"Napoleon is a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar. He is described as being 'not much of a talker, but with a reputation for getting his own way.'"
" "
"Napoleon may at first have taken part in the rebellion for genuine reasons, but within days of the expulsion of Jones, he begins to show his true colours."
"He (and Snowball) quickly assert the pigs' superiority over the other animals and undertake to dispose of the cows' milk (to their own benefit, of course.)"
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"Before long, Napoleon becomes the powerful tyrant that he remains for the rest of the novel."
8
"He is shrewd and ruthlessly practical, and these two qualities prompt him to train his own 'police force' of fierce dogs."
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"Once in power, he is ruthless in keeping it. Snowball is the first to suffer, when Napoleon drives him from the farm."
"He also uses propaganda and brain-washing to keep the other animals under his control."
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"He deals with revolts (or supposed revolts) by harshly putting down those he claims to be ringleaders."
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"Later in the novel we see other unpleasant qualities of Napoleon. He is greedy and vain and a coward, taking titles for himself and demanding the credit for every good thing."
7
"In terms of the Russian Revolution, Napoleon represents Stalin, a similarly cruel leader, who rose to the top by force and then used police-state methods to stay there."
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"In more general terms, he represents any cruel dictator, who perverts the goals of a revolution for his own personal gain and glory."
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"Orwell shows how any such leader grows from bad to worse, adopting more and more vicious tactics to retain his hold on power."
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"Napoleon is vivid proof of the saying that 'power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'"
