In the novel animal farm by George Orwell, we see Napoleon changing significantly throughout the book. By the end of the book Napoleon had changed from being an average farm pig to being an alcohol drinking, English speaking, manipulative leader.
In ‘animal farm’ Napoleon makes a very vital change when he doesn’t attend the battle of the cowshed. Napoleon was absent for one of the most crucial revolutionary movements throughout the novel. When Napoleon did not fight in the battle of the cowshed it shows his lack of bravery and commitment for the farm. When Orwell writes about the battle napoleon is not included as an animal that took part, every animal that had a role in the battle was written about but there was no mention of Napoleon. Orwell’s purpose in leaving Napoleon out of such a crucial moment for the animals is to show how little Napoleon cares for the animals or the farm. Napoleon is similar to Osama Bin Laden in the fact that he is a coward and is never on the front lines, they both also get less intelligible followers because they do not understand what they are doing. Napoleon not attending the battle of the cowshed portrays a crucial change in his personality because it shows he is becoming cowardly and not a powerful leader.
Napoleon makes another huge change when he starts manipulating his fellow animal on the fam. In many ways Napoleon takes advantage of less intelligent animals by using Squealer as a speaker, portraying Snowball as a bad pig, changing the commandments and many morel. Napoleon changes rules and regulations on the farms to fit his lifestyle and what he wants to do, he has no sympathy for the other animals who are all living quite bleak lives. “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause”, this is one of the many commandments that Napoleon changed untruthfully to suit himself, Napoleon did this so he was not in the wrong for the previous killings that had taken place. Orwell’s purpose in showing Napoleon’s negative manipulative change is to show how the power of having control of the farm is getting to his head and he is not handling the power well at all. Napoleons manipulative personality is present in many prominent leaders in today’s world. Napoleon is a very manipulative leader and has no feelings for the other animals on the farm, this change is very crucial to how Napoleon is at the start of the novel and the end.
The third major change for Napoleon during the novel was him trading and socialising with Mr Frederick. Towards the end of the text Napoleon started to trade animal made goods for alcohol, which lead to him bonding a friendship with the previous arch nemesis Mr Frederick. This is extremely significant because it shows his change from a simplistic swine to a business engaging, alcohol drinking pig. All of this human interaction eventually caused Napoleon and some other ‘high up’ pigs’ faces to become inseparable from the men. “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again but already it was impossible to say which was which”. This enforces the pigs and mainly Napoleon’s severe change. Orwell’s purpose in addressing this is too show what power and greed can do to someone. Napoleon’s major change is seen widely across books, movies and real life showing what power can do to someone, and how much it can change them whether that be good or in this case bad. An obvious person who changed negatively with power is Stalin, Stalin was intended to share common beliefs to Napoleon when Orwell wrote the novel. Napoleon socialising and engaging in trades with humans has changed him into a whole new pig.
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Add Yours →Great job Harry, very well done. Well reasoned and developed ideas here. Remember to make your links to the outside world specific. You can try to develop your ideas a little further and define how Napoleon was at the beginning of the novel a little more in depth. The is fantastic work Harry. Keep working on it.