Why did Orwell depict, in Animal Farm, the pigs as leaders, the dogs as guards, the horses as workers, etc. What traits do these animals and their...

For 's
allegoricalto work, he had to choose animals that reflected the characteristics of the humans
they represent. In this sense, there had to, therefore, be similarities in both animal and human
behavior and what these symbolized.

The novel satirizes events in Russia
before, during and after its February and October Revolution in 1917. The end result was that
the Bolsheviks under Lenin assumed power and the royal family was assassinated. The animals in
the novel represent different key individuals from this period.

represents
Vladimir Lenin, seen as one of the fathers of Socialism. He propagated theories of equality and
was completely against the abuse of power to attain privilege such as that which the Tsarist
family enjoyed. He was much respected and admired by his followers, just as Old Major was. Old
Major was deemed benign and wise and, just like Lenin, was much loved.

represents the ruthless Josef Stalin who assumed leadership by callously getting rid of his
opposition. Napoleon does the same in the novel. Stalin hunted down and destroyed whomever he
deemed a threat, much like Napoleon does in the novel. Stalin was a dictator and ruled through
propaganda, lies and ruthless savagery, just as Napoleon does in the novel.

epitomizes Leon Trosky who had proposed many plans for the success of the Russian Republic after
the Revolution. He was seen as a threat by Stalin and driven into exile, just as Snowball was by
Napoleon. Snowball, just like Trosky, represents a leader who had the best interests of all at
heart. His popularity was a threat to Napoleon's desire for sole leadership, just as Troski was
to Stalin.

is a representation of the propaganda spread by Stalin through
his mouthpiece Pravda, a state-run newspaper specifically designed to propagate Stalin's views.
Squealer fulfills exactly the same function in the novel.

can be seen as a
symbol of the working class during this period. They were generally loyal to the Bolsheviks and
saw them as their saviors. Boxer, through his maxims, 'I will work harder' and 'Napoleon is
always right' perfectly epitomizes the unquestioning devotion that the workers showed the
leadership after the Revolution. Horses are deemed as very loyal and hardworking, dedicated to
their masters. Their strength and power become very useful resources and they can can be
employed to perform any difficult task, just as Boxer does in the novel.

Benjamin, the donkey, is very stubborn and refuses to do much, as these animals are
generally deemed to be. Donkeys come across as quite intelligent but unwilling, as it is with
Benjamin. He represents the recalcitrant middle class during Stalin's regime. They were
obstreperous and begrudgingly did as they were told, not challenging authority outright so as to
preserve the status quo. Benjamin's apathy is a clear reflection of this.

Sheep are generally seen as stupid animals that need to be guided and are easily
influenced. One sheepdog, for example, can control and guide an entire flock. The sheep in the
novel are exactly like this and are easily manipulated by Squealer and Napoleon. The sheep are
symbols for the peasants in Russia who were generally uneducated and who performed their tasks
without question. They were, overall, dirt poor and became mere pawns in Stalin's schemes, just
as the sheep do in the novel.

Moses, the raven, with his stories about
Sugarcandy Mountain, embodies the position the church occupied in Russia after the revolution.
It was seen as a nuisance by the leaders but was maintained for it fulfilled an essential
function - to keep the masses happy and convince them that their hard work would be rewarded in
the afterlife, a role that Moses more than adequately fulfills in the novel. Ravens are seen as
scavengers, feeding on leftovers. Moses survived on the scraps dished out to him by the
pigs.

Mollie, is a spoilt pony and the pet of Mr Jones. In general, ponies
are spoiled by humans and kept for their entertainment and pleasure, just as Mollie is in the
novel. They are deemed idiotic, as Mollie is, and have no real purpose. In real life, Mollie
represents the elite, the upper crust, of Russian society who lost their privileges after the
Revolution and mostly left the country, and sought to continue their lives of privilege
elsewhere, just as Mollie does in the novel when she leaves the farm.

Pigs
are commonly seen as disgusting, slovenly and greedy creatures that are highly intelligent.
These animals are used to depict the general greed, corruption and carelessness of those in
power after the Revolution. The basic principles which drove the revolt were forgotten by the
ruthless Stalin and his cronies. The impression that pigs are sly fits in with what they are
shown to be doing in the novel - they manipulate and abuse the other animals to feed their
greed. Since they are more intelligent than the other animals, it is logical that they are the
leaders in the novel. 

The vicious dogs that Napoleon employs for his
protection fits in with our general idea of trained guard dogs. they are seen as brutal and
vicious and will slavishly follow their master's instructions, just as the dogs do in the novel.
They will obey any command given by the one who feeds and keeps them, much like Napoleon's dogs
do. After the Revolution, Stalin employed just such a secret force to get rid of his enemies and
to protect him. 

As for all the other animals, they depict the general
populace who lacked the intelligence, will or courage to resist Stalin's ruthless control and
acquiesced to his commands, also out of fear of retribution from their tyrannical leader. This
is exactly how the general animal populace behaves in the novel.