Napoleon's first eyebrow-raising act comes when he unleashes his private dog army on Snowball. The second comes when he squashes the hen rebellion by cutting off their food rations, causing a number of hens to die of starvation. And then the false confessions start. What happens is, Napoleon demands that various animals make false, public confessions about how they're traitors or how they used to be in league with Jones.
And there's no such thing as forgive-and-forget on Animal Farm: after these false confessions, "the dogs promptly tore their throats out" 7. Well, you have to admit that it's an effective way to get rid of your enemies. In this way, Napoleon knocks off his four pig rivals and the hens who acted as ringleaders in the rebellion. It's pretty gruesome:. And so the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon's feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the time of Jones.
So, what's this bloody pile of corpses doing in the middle of Orwell's "Fairy Tale"? The whole episode alludes to the s Great Purge, a. During the Great Purge, Stalin cleaned house. Some people just disappeared; others were sent to the Gulag prison camps ; others had to confess publicly to crimes they'd never committed. Officially, he was getting rid of "counter-revolutionaries"; unofficially, he was getting rid of anyone who disagreed with him.
Check out "Symbols, Imagery, Allegory" for more details on the hen rebellion and Stalin's purges. Key fact: Napoleon's preferred method of execution is to have his dogs tear out throats. Aside from being totally brutal and gross, this is Orwell's way of getting in a little extra dig at Stalin.
See, Napoleon forces the animals to tell lies about themselves before they die and he makes them afraid to speak the truth—he robs them of free speech. That sounds a lot like tearing out their throats, no? One thing: dictators often do horribly violent things. That's kind of in their job description. What's bizarre about Stalin is just how horrible his actions were.
He seems to have been fueled by paranoia rather than any desire—at all —to work for the good of his country. By making Stalin into a pig, Orwell shows us just how horrific—and absurd—these purges were.
As soon as Napoleon seizes power, we realize that he has very little interest in Old Major's prophecy. Napoleon doesn't care much if all animals are equal or if they control the means of production, so what keeps him ticking?
Read an in-depth analysis of Snowball. The cart-horse whose incredible strength, dedication, and loyalty play a key role in the early prosperity of Animal Farm and the later completion of the windmill. Read an in-depth analysis of Boxer.
Orwell uses Squealer to explore the ways in which those in power often use rhetoric and language to twist the truth and gain and maintain social and political control. Read an in-depth analysis of Squealer. The prize-winning boar whose vision of a socialist utopia serves as the inspiration for the Rebellion.
Read an in-depth analysis of Old Major. Clover often suspects the pigs of violating one or another of the Seven Commandments, but she repeatedly blames herself for misremembering the commandments.
The tame raven who spreads stories of Sugarcandy Mountain, the paradise to which animals supposedly go when they die. Moses plays only a small role in Animal Farm , but Orwell uses him to explore how communism exploits religion as something with which to pacify the oppressed.
The vain, flighty mare who pulls Mr. Mollie craves the attention of human beings and loves being groomed and pampered. She has a difficult time with her new life on Animal Farm, as she misses wearing ribbons in her mane and eating sugar cubes. She represents the petit bourgeoisie that fled from Russia a few years after the Russian Revolution. The long-lived donkey who refuses to feel inspired by the Rebellion. Benjamin firmly believes that life will remain unpleasant no matter who is in charge.
While Jones' tyranny can be somewhat excused due to the fact that he is a dull-witted drunkard, Napoleon's can only be ascribed to his blatant lust for power. The very first description of Napoleon presents him as a "fierce-looking" boar "with a reputation for getting his own way.
Note that as soon as the revolution is won, Napoleon's first action is to steal the cows' milk for the pigs. Clearly, the words of old Major inspired Napoleon not to fight against tyranny, but to seize the opportunity to establish himself as a dictator. Hypocritical Napoleon often contradicts himself or 'Animalism' in the messages he puts out through Squealer. Napoleon announced that there would be work on Sunday afternoons as well.
This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal that absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half. Napoleon uses the word 'voluntary', yet the fact that it will result in reduced rations means that there is no choice for the animals - he is contradicting himself. Tyrant Napoleon abuses his power to the point where he even kills some animals. The dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess.
Napoleon has become a tyrant. He is capable of having his 'comrades' put to death to protect his position. When he 'demands' to know of more confessions we can imagine the other animals cowering in fear. Social and historical context.
0コメント