Task set: To write about the importance of the character of Boxer in Animal Farm
Animal Farm is a novel the represents what happened In Russia under communist party rule and it also symbolizes human nature. Orwell wrote in this way in order to get it published as the subject matter was not really acceptable. The pigs represent the governments, dogs represent the police. The other animals are just common people – the working class. Boxer is an ordinary cart-horse, one of the working class.
Boxer is very naïve and gullible because he is not very clever. He is the most sympathetically drawn character in the novel but Orwell doesn’t let his reader get sentimental about him. He puts up with pain, he is also dependable and represents all of the best qualities of the exploited animals (working class). This means Napoleon uses him selfishly to get the windmill built. Because Boxer thinks that Napoleon is always right and the other animals respect Boxer it helps to keep all the animals under control. Even when things don’t seem to be following the seven commandments the animals including Boxer accept the pig’s explanations, for example on page 51 Boxer is arguing about Snowball to Squealer but when Squealer shows Boxer some papers which he claims to show hat Snowball was on Mr. Jones’s side from the beginning, Boxer cannot complain because he can not read so he just says “ah that is different!” and then he carries on to say “If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right.”
