the protagonist of a story is its main character and the center of the action. Many people think of protagonists as the heroes of the story, but that is not always the case. Villains can also be the protagonist of stories, and it is common for the protagonists of the story to view themselves very differently from how the story’s other characters would view them. In Animal Farm, it is difficult to identify a single protagonist because both Snowball and Napoleon play a protagonist role. This makes sense in the context of a story that describes revolution and revolt.
Animal Farm: A Critique of Communism, in General, or Just of the Russian Revolution
While the novel Animal Farm undeniably critiques the Russian Revolution and the way that revolutionary leaders behaved once they achieved power, it is often taken as a wholesale critique of communism and even of socialism. However, the text of the novel may not fully support those interpretations. While it is openly critical of revolutionary leaders like Stalin, which are thinly disguised in their animal counterparts in the novel, Animal Farm does not examine communism or socialism outside of this setting.
Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely: Even Animals
One of the major themes in animal farm is how power corrupts the pigs, particularly Napoleon. He takes the socialist ideas that Snowball and Old Major had and twists them to his own benefit. However, Napoleon is not the only animal on the farm who begins to behave differently when he gets some power. Instead, the novel is replete with examples of how power leads to negative behavioral changes, especially among the pigs. Squealer may actually be the best example of how power corrupts because, as the spokesperson for the pigs, he deals more directly with the hypocrisy and changing norms that the pigs embrace than any other animal on the farm.
