Character Analysis — Supporting Characters

While Napoleon and Snowball dominate the novel's power struggle, the supporting characters are essential to understanding Animal Farm's themes. Each character represents a different section of society and serves a specific dramatic and allegorical function. Understanding their roles — and how they relate to the pigs — is key to a sophisticated GCSE response.

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Character Relationship Map

                  OLD MAJOR
                 /          \
            inspires        inspires
              /               \
         SNOWBALL ----rival---- NAPOLEON
                                  |
                             controls
                                  |
                  SQUEALER --- THE DOGS
                 (propaganda)  (violence)
                      |
                  manipulates
                      |
        BOXER --- CLOVER --- BENJAMIN --- SHEEP
       (loyal)   (caring)   (cynical)   (mindless)

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Boxer — The Loyal Worker

Boxer is an enormous carthorse, admired for his strength and dedication. He represents the exploited working class — loyal, hardworking, and trusting to the point of self-destruction.

Boxer's two mottoes

Motto	What it reveals
"I will work harder"	Blind dedication — he responds to every problem with more labour
"Napoleon is always right"	Unquestioning loyalty to authority — he surrenders his critical thinking

Boxer's arc

Stage	What happens	Significance
Early chapters	Works harder than any other animal; respected by all	Embodies the ideals of the revolution
Mid-chapters	Adopts "Napoleon is always right" after Snowball's expulsion	Shows how the loyal are manipulated
Chapter 7	Resists the dogs when they attack him, then releases them when Napoleon commands	His strength could challenge Napoleon, but his loyalty prevents it
Chapter 9	Collapses from overwork; is sold to the knacker	Betrayed by the system he served

Examiner's tip: Boxer's fate is the novel's most emotionally devastating moment. He is sent to the slaughterhouse by the leader he worshipped. Orwell uses Boxer to argue that blind loyalty to authority — no matter how well-intentioned — ultimately enables exploitation. His mottoes are tragic because they combine genuine virtue (hard work) with fatal naivety (unquestioning obedience).

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Squealer — The Propagandist

Squealer is a small, fat porker with round cheeks and twinkling eyes. He is described as being able to "turn black into white" — his function is to manipulate language to justify Napoleon's actions.

Squealer's propaganda techniques

Technique	Example	Effect
Appeal to fear	"Surely, comrades, you do not want Jones back?"	Silences criticism through fear
False statistics	Claims food production has increased by 200-300%	Contradicts the animals' own experience
Rewriting history	Claims Snowball was a traitor from the start	Destroys trust in alternative leaders
Altering the Commandments	Adds "with sheets", "to excess", "without cause"	Enables rule-breaking while maintaining the appearance of legality
Emotional manipulation	"Surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?"	Exploits the animals' deepest fear
Circular logic	The pigs need apples because they do brainwork; they do brainwork because they are pigs	Makes exploitation seem natural and inevitable

Examiner's tip: Squealer represents the entire propaganda apparatus of a totalitarian state — newspapers, radio, state media. Orwell shows that propaganda works not because people are stupid, but because it exploits their fears, confuses their memories, and gives them comforting explanations for uncomfortable realities.

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Clover — The Compassionate Observer

Clover is a stout, motherly mare who cares for the other animals. She represents the decent, ordinary person who senses something is wrong but lacks the education or confidence to challenge the powerful.

Key Clover moment: Chapter 7

After the show trials and executions, Clover looks out over the farm:

"If she herself had had any picture of the future, it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip... Instead — she did not know why — they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind."

This passage is devastating because Clover understands that the revolution has been betrayed, but she cannot articulate why or how. She would have challenged the pigs "if she could have found the right words." Her inability to translate her instincts into action represents the tragedy of the inarticulate masses.

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Benjamin — The Cynic

Benjamin is an old donkey who never changes his expression and never laughs. He is the only animal who can read as well as the pigs, but he refuses to use this ability to help the others.

Benjamin's philosophy

"Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey."

Benjamin's cynicism means he sees through the pigs' lies but does nothing. He represents the intellectual who refuses to act — those who see injustice clearly but choose not to engage because they believe nothing will ever change.

Benjamin acts only once — when he reads the writing on the van taking Boxer away: "Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler." But by then it is too late.

Examiner's tip: Orwell uses Benjamin to criticise political apathy. Benjamin could have helped the other animals see through the pigs' propaganda — he has the literacy and intelligence — but his refusal to act makes him complicit in the oppression. Orwell suggests that silence in the face of tyranny is itself a form of collaboration.

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The Sheep — The Mindless Followers

The sheep are unable to learn anything beyond the simplest slogans. They chant "Four legs good, two legs bad" over and over, drowning out any debate or dissent. Later, they are retrained to chant "Four legs good, two legs better!"

Functions of the sheep

Function	Explanation
Suppress debate	Their chanting drowns out any animal who tries to object
Represent the easily manipulated masses	People who repeat slogans without understanding them
Show how propaganda works	Reduce complex ideas to mindless repetition
Demonstrate the danger of political ignorance	Those who cannot think critically can be weaponised

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Moses — The Raven

Moses is the tame raven who tells stories of Sugarcandy Mountain — a paradise in the sky where all animals go when they die.

Moses's allegorical significance

Moses represents organised religion, particularly the Russian Orthodox Church. Just as the Church told the poor that suffering on earth would be rewarded in heaven, Moses tells the animals that a better life awaits after death.

Stage	Moses's role
Under Jones	Spreads stories of Sugarcandy Mountain — keeps animals passive
After the rebellion	Disappears — the revolution has no use for religion initially
Under Napoleon	Returns — Napoleon tolerates him because the stories keep animals docile

Examiner's tip: Moses's return under Napoleon is significant. It mirrors how Stalin initially suppressed the Church but later tolerated it because religion kept the population passive and obedient. Orwell shows that those in power will use any tool — including religion — to maintain control.

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Mollie — The Vain Deserter

Mollie is a pretty white mare who loves sugar, ribbons, and having her coat groomed. She represents the privileged class who benefited from the old regime and abandons the revolution when it no longer serves their interests.

Mollie asks after the rebellion: "Will there still be sugar after the rebellion?" and "Am I allowed to wear ribbons?" She is later seen being stroked by a man from a neighbouring farm, and eventually disappears entirely.

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Mr Jones — The Old Oppressor

Mr Jones represents Tsar Nicholas II — the last ruler before the revolution. He is:

• Cruel and neglectful (he forgets to feed the animals)
• Incompetent (he has let the farm decline)
• Alcoholic (paralleling the decadence of the Russian aristocracy)