Memorable Qualities Of Boxer In Animal Farm
When Boxer had lived under Napoleon’s rule, he always thought Napoleon was doing the right thing. When it seemed like the farm was going to suffer, Boxer was there, working harder and for longer. He did not know that Napoleon was just using Boxer to his advantage. George Orwell, author of the novel ‘Animal Farm’ portrays Boxer as a kind gentle and hard-working animal that is easily deceived by the pigs and Napoleon. In the end, he was betrayed by the very person he trusts the most; Napoleon. He is admired by the animals on the farm for his attitude to never give up, no matter the situation. He becomes a very memorable character because of these qualities.
Boxer trusts Napoleon with his life, although he does sometimes doubt Napoleon’s actions, just like the working class with Stalin. When the animals overthrow Mr Jones and take over Animal Farm, the pigs quickly take the leadership rolls, pre-eminent among them were Snowball and Napoleon. Boxer immediately trusts both Snowball and the pigs to run the farm, believing that they are more intelligent and better suited to the job, and can run the farm efficiently. He also lacks the intelligence to see that they might be using or taking advantage of him. When Napoleon ordered Boxer to do something, he would do it without a second thought, no matter how he felt. He would also usually do more when than he was asked for, and many animals admired him for it. He would work himself to death, literally, on Napoleon’s commands. Boxer represents the working class in the Russian Revolution, who helped Stalin and the Communist party overthrow Tsar Nicholas II and take over the government. He also represents the coal miner Alexey Stakhanov, who was very famous for his working quota. He was praised by Stalin, and many people tried to be like Stakhanov, working harder and for longer. He was rewarded for his work, but didn’t realise that Stalin only cared for him because it made many other people work harder. “Boxer, who had now had time to think things over, voiced the general feeling by saying: ‘If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right.” And from then on he adopted the maxim, “Napoleon is always right,’ in addition to his private motto of “I will work harder’”. Boxer and the working class both trusted their leaders, that they will not be deceived by them. It is very memorable that they believe so strongly in a person when he commits such brutal and atrocious crimes in front of them. They are certain that anything their leader does is not without good reason and doesn’t question his decisions. The working people followed without a thought, knowing that their leader would never be wrong. George Orwell modeled Boxer to be just like the working people of Russia, with the same qualities and states of mind. He shows us that the working class weren’t absolute fools that followed anything, but innocent people brainwashed by Stalin and made to do his bidding. After seeing that Stalin could overthrow the government and his promises of freedom and of a better quality of life, most were happy to follow Stalin. As things slowly became worse and their quality of life rapidly deteriorating, they held to the hope that Stalin could fulfill his promises, oblivious to the fact that it was never going to happen. Stalin was just using the people of Russia for himself. Just like Boxer, they didn’t think that their trust to their leader could have fatal consequences.
Boxer never fails to work hard, believing that work was the solution to every problem. His perseverance played a key role in encouraging other animals to copy his work ethic, just like many people trying to replicate Alexey Stakhanov’s determination to work harder and for longer. In the novel Boxer is admired for never giving up and always working harder, finding hidden reserves of strength to keep going in all conditions. If the farm was failing to reach their quota that the pigs set, Boxer would be the one that would work for hours after the others left, as he believed that he mustn’t fail Napoleon. He would get up earlier than the others, just to increase his productivity. “He had made an arrangement with one of the cockerels to call him in the mornings half an hour earlier than anyone else, and would put in some volunteer labour at whatever seemed to be most needed, before the regular day’s work began.” He didn’t think about himself, only about making the farm better. His incredible work ethic is noted throughout the entire book, right until his death. He died after suffering a punctured lung and an injured hoof. Even when he collapsed, he showed no signs of pain and even said, “It is my lung,” said Boxer in a weak voice. “It does not matter. I think you will be able to finish the windmill without me. There is a pretty good store of stone accumulated. I had only another month to go in any case.” All he cared about was finishing the job, nothing else. He didn’t want to fail Napoleon. George Orwell shows us that both Boxer and the working class were the most important people in the revolution and without them Stalin could have never risen to power. He needed to convince the working class that he was good and right, or he would’ve never been able to run the country. Boxer is admired for the astounding amount of work that he is able to do without complaining or showing any pain. George Orwell doesn’t put Boxer in the entire novel, telling us that Boxer was only used for his work and when he could no longer do so, the pigs knew he couldn’t contribute to the farm anymore. He was a very dim-witted intelligent animal that could not help the pigs run the farm. To their eyes, Boxer had become a burden to the farm, and there was nothing more they could get out of him. Boxer is similar to the Udarniks, who were very highly productive workers in the Soviet Union. There are also very similar awards for people like the Udarniks in China, North Korea, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. The ideology behind promoting these people is that the rest of the workforce would try to replicate the results made by the vanguard. Sometimes the outcome of the season lay on how much work Boxer could do, but he never failed. He would always do as much work as he could, no matter what.
Boxer is a very hard working and strong animal, however he lacks the intelligence to make many decisions and relies on others to make them for him. The naive cart-horse would trust Napoleon to steer him down the right path, thinking that everything he did was for the benefit of the farm. He was correct in thinking that, but he did not realise that Napoleon didn’t care about him and that as soon as he couldn’t work for the farm any longer, he would be sent to the knackers. When Napoleon blatantly lies about Snowball being a criminal, he protests for a second but is then unable to find any argument for Snowball’s defence. After that he takes up the maxim, “Napoleon is always right’, and never challenges Squealer and Napoleon’s arguments again. Napoleon, knowing that he has well and truly convinced Boxer to follow him without a thought, makes him work more for no compensation. When Boxer collapses at the windmill, Napoleon sees that Boxer can no longer work for him and sends him to the boxer. This is ironic as Old Major in the beginning of the novel, makes a special reference to Boxer saying that he would be boiled for glue under Mr. Jones rule, implying that it would not happen under animalism. He says, “You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will send you to the knacker, he will cut your throat and boil you down for the fox-hounds.” The working class of Russia had suffered very poor working conditions and low pay under Tsar Nicholas II (represented as Mr. Jones in Animal Farm). When they heard about the promises of freedom and equality with no classes, they naturally followed Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin, supporting their revolution against the Romanovs. After the revolution, the Bolsheviks totally ignored their promise of a classless society and became the leaders of their country. The working class believed that it was needed and that they were better suited for the job and didn’t complain. As time passed the working class slowly forgot about life under Tsar Nicholas II’s rule and believed the lies that Stalin made up. Soon only the oldest people had some idea of life before the revolution. The working class barely questioned Stalin’s actions in the Great Purge, where hundreds of thousands of people die. In the novel Napoleon actually commands the dogs to kill Boxer, but he repels them and nearly kills one of them, coming out of it with barely a scratch. Napoleon thought Boxer was a threat to him as he remembered the past, but now realised that Boxer was a lot stronger than he thought. Boxer and the working classes both had the power to start and win a revolution, and their leaders recognised the fact. It’s memorable how they have the power to overthrow their leader, but don’t after believing their leaders. After that day Napoleon becomes more cautious of Boxer, knowing he has the power to defeat him. Boxer also has a substantial amount of influence on the farm that Napoleon uses to get the other animals on his side. The fact that Boxer could take over the farm and create a better life for everyone, but doesn’t, makes a clear statement that they were easily mislead and deceive. It is unusual for the working class to have that much power but not realise it or use it. Even when Boxer had stopped the dogs, he didn’t realise the fact. Orwell indicates that equality can only be achieved through an educated society. The working class fail to see the lies and deception from Stalin and was therefore easily deceived. If they had realised from the beginning that all Stalin wanted was power and control they could’ve stopped his reign of terror. Their deficient memory allowed the Bolsheviks to misinform the people of history, putting Stalin’s greatness in the spotlight. Their low literacy skills results in an inability to contest written laws and articles. All these result in a working class believing that Joseph Stalin is always right and unable to challenge the Bolsheviks. Although Boxer and the working class had the power to change their future, their lack of intelligence renders them susceptible to the lies of Napoleon and Squealer.
Boxer dim-witted unintelligent character with a heart of gold. His intentions are for the good of the farm and believes so strongly in animalism but lacks the intelligence to see that the self-serving pig Napoleon, leader of Animal Farm, is using him for his own benefit. Boxer wanted to see the farm prosper and the animals on it happy, and the only way he sees that happening is if he works as hard as he can. His perseverance and selfless attitude are extremely admirable and the other animal looks up to him. His unwavering trust and loyalty to Napoleon are astounding, and the fact that this doesn’t change throughout the entire book. The naiveness of Boxer leads to him being used by Napoleon, while not knowing it. Boxer’s qualities are very memorable as he is a very devoted citizen of the farm, hardworking and indefatigable, but ignorant and innocent. The character with the most power and strength also was the least intelligent and innocent. His trust, ignorance and perseverance eventually led to his death.