The Power to Corrupt (Animal Farm)

501 Words3 Pages
A theme present throughout the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell is the corruptive influence of power. This is shown in many ways. The character Napoleon is a prime example. He and Snowball start out sharing the leader role of Animal Farm after the rebellion. However, Napoleon wants to be the sole leader, so he does everything he can to be just that. With each new taste of power, he wants more and more, until it changes all that was known. Snowball comes up with the idea to build a windmill, but Napoleon hates the idea, because it is not him who came up with it. The idea makes Snowball look better than him, which he does not want. At the meeting at which the animals would vote on the idea, Napoleon has his service dogs chase Snowball off the farm and he ends up taking credit for the windmill idea, driven by the thirst for power. Napoleon also starts having lies spread around about Snowball in order to make Snowball look like the villain and to make himself look like the good guy. He has it spread that he was the hero of the battle of the Cowshed, not Snowball who was really the hero. He spreads this, along with other lies, through his messenger Squealer. He does this so that it does not look like he is the bad guy. He wants it to seem like what he is doing is good so that he can continue to rise to power. Now that he has felt what it is like to be in control, he cannot let it go. Throughout the novel, Napoleon starts acting more and more like a human. He starts sleeping in a bed, drinking whiskey, wearing clothes, and eventually, walking on his hind legs. These were all forbidden in the former Seven Commandments, so what does Napoleon do? He has the Commandments changed so what the pigs are doing does not violate them. The Commandments were the basis of Animalism, and now that is being changed. Napoleon goes against what is Animalism, all to become more powerful.
Open Document