How Does Orwell Present Snowball in the Novel? How Do You Think Orwell Uses the Character of Snowball to Reflect Ideas About Society?

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From quite early on in the novel, Orwell portrays Snowball as one who is a good leader being both intelligent and a confident speaker ‘Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive’. Generally, he shares similar qualities to the other animals in that he is intent on Old Major’s ideas of Animalism, making the rise of animals prosperous and wanting a firm segregation from humans, and in a way he is naïve to the power and manipulation within his opposition Napoleon- by gaining the animal’s support he almost becomes oblivious to other members who could have conflicting views. Orwell is presenting to the reader the element of corruption in 20th century Russia, showing us that you can’t trust anyone- not even your comrade. By displaying this through such a powerful and influential character like Snowball, it is easier for us to understand how the other animals could have then been so controlled by Napoleon. Snowball doesn’t see him as a threat until it is too late due to clever organisation and planning. However, although he is more like the other animals than Napoleon, Snowball is by no means the same as them. ‘No sentimentality, comrade! … War is war. The only good human being is a dead one.’ Snowball is a ruthless leader who is committed to the revolution, so committed in fact that he indicates he’d be willing to die for Animal Farm. This arrogance towards the distressed horse Boxer and the commitment he displays mirrors that of Leon Trotsky in Russian society, it is this lack of empathy that differentiates him from the others animals, yet his hope and high ambitions ultimately contribute to his exile, but these traits are initially what made him a good leader. Orwell is using the character of Snowball to reflect the ideas that essentially, knowledge and ruthlessness is power. Trotsky was intelligent and ruthless just like many
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