2.3 - Snowball
Snowball's role and characteristics
Snowball emerges as one of the two leading pigs in the rebellion, embodying intellectual energy and progressive ideals. He contrasts sharply with Napoleon's brute force, focusing instead on education and innovation to uplift all animals. His quick thinking and eloquence make him a natural leader in the early, hopeful phase of Animal Farm.
Main traits of Snowball
- Intellectual and visionary - Snowball designs detailed plans for the windmill, aiming to generate electricity and reduce labour.
- Eloquent speaker - He simplifies complex ideas, such as reducing the Seven Commandments to "Four legs good, two legs bad" for the less educated animals.
- Committed to equality - Unlike Napoleon, Snowball organises committees for animal education, showing genuine interest in collective welfare.
Contextual connection
Snowball draws from Leon Trotsky's role in the Russian Revolution, where Trotsky advocated for global revolution and modernisation, much like Snowball's push for farm improvements. Orwell uses this parallel to critique how intellectual revolutionaries were often outmanoeuvred by more ruthless figures like Stalin, represented by Napoleon.
Key contributions to the rebellion and farm
Snowball plays a pivotal part in establishing and defending the new animal society. He helps codify Old Major's teachings into the Seven Commandments, ensuring the rebellion's principles guide daily life. His military strategy during the Battle of the Cowshed secures victory against human invaders, boosting morale and solidifying the farm's independence.
Specific contributions
- Educational efforts - Snowball teaches animals to read and write, forming groups like the Egg Production Committee to promote self-sufficiency.
- Innovative projects - He champions the windmill as a symbol of progress, promising "hot and cold water" and leisure time for all.
- Defensive leadership - In battle, Snowball charges bravely, earning a medal for his tactical planning against Jones's attack.
Contextual connection
The Battle of the Cowshed echoes the Russian Civil War, where Trotsky organised the Red Army to defend the revolution. Orwell highlights how such early successes masked underlying power struggles, reflecting the fragility of post-revolutionary unity in 1920s Soviet history.
Conflict with Napoleon and expulsion
Tensions between Snowball and Napoleon escalate over differing visions for the farm's future. Snowball's democratic approach, including debates and votes on projects like the windmill, clashes with Napoleon's desire for absolute control. This rivalry culminates in Snowball's violent chase from the farm by Napoleon's trained dogs.
Key elements of the conflict
- Ideological differences - Snowball supports expanding the rebellion to other farms, while Napoleon focuses on consolidating power locally.
- Public debates - During meetings, Snowball's persuasive speeches nearly win support for the windmill, but Napoleon undermines him with smears.
- Expulsion moment - Napoleon unleashes the dogs, forcing Snowball to flee and ending open discussion on the farm.
Contextual connection
This expulsion mirrors Trotsky's exile from the Soviet Union by Stalin in 1929, illustrating Orwell's view on how totalitarian regimes eliminate opposition to rewrite history. Written in the 1940s, the novel critiques Stalinist purges, showing how revolutions betray their democratic origins.
Role as scapegoat after departure
Once gone, Snowball is vilified by Napoleon to deflect blame for the farm's hardships. Propaganda paints him as a traitor, accused of sabotaging the windmill and colluding with humans. This distortion unites the animals against a common enemy, masking Napoleon's failures.
Ways Snowball is scapegoated
- False accusations - Napoleon claims Snowball destroyed the windmill during a storm, despite evidence of poor construction.
- Rewritten history - Stories of Snowball's heroism in battles are altered to portray him as cowardly, erasing his positive legacy.
- Ongoing blame - Every shortage or setback, like food rationing, is attributed to Snowball's supposed treachery.
Contextual connection
Scapegoating reflects Stalin's show trials and propaganda against Trotsky, whom he labelled a traitor to justify purges. Orwell, influenced by his observations of wartime propaganda in the 1940s, uses this to warn about how leaders manipulate truth to maintain power.
Symbolic significance in the novel
Snowball symbolises the betrayed ideals of revolution, representing hope for a fair society that is ultimately crushed by corruption. His absence highlights the novel's theme of power's corrupting influence, serving as a reminder of lost opportunities for genuine equality. Through Snowball, Orwell critiques how visionary leaders are often sacrificed in the pursuit of authoritarian control.
Symbolic aspects
- Idealism vs reality - Snowball's windmill plans embody utopian dreams, contrasted with Napoleon's exploitation of the idea for personal gain.
- Democratic voice - His expulsion marks the shift from collective rule to dictatorship, symbolising the death of revolutionary purity.
- Haunting presence - Even in absence, Snowball's ideas linger, showing how suppressed truths can undermine tyrannical regimes.
Contextual connection
As a symbol of Trotskyism, Snowball critiques the Soviet Union's deviation from Marxist ideals of equality. Orwell's experiences in the Spanish Civil War, where he saw communist infighting, inform this portrayal of how revolutions consume their own pioneers.