Animal Farm

In George Orwell’s novella, Animal Farm, an abundance of symbolism is used to portray the rise and tenure of the Soviet Union. The utilization of literary elements plays a crucial role in the representation of communistic Russia. Two of the literary factors that stand out the most are, character and tone The use of these linguistic techniques demonstrates the Soviet Union’s corrupt leaders in Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin, as well as, the country’s strategic use of propaganda. Orwell’s portrayal of Soviet leader, Leon Trotsky, was demonstrated by the cunning pig, Snowball. Both opportunistic leaders took control of the masses through their guile and eloquence. Trotsky served as the People’s Commissar of Foreign Affairs, giving him a leading

The striking resemblance is shown through their mastery in pulling the strings behind the scenes. Stalin was able to induce fear and retain his control over the Union with his secret police force, the KGB. The KGB assassinated his enemies and silenced all that opposed him. Comparably, Napoleon had his own secret police force as well, the dogs. Napoleon lets out a whistle, and "there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs, wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn" Napoleon used the dogs at his bidding to finish off anyone that went against his word, such as when he exiled Snowball off the farm (52). An additional correlation between the two is their lavish lifestyles while everyone else was starving. During Soviet Russia, a majority of the population was poor and could barely obtain enough food to sustain themselves. While Stalin’s people starved and suffered, he lived in a luxurious mansion while dining on the best food in the world. He enjoyed accolades that no one else in the Soviet Union could obtain and did not even care. The same can go for Napoleon and the rest of Animal Farm. Napoleon says, "the truest happiness lay in working hard and living frugally" telling the animals that they do not need the luxuries he gets, but rather they need to work hard and live a modest lifestyle to be happy (126). Both Napoleon and Stalin are greedy and deceiving “men”, that truly are one in the