Snowball (Animal Farm)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2017) |
The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. (September 2023) |
Snowball | |
---|---|
First appearance | Animal Farm |
Created by | George Orwell |
Based on | Leon Trotsky |
Voiced by | Maurice Denham (1954 film) Kelsey Grammer (1999 film) |
In-universe information | |
Species | Pig |
Gender | Male |
Snowball is a character in George Orwell's 1945 novel Animal Farm. He is largely based on Leon Trotsky, who led the opposition against Joseph Stalin (Napoleon). Snowball is depicted as an intellectual white pig whose leadership, dedication, and feats for Animal Farm is unparallel to any others on the farm, however he is rivaled by Napoleon who has hatred for Snowball. In the 1954 film adaptation of Animal Farm, he was voiced by Maurice Denham, and was voiced by Kelsey Grammer in the 1999 television adaptation.
Biography
Snowball believes in a continued revolution: he argues that to defend Animal Farm, he must strengthen the reality of Old Major's dream of a life without humans and that they must stir up rebellions in other farms throughout England. However, Napoleon always disagrees with any ideas that Snowball has because he does not want Snowball to lead Animal Farm, wanting to lead it himself with an iron fist.
Snowball writes the
Once Napoleon gains control of Animal Farm, he uses his guard dogs to attack Snowball, who escapes to an unknown fate, and manipulates the farm into believing all he had done before was the cause of problems for the farm. Though he fought intensely for Animal Farm at the Battle of the Cowshed, Napoleon verbally alters the events to say he openly fought for Jones, with the animals who are accused of supporting him get executed.
Historical parallels with Trotsky
Orwell depicts Snowball in a sympathetic manner and superior to Napoleon in regards to personal
Yet, Orwell remained skeptical of any substantial differences between Snowball and Napoleon as he expressed the view to his friend George Woodcock: "Trotsky-Snowball was potentially as big a villain as Stalin-Napoleon, although he was Napoleon’s victim. The first note of corruption was struck when the pigs secretly had the cows’ milk added to their own mash and Snowball consented to this first act of inequity.”[2]
However, literary critic Jeffrey Meyers who reviewed the political allegories in Orwell’s work stated that:
"Orwell ignores the fact that Trotsky passionately opposed
Moscow Purge Trials of 1937.” [3]
Meyers also added that Orwell drew on the views of a
In adaptations and pop culture
In the 1999 live-action film adaptation, he is shown escaping the dogs and surviving, though Napoleon declares him banished under pain of death. The later live-action adaptation portrays the character more accurately to the book, including his survival.
When the novel Animal Farm was
The parody sequel novel
In the 2020 action horror film The Hunt, the characters allude to Animal Farm, with the main antagonist referring to the main protagonist as Snowball.[6][7]
References
- ^ "Orwell and Trotsky". The Orwell Society. 4 May 2022.
- ^ "Orwell and Trotsky". The Orwell Society. 4 May 2022.
- ^ "Orwell and Trotsky". The Orwell Society. 4 May 2022.
- ^ "Orwell and Trotsky". The Orwell Society. 4 May 2022.
- ^ Orwell Subverted: The CIA and the Filming of animal Farm, pp. 75–79
- ^ "The Hunt: So, Let's Unpack That Ending". Vanity Fair. 13 March 2020.
- ^ "The Surprising Empathy of 'The Hunt'". The Hollywood Reporter. 14 March 2020.