Character Development –Napoleon
By Heesung
The ‘Animal Farm’ written by George Orwell describes how one incidents change the main character Napoleon. This was shown by his actions and an analogy with the characters during the Russian Revolution in 1917. He was harmless but became unequal with other animals after the revolution in the cowshed.
Napoleon was just one of the animals in the rebellion. The animals rebel because Mr Jones worked them ‘to the last atom’. He followed the Seven Commandments and agreed with the idea of Animalism. He sang the song of animal equality. His actions had an analogy with Stalin, who also believed in communism and followed Lenin’s idea. Napoleon fought in the Battle of Cowshed, which showed that he only wanted a better life like other animals. He appeared to believe Old Major’s sayings of ‘man is the only real enemy we have and ‘all animals are equal.’
An important incident changed Napoleon. The Old Major died and Napoleon persuaded animals to accept him as the leader. The extra apples and milk he and other porker pigs had were the symbols of Napoleon’s intention to have inequality. When the other animals commented, Napoleon manipulated and deceived them. “Do you
Then Napoleon went on to say he and the pigs needed the milk and apples for ‘brainpower’. This meant that he was separating himself out from the other animals that did all the tiring muscle work and he did the ‘brainwork.’ Later, he moved into Mr Jones’ house and porker pigs slept in the beds, while the other animals slept in the cold wooden barn floor. Napoleon then changed the commandments. ‘No animals shall sleep in the bed with sheets.’
Orwell through Napoleon’s character reveals how dictators or tyrants often present themselves as being exactly like others, ‘comrades’. However, they have special privileges (apples, milk, a bed in a house) and use manipulating to fool the animals into thinking they are doing it to assist them and to organise a...