sCommandments) out loud to her. The SheepThe stupid sheep keep bleating away any slogan the pigs teach them. MosesMoses the Raven, who does no work, but tells comforting tales of the wonderfulSugarcandy Mountain where you go when you die, is a satire of organized religion. (Marx calledreligion, in a famous phrase, "the opiate of the people.") In terms of Russia, Moses representsthe Orthodox Church. Watch what happens to him in the story. PigeonsThe pigeons spread the word of Rebellion beyond the farm, as many Communistsspread the doctrine of the revolution beyond the boundaries of the Soviet Union. BenjamenGloomy Benjamin, the donkey, may remind you of Eeyore in Winnie-the-Pooh, exceptthat unlike Eeyore he never complains about his own personal problems. He is a skeptic and apessimist- we'd almost say a cynic, if it weren't for his loyal devotion to Boxer. Like his friend, hedoesn't talk much and patiently does his work, although- unlike Boxer- no more than is required.He's also unlike Boxer in that he does not believe in the Revolution, nor in anything else, exceptthat life is hard. Whatever political question he is asked, he replies only that "Donkeys live a longtime" and "None of you has ever seen a dead donkey." He survives. The HumansJonesIn the narrowest sense the drunken, negligent Farmer Jones represents the Czar. Healso stands for any government that declines through its own corruption and mismanagement. PilkingtonPilkington, who likes hunting and fishing more than farming, represents Orwell's view ofthe decadent British gentleman in particular- and of the Allied nations in general, especiallyBritain and France. WhymperWhymper is a commercial go-between for animals and humans- just as certaincapitalists have always transacted business with Communist nations. FrederickThe cruel Frederick doesn't really represent anything, but he does kind of show a strongresemblance toward Germany, the cruel nation that it is.SettingAs its title...
