Mollie is one of Orwell s minor characters, but she represents something very important. Mollie is one of the animals who is most opposed to the new government under Napoleon. She doesn t care much about the politics of the whole situation; she just wants to tie her hair with ribbons and eat sugar, things her social status will not allow. Many animals consider her a traitor when she is seen being petted by a human from a neighboring farm. Soon the dedicated animals confront Mollie, and she quietly leaves the farm. Mollie characterizes the typical middle-class skilled worker who suffers from this new communism concept. No longer will she get her sugar (nice salary) because she is now just as low as the other animals, like Boxer and Clover. Orwell uses Mollie to characterize the people after any rebellion that are not too receptive to new leaders and new economics. There are always those resistant to change. This continues to dispel the belief Orwell hated that basically all animals act the same. The naivete of Marxism is criticized socialism is not perfect and it does not work for everyone.
Moses is perhaps Orwell s most intriguing character in Animal Farm. This raven, first described as the especial pet of Mr. Jones, is the only animal that does not work. He is also the only character who does not listen to Old Major s speech of rebellion. Orwell narrates, The pigs had an even harder struggle to counteract the lies put about by Moses, the tame raven. Moses, who was Mr. Jones especial pet, was a spy and a talebearer, but he was also a clever talker. He claimed to know of the existence of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain, to which all animals went when they died. It was situated somewhere up in the sky, a little distance beyond the clouds, Moses said. In Sugarcandy Mountain it was Sunday seven days a week, clover was in season all the year round, and lump sugar and linseed cake grew on the hedges. The animals hated Moses because he told tales and did no work but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain, and the pigs had to argue very hard to persuade them that there was no such place. Moses represents Orwell s view of the Church. To Orwell, the Church is just used as a tool by dictatorships to keep the working class of people hopeful and productive. Orwell uses Moses to criticize Marx s belief that the Church will just go away after the rebellion. Jones first used Moses to keep the animals working, and he was successful in many ways before the rebellion. The pigs had a difficult time getting rid of Moses, since they thought that the lies about Heaven would only lead the animals away from the equality of socialism. But as the pigs led by Napoleon become more and more like Mr. Jones, Moses finds his place again. After being away for several years, he suddenly returns and picks up right where he left off. The pigs do not mind this time because the animals have already realized that the equality of the revolt is a farce. So Napoleon feeds Moses with beer, and the full-circle is complete. Orwell seems to offer a very cynical and harsh view of the church. This proves that Animal Farm is not simply an anti-Communist work meant to lead people into capitalism and Christianity. Really, Orwell found loopholes and much hypocrisy in both systems. It is interesting that in Russia, the government has allowed and supported religion again. It almost seems that like the pigs, the Kremlin officials try to keep their people motivated, not in the ideology of communism, but in the old-fashioned hope of an afterlife.
Muriel is a knowledgeable goat who reads the commandments for Clover. Muriel represents the minority of working class peoples who are educated enough to decide things for themselves and find critical and hypocritical problems with their leaders. Unfortunately for the other animals, Muriel is not charismatic or inspired enough to take action and oppose Napoleon and his pigs.
Old Benjamin, an elderly donkey, is one of Orwell s most elusive and intriguing characters. He is described as rather unchanged since the rebellion. He still does his work the same way, never becoming too exited or too disappointed about anything that has passed. Benjamin explains, Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey (Orwell 26). Although there is no clear metaphoric relationship between Benjamin and Orwell s critique of communism, it makes sense that during any rebellion there are those who never totally embrace the revolution; those so cynical they no longer look to their leaders for help. Benjamin symbolizes the older generation, the critics of any new rebellion. Really this old donkey is the only animal that seems as though he could not care less about Napoleon and Animal Farm. It is almost as if he can see into the future, knowing that the revolt is only a temporary change, and will flop in the end. Benjamin is the only animal who does not seem to have expected anything positive from the revolution. He almost seems on a whole different maturity level compared to the other animals. He is not sucked in by Napoleon s propaganda like the others. The only time he seems to care about the others at all is when Boxer is carried off in the glue truck. It is almost as if the old donkey finally comes out of his shell, his perfectly fitted demeanor, when he tries to warn the others of Boxer s fate. And the animals do try to rescue Boxer, but it is too late. Benjamin seems to be finally confronting Napoleon and revealing his knowledge of the pigs hypocrisy, although before he had been completely independent. After the animals have forgotten Jones and their past lives, Benjamin still remembers everything. Orwell states, Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been, nor ever could be much better or much worse hunger, hardship, and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life.
The pigeons symbolize Soviet propaganda, not to Russia, but to other countries, like Germany, England, France, and even the United States. Russia had created an iron curtain even before WWII. The communist government raved about its achievements and its advanced technology, but it never allowed experts or scientists from outside the country to check on its validity. Orwell mentions the fact that the other farmers became suspicious and worried when their animals began to sing Beasts of England. Many western governments have gone through a similar problem with their people in this century. There was a huge Red Scare in the United States in the 20s. In the 1950s in the United States, Joseph McCarthy was a legislative member of the government from Wisconsin. He accused hundreds of people of supporting the communist regime, from famous actors in Hollywood to middle-class common people. The fear of communism became a phobia in America and anyone speaking out against the government was suspect.
The farm building stands for the Kremlin. In the early days of the USSR there were sightseeing tours through the Kremlin. Later it became the residence of Stalin. The windmill for example stands for the Russian industry that has been built up by the working class. The destruction of the windmill is a symbol for the failure of the five-year plan. Mr. Fredricks of Pinchfield farm represents Hitler, and his farm, Germany. Foxwood farm stands for England.
Orwell s message in Animal Farm was one pointing out the hypocrisy in communism. He illustrates how easily an ideology can be corrupted when the human factor is thrown into the works. Many things seem like a good idea in theory, however in practice, things fall apart. Kingdoms rise and crumble to the ground, that is the point that Orwell tries to illustrate.