Napoleon (Animal Farm)
| Napoleon | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Animal Farm |
| Last appearance | Animal Farm (Only Appearance) |
| Created by | George Orwell |
| Voiced by |
Maurice Denham (1954 film) Patrick Stewart (1999 film) |
| Information | |
| Species | Berkshire boar |
| Occupation | President of Animal Farm |
Our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, Father of All Animals, Terror of Mankind, Protector of the Sheep-fold, Ducklings' Friend is a fictional character and the main antagonist in George Orwell's Animal Farm. He is described as "a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar" who is "not much of a talker" and has "a reputation for getting his own way". While he is at first a common farm pig, he exiles Snowball, another pig, who is his rival for power, and then takes advantage of the animals' uprising against their masters to eventually become the tyrannical "President" of Animal Farm, which he turns into a dictatorship. Napoleon's greatest crime, however, is his complete transformation into Mr. Jones (original owner of Animal Farm), although Napoleon is a much more harsh and stern master than Mr. Jones is made out to be.
In some early French-language versions of Animal Farm, the pig is named César. More recent translations keep the original name.
Napoleon was based on Joseph Stalin, who ruled the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1953. He is presumed to be named after the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who also took power after a peoples' revolution. He begins his treachery by taking Bluebell and Jessie's puppies for himself with the intention of turning them into a secret police.
Napoleon chooses the date of the meeting concerning the farm's new windmill to turn on his former comrade, Snowball, and seize control of the farm. The relationship between Napoleon and Snowball mirrors the relationship between Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Trotsky supported Permanent Revolution (just as Snowball advocated overthrowing other farm owners), while Stalin supported Socialism in One Country (similar to Napoleon's idea of teaching the animals to use firearms, instead). When it seems Snowball will win the election for his plans, Napoleon calls in the dogs he has raised to chase Snowball from the farm. This is the first time the dogs have been seen since Napoleon took them in and raised them to act as his secret police.
Later on, after ostracizing Snowball, Napoleon ordered the construction of the windmill, which had been designed by Snowball and which he had opposed vigorously (just as Stalin opposed Trotsky's push for large scale industrialization, then adopted it as a policy when Trotsky was in exile), so as to show the animals that he could be just as inventive as Snowball. The other animals are told it was Napoleon's idea and that Snowball had stolen it. When the primitive windmill collapses after a storm, due to Napoleon's poor planning (a reference to Stalin's backward approach to the Five-Year Plans), Napoleon blames Snowball and starts a wave of terror (a reference to the Great Purge). During this period, he orders the execution of several of the animals after coercing their "confessions" of wrongdoing. He then commands the building of a second, stronger windmill, while severely cutting rations of the animals, except those of the pigs and dogs.
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