Comparing Stalin to Napoleon
Author's Intentions
When writing the novel, one of George Orwell’s intentions were to demonstrate and depict Joseph Stalin’s true personality and actions in the events that occurred in the Russian Revolution. Orwell wanted to use a fairy story to convey his ideas and make it easier for a reader to understand Stalin’s personality and the reason behind his actions. By representing Stalin with a pig named Napoleon, Orwell was able to make use of the negative connotations and stereotypical ideas that society had about pigs and then further develop Napoleon’s attitude and actions to enhance the already cynical image we had of Napoleon. Napoleon was an extremely effective metaphor of Stalin, as he portrayed Stalin’s personality and traits perfectly, from the way he surrounded himself with guard dogs, to his cruel and power-obsessed attitude. As a result, the reader is able to understand and in a sense, experience what Stalin had been like in the Russian Revolution. After his first hand experiences in the Spanish Civil War, Orwell realized the true nature of Stalin’s rule in Russia and wanted to make sure that the readers were aware of that. He effectively depicted Napoleon’s corrupt and overbearing actions to educate the reader and make sure that they knew despite the fact that Stalin and the Communist Party allegedly stand for equality, they were actually becoming totalitarian dictators.