Question

Animal Farm can be considered a "fable" or "parable"—a story, often with animal as characters, meant to teach a moral lesson (A lesson on how to live your life). Why do you think animals are used as characters, instead of humans?

Answer 1

Answer and Explanation:

A possible explanation as to why animals are used in the story instead of humans is because animals are less complex than humans. In "Animal Farm", the characters do represent real humans: Lenin, Stalin, the Russian people. However, their traits and actions are simplified, which makes it easier for readers to grasp what the author is trying to convey. For instance, the Soviet leaders are represented by the pigs which, in the story, are the only animals intelligent enough to know anything about leading and managing. Precisely because they are more intelligent and have access to power, the pigs begin to act as dictators. On the other hand, most of the other animals are incapable or learning anything or understanding the situation. That is to show how the Russian people were kept in the dark concerning reality, and how easy it was to mistreat them precisely because they did not possess the knowledge or means to fight back.