In the opening of the novel the reader immediately is drawn to the character of Boxer due to his kindness and caring for the other animals. An example of this can be seen in the lines
“… setting down their
vast hairy hoofs with great care lest there should be some small
animal concealed in the straw.”
The author uses descriptive language to emphasise Boxer’s size in comparison to the other animals. This quote is very important as it shows the reader that although Boxer is the most powerful of all the animals he is not in any way aggressive but in fact quite the opposite. His compassionate nature allows the reader to be on the character’s side from the very beginning of the book – helping the author to criticise the pigs bad treatment of him.
Another of Boxer’s favourable qualities was his strong work ethic. He was certainly a determined character, and he constantly pushed himself to is limits for the good of the other animals and the farm – making him well respected on the farm We can see this in these lines from the book referring to Boxer helping to build a windmill …
“his breath coming fast, the tips of his hooves
clawing at the ground and his great sides matted with
sweat, filled everyone with admiration.”
The use of the words “clawing” and “matted” show the effort and strength Boxer was putting into his work. This kind of determination definitely sped up the process of building the animal’s creation proving he was indispensable to the farm. In this quote we can also see that Boxer inspired the other animals to work harder as we can see in the line “filled everyone with admiration” . This infectious attitude Boxer possessed was another reason his presence on the farm was an important one.
As well as Boxer’s good qualities he had numerous qualities which were certainly unfavourable and made him very susceptible to being exploited by the pigs – who took every opportunity they could to do so. There are three qualities which are definitely detrimental to his character which are his stupidity, his ability to blindly trust his leaders, and his gullibility. An example of these traits being displayed can be seen in the lines …
“Their two most faithful disciples were the two
cart-horses, Boxer and Clover. Those two had great
difficulty in thinking anything out for themselves, but
having once accepted the pigs as their teachers, they
absorbed everything that they were told, and passed it
on to the other animals by simple arguments.”
Here Orwell tells the reader that Boxer was lacking the intelligence to think and reason logically so had no choice but to do exactly what was instructed of them. He uses the word “simple” to show that their arguments were void of explanation – again showing his stupidity. These lines could also be used as an example of his overly-trusting nature, with blind faith he assumed the pigs were correct and was willing to spread their views among the other animals. A more intelligent, more independent character would have most likely questioned the pigs before fully endorsing their teachings. This quote also begins to introduce the idea that maybe it was not the pigs who successfully persuaded the other animals of their views but Boxer. The other animals all idolised the character and would very likely follow his lead.
The pigs were very selfish when it came to how they saw they should treat Boxer. They praised him for his work on the windmill to encourage the other animals to work just as hard as he did, but solely to speed up the building process in order to make money. The admiration the other animals have for Boxer and the power which that gives him over the farm intimidates the pigs making them see Boxer as a threat. The pigs believe Boxer could lead a revolution to overthrow the pigs and therefore treat him very badly at times. This treatment of Boxer – a loyal and commendable citizen of the farm, is used effectively by Orwell to point out the flaws in the regime.
Towards the end of the book the pig begin to completely turn on Boxer due to his well-respected stance in the farm. The first example of Boxer’s betrayal can be seen in the lines …
“’That is the true spirit, comrade!’ cried Squealer, but
it was noticed that he cast a very ugly look at Boxer.”
Here we can see that Orwell is showing the evil and two-faced nature of the pigs. It is important to the message of the book that the pigs be shown to be manipulative and as the villains of the story, which Orwell successfully portrays here.
As the book continues the character of Boxer grows old and weak so is no longer as important to the farm. It is at this point that the pigs decide to betray Boxer’s trust and two attempts are made on his life. Firstly dogs are sent to attack him but his strength saves him and he manages to escape. After this first attack Napoleon decides to send Boxer to the glue factory where he would be killed. He lies to the other animals and tells them he is being sent to hospital. This final act of betrayal by Napoleon displays the pigs need for power has reached obsession. They simply dispose of their faithful follower and dedicated worker due to their unproven idea he was plotting a revolution and because his deteriorating health made him less useful.
The contrast between the character of the pigs and Boxer is undeniable. Boxer spends the vast majority of his time working where as the pigs take part in no physical labour. Also, Boxer is portrayed as very slow and dim-witted while the pigs are very cunning. Another obvious contrast is the animal’s personalities – Boxer’s kind hearted nature and the pigs immoral, selfish behaviour. This comparison helps to emphasise Boxer’s good qualities throughout the novel.
In conclusion I feel that the character of Boxer is definitely pivotal to conveying the message of the novel. The demise of the admirable character of Boxer is definitely the definitive point of the novel – showing the completely downfall of their ideal movement and symbolising the downfall of ordinary workers in a dictatorship. Orwell uses the novel to convey his message on the failings of dictatorship very successfully.
