In the novel, Boxer is the central force that holds Animal farm together- without him, Animal Farm would have never prospered. From the very beginning of the story, he emerges as a dedicated, loyal and hard worker- he is a very significant character. All the major projects, such as the windmill, rely on his physical prowess and unquestioning commitment almost entirely alone.
Boxer represents the best qualities of the Soviet/ Russian revolution working classes: faithfulness and commitment. However, he also represents, or rather, suffers from the working classes major weaknesses- naivety and the inability to recognise the most blatant forms of injustice and cruelty- basically being easily manipulated and lied to using propaganda. He represents the invisible labour that people in power use to help gain support- despite being respected by the inferior animals and working extremely hard, he is overused by the Pigs’, resulting in his injury and eventual death.
Boxer gets his name, ingeniously, from Boxer communism in China, which is still present in the Chinese’s oppressive social government. Along with Clover, he is used by George Orwell to represent the Soviet proletariat/ workers.
Orwell first mentions Boxer during the Barn scene, saying ‘Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first- rate intelligence, but was respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work.’
After this description, the reader gains the impression that Boxer is not very bright at all- even his appearance seemed stupid- ‘he was not of first-rate intelligence’ and ‘a white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance.’ Also, the reader will definitely think that Boxer is physically strong and a hard worker- ‘as strong as any 2 ordinary horses put together,’ and ‘tremendous powers of work.’ The reader will also get the impression that Boxer is respected ‘universally,’ but may think that there is likelihood of particular animals disliking him.
Personality-wise, Boxer is a very sympathetically drawn character, and is quite dim-witted, or rather bluntly, dumb. Referring to the novel, Orwell writes, ‘[Boxer] had great difficulty in thinking out anything for himself.’ Throughout the novel, Boxer is always slow to react to political questions and changes. However, he is extremely dedicated and devoted-‘Boxer was the admiration of everybody. He had been a hard worker even in Jones’s time; now he seemed more like three horses than one; there were days when the entire work of the farm depended on his shoulders.’ Boxer’s dedication is so extreme that it eventually leads to his death.
Boxer also suffers from what Orwell saw as one of the Russian proletariat weaknesses- gullibility e.g. ‘[referring to Clover and Boxer] but having once accepted the pigs as their teachers, they absorbed everything they said, and passed it onto the animals by simple arguments,’ and ‘Napoleon is always right,’ are just two of the many examples of Boxer’s gullibility. Listening to Squealer’s propaganda techniques has led him to this amount of blindness.
Boxer’s character is steady- reliable, calm and balanced- ‘he was universally respected for his steadiness of character,’ Boxer is an unruffled and tranquil character, who is rarely frustrated. The only time he is aggressive is during the battles of the Cowshed and the Windmill, where he is fighting humans. However, even if he is aggressive towards humans, he is considerate, which is shown when, , during a battle, he thinks he kills a stable-boy, who eventually is found out to be stunned and runs away, says,’ he is dead- I had no intention of doing that.’
Boxer’s benevolence is also shown when, he and clover were, ‘walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs lest there should be some small animal concealed in the straw,’ ‘he is dead- I had no intention of doing that.’ Boxer is extremely selfless, and is respected as such (by the common animals), but eventually he is exploited and killed.
Add the end of the novel, Boxer is the most sympathetically drawn character, as when he becomes injured, after years of tremendous work, and being the force that Animal farm relied on, the Pigs sell him to a knackery, to be killed to buy whisky. However, the silver-tongued Squealer (who represents the propagandist newspaper the Pravda) convinces the animals that in reality he was sent to a hospital and died there.
