Animal Farm Essay, Research Paper

The Importance of Squealer

Sly, greedy, and crafty are just a few characteristics that describe Squealer in the book Animal Farm by George Orwell. This pig is also a messenger, an actor, a great persuasive speaker, a follower, and an outstanding liar. He’s nimble, he’s clever, he’s manipulative and most of all he’s sneaky. Squealer uses his intelligence to persuade the other animals on the farm into doing what Napoleon wants, even if they don’t really want to do it. He uses his craftiness and cunning to persuade the animals into thinking that he is on their side and he’s doing all he can to help them out. His acting ability misleads the animals into thinking that he’s one of their closest friends and that he can be trusted with all their secrets. Squealer’s slick style makes him an important character in the book Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Squealer’s first manipulative deed is committed when he tells the other animals on the farm that the pigs are going to get the windfall apples and the milk from now on. He uses his persuasive speaking skills to talk the other animals into understanding why the pigs were doing this. Squealer explains to the other animals that the pigs are taking the milk and apples merely for their own health and nothing else. He uses this excuse of the pigs taking the apples and milk for their health to persuade the animals into thinking that they should give them the windfall apples and milk without questions. Squealer then says to the animals “Comrades! You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in selfishness and privilege?” (Orwell 42). He then goes on to say “Milk and apples contain substances absolutely necessary to the wellbeing of a pig. We pigs are brain workers, the organization of the farm totally depends on us” (Orwell 42). Saying the pigs are taking the apples and milk in the good of the other animals is one good example of his manipulative ways because, he then says that Jones will come back if they don’t let the pigs have the apples and the milk. Immediately after Squealer says that Jones will come back, it makes all the animals want to give the extras to the pigs. Squealer uses this fear of Jones coming back as one of his main arguments to persuade the animals on the farm to believe him.

Another good example of Squealer’s persuasive talents, is when Napoleon drives Snowball off the farm using his dogs that he trained himself. Napoleon has Squealer go around the farm and explain to the animals the new arrangements of the farm since Snowball was banished off the farm. Squealer’s main objectives in his speech to the animals of the farm is to give good reasons why Napoleon drove Snowball out of the farm, to put down Snowball as much as possible, and to make all the animals want to be commanded and cared for by Napoleon. One of the ways Squealer brings up Napoleon’s status in the farm is by saying he has taken on more responsibility for himself. Squealer then goes on to says “Comrades, I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labor upon himself. Do not imagine, Comrade, that leadership! Is pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon, that all animals are equal” (Orwell 59). He then puts down Snowball to make the animals see Napoleon’s side even more. Once again Squealer uses the argument of Jones coming back and once again this argument is unanswerable for the animals of the farm. Then he goes on to say that Napoleon is always right and Boxer adopts this as one of his maxims. Squealer’s speaking ability is his primary talent he uses.

Squealer’s great skills with manipulating words are put to the test when some of the animals start to rebel against Napoleon. In this example he tells the other animals that Snowball was teamed up with Jones to try to recapture the farm from the animals to take the rebelling out of there minds. In this particular example one of the animals says in Snowball’s defense that he fought with courage in the battle of the Cowshed, and that everyone saw him with blood seeping out of him. Squealer replies to the animals by saying, “That was part of the arrangement! Jones’ shot only grazed him. I could show you this in his own writing, if you were able to read it. The plot was for Snowball, at the critical moment, to give the signal for flight and leave the field for the enemy. And he very nearly succeeded-if it had not been for out heroic leader comrade Napoleon” (Orwell 80). Squealer recalls the battle of the Cowshed the way the pigs wanted it to be remembered, with as much detail of Napoleon saving the farm as possible. Although the animals don’t actually recall it that way they believed it because Squealer has remembered it in much more detail than the animals did. This is also an excellent example of Squealer manipulating the other animals on the farm. He also takes the animals’ lack of intelligence to his advantage whenever he can. When Snowball was in change Squealer was living in his shadow. But when Napoleon came to power Squealer also shared the spotlight. Squealer wasn’t being used to his full potential under Snowball, but when Snowball had gone, Napoleon took advantage of all his talents good and bad, especially his persuasive speaking ability. This is a good example of him always being a follower and never a leader. Although Squealer is a good persuasive speaker, he’s also a back stabbing liar.

When explaining the death of Boxer to the other animals Squealer combines his persuasive speaking talent, his acting ability, and also his cunning all together to work as one great force. He tells the animals that Boxer died in a veterinary hospital. Every animal on the farm knew that Squealer was lying and Boxer was really taken to the slaughterhouse. Squealer tells the animals that he was at Boxer’s deathbed and his last words were “Long live Animal Farm, Long live Comrade Napoleon, Napoleon was always right” (Orwell 115). After Squealer says that, his demeanor suddenly changes. Squealer obviously knew that they weren’t buying his story this time. It might have been because almost all of them could read “Horse Slaughterer” on the side of the van. But to help himself out Squealer used his cunning to wiggle his way out of this by saying that the knockers had previously owned the van, and the veterinary surgeon that had brought the van did not have the time to paint over it yet. Squealer had now won over the less bright animals and he left the bright animals to think want they wanted to think. This was wise of him to talk to the animals about Boxer because he knew that if they brought the subject up in front of Napoleon, he would simply set his dogs on them and they would be executed.

Squealer is a manipulative, clever pig who could persuade purple to turn into green. He’s a follower who obeys whoever is in charge. His importance increases under the reign of Napoleon because he was then able to express his great characteristics of his persuasive speaking, manipulating words, craftiness and acting ability. Squealer’s sly style unconditionally makes him an important character in the book Animal Farm by George Orwell.

Bibliography

Work Cited

Hammond, J.R. “From A George Orwell Companion.” in Casebook. 1982.

Kubal, David. “Outside the Whale.” in Casebook. 1972.