Posted by Steve James on January 22, 2002 at 20:22:13:
In Reply to: quick question: Lenin posted by Alan on January 22, 2002 at 15:47:27:
From the few articles on Animal Farm that I have read either no mention is made of Lenin, or it is
assumed that Old Major represents Lenin. However, Major obviously represents Karl Marx, while
Snowball represents Trotsky and Napoleon represents Stalin. Either Lenin is not portrayed, because
none of the other animals are similar to him, or he is represented, along with someone else, by one
of the characters mentioned above. Snowball cannot be Lenin. It is assumed, from what I have read,
that Major is Lenin, yet Major plays no part in the Revolution himself - Major is, as Marx was, dead
before any revolution broke out. It seems to me personally that Napoleon is the only character that
could portray Lenin. It is Snowball and Napoleon (Trotsky and Lenin) who start the Revolution,
then, after Snowball is made a scapegoat and driven away, Napoleon seems to develop into the
Stalin-esque character, as Lenin may have developed had he not died in 1924.