Symbols
- Major's dream: Old Major (Karl Marx) explains to the other animals of the farm his dream of equality, an allegory for the Communist Manifesto.
- The flag: The flag represents the animals' nationalism and their dedication to "Animalism", the allegory for Socialism. As Napoleon's rule becomes a dictatorship, the flag is worshiped more.
- Boxer's fate: The death of Boxer due to the cruel and manipulative acts of Napoleon symbolize how the working class was abused and mistreated by Stalin.
- The commandments: The 7 commandments begin as rules for the entire Animal Farm to follow but eventually morph into conditional rules that are typically in favor of the pigs. The revisions made to the commandments symbolize the Soviet government's revisions of history in order to control society's personal and political views.
- The windmill: The windmill is used to symbolize industrialization in communism. There are multiple attempts before the windmill is fully completed, showing the trials Soviets faced to industrialize.
Motifs
- Propaganda: Songs throughout the novel such as the sheep's chants, "The Beasts of England", the Animal Farm Anthem and The Ode to Napoleon each served as propaganda which were major factors of social control throughout the Russian Revolution. The subject matter of the songs were drilled into the brains of the animals in the same way propaganda influenced society during the revolution. Also, by being forced to recite the words in the songs, the animals lost their individuality.
- Social Classes: The animal farm is a representation of human society. To be more specific, Manor Farm represents Russia and the Soviet Union under communist rule. The different species of animals represent the different classes in the Soviet Union and their roles in the society. The pigs represent those that held power in the government, evolving into a dictatorship. The dogs are the police/officials that enforce the rule of the pigs (leaders of communism). The working class is represented by all other animals within their respective social classes.
- Power: George Orwell is clever in showing the movement of power in Animal Farm. The pigs evolve into dictators that set rules that don't apply to them. The pigs' transformation shows the corruption in the governing of the farm and how a plan that initially claimed to have all the animals' interests in mind became a plan to benefit those in power. This is a representation of Karl Marx's founding ideas of communism and how Joseph Stalin corrupted them.