The character of the pig in Animal Farm is Napoleon. It is one of the central characters in the book. Actually, George Orwell, the writer uses this character as an allegory to represent Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader during the Russian Revolution. Napoleon possesses the following aspects in its character:
- Cunning and manipulative
- Ambitious
- Ruthless
- Betrayal of ideals
- Manipulation of propaganda
- Greed and materialism
- Lack of accountability
Cunning and manipulative
Tagging someone cunning and intelligent just because one deciets and betrays is I believe disrespect to the word “cunning”. Indeed, Napoleon was cunning but in the novella never uses its quality for good. It was manipulative using the power of his words. At the same time, it knows something well taking complete advantage of the situation that all goes in his favor. it used the “cunning” quality to get control over other animals. It is good to contain these qualities but your usage depends.
Ambitious
The same goes for the ambitious nature of Napolean. it is utterly ambitious so he became successful in influencing other animals to rebel against humans. But it was greedy for the power as well. Later on, this greed turned into turned into a hunger for absolute control and dominance. It is good to become ambitious but for the sake of good. Indeed, Napoleon had the quality to make strategic moves and strategically move ahead. But not for the sake of other animal’s good, that was its interest. For example, the action of rewriting the seven commandments was to get more comfort.
Ruthless
Napoleon was ruthless in gaining power. I find it the defining trait of its personality. It even fought with Snowball to enforce authority. Such intention of violence reflects its ruthless nature. Furthermore, after gaining power it started hoarding resources for itself and other pigs. However, other animals were suffering because of food shortages. All those conditions in the novella show the ruthless trait of Napolean. Not only this, Napoleon started trading with humans, that act was a breaking of the pact that all animals vowed at the start. Such hypocrisy without taking other animals in confidence shows its heartless nature.
Betrayal of ideals
Betraying was one of the featured traits of the Napoleon character. After gaining power, it betrays all original ideas of the animalist revolution. It started suppressing animals like humans once used to. Napolean sold Boxer, a hardworking horse in the novella despite of providing medical treatment, as per his promise. This is not only an act of hypocrisy but a betrayal of ideas as well. In addition, Napoleon made an alliance with humans. It was a complete betrayal of the core principles of the animals.
Manipulation of propaganda
Napolean was not only a master of manipulation but in propagating wrong information as well. It takes control over the farm’s means of communication and information dissemination. It distorted the truth when needed to create a false narrative. Meanwhile, most of the time it uses exaggeration to depict the farm’s success. However, reality was different to it. Meanwhile, food production was decreasing but it tells of increasing production to other animals. The use of slogans like “Four legs good, two legs bad” uses the emotions of animals. Napoleon always presented himself as the embodiment of success and prosperity for the farm.
Greed and materialism
Napoleon’s character was full of greed and lust for power. It started living in the farmhouse, dined on human food, and drank alcohol. However, animals had forbidden all these acts in their animalist principles. Consumption of all these materials shows greed and the materialistic approach of Napolean. Therefore, it started collecting all the wealth on the farm. He started living in comfort while enjoying all the luxuries that humans used to avail once. In addition, Napoleon and other pigs started eating human food. All these acts depict their materialistic approach and his willingness to compromise on the principles of Animalism for personal indulgence.
Lack of accountability
Napolean takes complete control over the farm’s governance. It made multiple decisions without taking suggestions from other animals. However, it was necessary but Napolean established a dictatorship. It made the wrong use of power and there was not any kind of mechanism where one questions for its actions. Napoleon started making unilateral decisions because of a lack of accountability. Therefore, it gained the confidence to change commandments.
Final thoughts
Everyone has a desire to achieve something and get something sustainable in life. But, not the way Napolean did and snatched the rights of other animals. Favoring others makes you the favorite especially when others trust you. Use your power to provide protection and make yourself proud that you did something good for the world.
