After many years Napoleon began to abuse the use of his power, favoring pigs and dogs. Eventually ending at a scene when the rest of the farm animals cannot tell the differences between pigs and humans. Napoleon emerges as the leader of Manor Farm after the rebellion. As the leader of Manor Farm, which he soon renamed Animal Farm; he takes position and sets commandments, similar to the seven commandments which humans followed. Napoleon only had interest in the power over the farm, not the power the farm had and only taking on one task with enthusiasm.
This meant that Napoleon was above all the other animals on the farm, Napoleon was a leader; therefore, the animals had to follow what he said. All animals were not ‘equal’ and this is the moment that Clover realises it. Commandment 6 was broken when the traitors were slaughtered for ‘protesting when Napoleon abolished the Sunday meetings’. The traitors represent the mass execution of the people who disagrees with Stalin’s ideas during the 1930’s. Stalin’s ideas were not the same as communism and Orwell is able to portray this when he specifically states that ‘Napoleon’ abolished the meetings, later in the scene, Orwell again wrote that Napoleon ‘demanded’ other animals to ‘confess’.
However, Old Major only ends up asserting that man is entirely evil because some men commit evil acts. Nevertheless, the animals show how it is not only men who perform evil deeds. When the animals take over the farm after the rebellion, Snowball and Napoleon become the leaders of the farm and they both enter into a power struggle over the farm. Eventually, Napoleon manages to get rid of Snowball and starts to bring the farm into a state of decay: “They had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere” (pg. 87).
Napoleon is first and foremost a scheming, plotting liar, who will stop at nothing to make the animals believe he knows best. It all began with him getting rid of snowball, which was also a bore hog like him self and also a leader. Meany times through out the story he lies to the animals about things that happened on the farm. He told the 2 dogs he would teach their 2 puppies, but in reality he was training them to fiercely protect them. Napoleon also leads the other animals to believe that they will have pastures to retire and graze on when they reach retirement age.
Napoleon’s dictatorship is further evidenced when he sets the dogs against Snowball to increase his political power. Eventually, Napoleon becomes a corrupted dictator and exploits the other animals through violence and tyranny. Evidence of a communism begins with Old Major’s vision that all animals could share in the wealth of the farm without a distinction of “classes”. After Old Major’s
Should the government have absolute power? Should citizens blindly follow their leaders? George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 convey the theme of “absolute power corrupts” by providing original plots, characters, allusions, and irony. The theme “absolute power corrupts” is portrayed in both Orwell’s and Bradbury’s plots. In Animal Farm, there is a cruel owner of the Manor Farm named Mr. Jones.
At the start, being an animal on animal farm was such an improvement from when farmer Jones ran the place. The animals were free and could live life so much better than before. But the napoleon took over and made the animals life’s horrible. He changed the rules and started acting like a human; he also paired up with the humans. A pig named snowball tries to change napoleons way to make all the animals life’s better, he tries to follow Old Majors commands.
In this case, Napoleon’s guard dogs represent Stalin's secret police. Stalin/Napoleon viewed Trotsky/Snowball as a threat, he was scared that Trotsky/Snowball might try to steal his power away from him. His greed for power caused him to order death/imprisonment upon anyone who he suspected to be against him. However, this is not the only event that corresponded between the novel and Russian history. Another example of the parallel between “Animal Farm” and the Russian Revolution is when the animals start to rebuild the windmill.
Napoleon used the dogs as a way to get rid of Snowball and take control of Animal Farm. Napoleon also uses his intelligence to take advantage of the animals on Animal Farm who are not as knowledgeable. For instance, “Muriel read the Commandment for her. It ran: “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.” Somehow or other the last two words had slipped out of the animals’ memory” (98). Napoleon, knowing well enough that the animals were not as educated as he was, took advantage of their stupidity.
The true meaning of animalism has perished along with the animals that oppose Napoleon’s rule. Napoleon has completely taken over the animal farm. He has successfully installed fear into the hearts of all the animals. He and his fellow pigs have conquered the farm. Just as the pigs rewrite history, they manipulate statistics in their favor, claiming that every important aspect of life on the farm has improved statistically since the Rebellion: animals live longer, eat more, have more offspring, work fewer hours, and so forth.