Quinton Roberts

Ms. Doar
Honors British Literature
March 7 2016
Animal Farm: Tyranny and Oppression
Infamous rulers and dictators such as Joseph Stalin successfully use violence to attain
control, a simple but effective method to not only preserve control over their subjects, but to
mentally caution them as well. George Orwell, the British novelist, demonstrates these timeless
principles through the main antagonist of his novel Animal Farm; Napoleon. Napoleon, though
at the beginning of the story an irrelevant pig who merely exists amongst the other animals,
slowly develops into more than just a pig who likes when things go his way. Napoleon first
comes to relevance during the animal revolt on Animal Farm and immediately demonstrates his
inner tyrant by deceiving the unwise animals on the farm into giving up their milk supply for his
personal needs. Although starting out with merely confiscating milk from the other animals,
Napoleon rapidly turns for the worst. Napoleon never fails to demonstrate his ruthlessness and
violent mannerisms in order to attain control and in turn evolves into the very tyrant he so
opposed. Orwell uses Napoleons character as a means of demonstrating how a tyrant asserts
dominance through ruthless and violent actions, embodying the powerful force of tyranny.
Napoleon, the pragmatist of the story, never fails to demonstrate his high levels of
tyranny through physical means. The Show Trials were center stage to Napoleon and his
brutality and merciless ways. The Machiavellian-esque trials created by Napoleon paralyze the
animals judgment, generate foolish guilt, and create a kind of panic-stricken streak of
confession, in the hope that these animals will earn safety. The harsh reality being that no matter

what the confession, all would result in death. When they had finished their confession, the
dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any
other animal had anything to confess (Orwell 25). Napoleon as seen in the quote, knows how to
not only terrorize his subjects mentally, but with a disturbing amount of cruel violence. Paul
Robb discusses the fact that Napoleon is the pragmatist, ready to be brutal to achieve his
purposes. The most blatant and most effective techniques used by Napoleon are the show trials,
the abject confessions, and the summary executions. According to Robbs research, these
horrific scenes created by Napoleon, are parallel of the infamous Moscow treason trials of 193638 therefore demonstrating how Napoleon and any human dicators actions do not differ at all.
Napoleon , a dictator no different than any other, is a master of both physical and mental
manipulation. If any attempt to disobey Napoleon, violent retaliation by his hand will soon
follow.
Tyrants throughout history have utilized the fear of their subjects, to oppress and remove
all longing for free will. By using violence without remorse or mercy to punish and mentally scar
his said subjects, Napoleon is no different. As stated by Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Old and new
tyrannies belong to the same family; authoritarian governments, whether they are based on the
codes of old social castes or on the rules of new political elites, are basically similar and present
similar dangers to human welfare and liberty. Despite Napoleons early pledge to a life of fair
treatment and lavish life for all; Napoleon has turned out no better than Farmer Jones, a man
whose actions were once despised by the now power-hungry pig himself. Napoleon, though once
being an irrelevant character who sat in waiting, has seized the power and status he always
longed for and in turn terrorized his animal counterparts. Napoleons wit and merciless ways
struck fear into the hearts of his subjects and left the majority paranoid about their chances of

survival. In the mindset of Fitzpatrick, a tyrant stays a tyrant and a danger to all liberty and
freedom.

Works Cited.

Robb, Paul H. "Animal Farm: Overview." Reference Guide to English Literature. Ed. D.
L. Kirkpatrick. 2nd ed. Chicago: St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23
Feb. 2016.