From Shmoop Literature on George Orwell's Animal Farm
http://www.shmoop.com/character-roles/literature/george-orwell/animal-farm.html
Character Roles
Protagonist
Working class animals If we had to define a protagonist, we would go with the collective working class of animals. Is this legit? Well, there are talking animals here. We get to bend the rules. Besides, they're the ones we sympathize with and, for the most part, we get to go inside their heads (Boxer, and especially Clover).
Antagonist
Those pigs Those pigs are pretty antagonizing, but especially Snowball and Napoleon. They begin as animals, members of the working class under the control of the humans, but quickly step up to a position of leadership after the Rebellion. They just get more antagonist-like after that: stealing food, abusing the animals, and ultimately becoming indistinguishable from the oppressive humans they once fought to overthrow. The pigs are corrupted by the power they seize; they do not begin as antagonists (think old Major - not a dislikable dude!), but rather become antagonists as the story develops.
Copyright © 2026 eLLeNow.com All Rights Reserved.