Animal Farm Lesson Plan

Boxer has continually inspired the other animals to work (“I will work harder,” and “Napoleon is always right”), and he literally works until he collapses and is sold to the knackers'. What is the author trying to say about Boxer’s character and the ideology of Animalism?

Boxer is the proletariat (working class; the majority) in the ideology of Communism, which is equivalent to Animalism in this novel. It appears that Orwell sees the proletariat as powerful and simple-minded, like Boxer. Without the acquiescence of the proletariat, tyrants would never gain power. And, just as Boxer is perpetually repeating his slogans, “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is...