Boxer (Animal Farm)

Boxer is a cart-horse in George Orwell's Animal Farm. He is described as the farm's most dedicated and loyal laborer. Boxer serves as an allegory for the Russian working-class who helped to out the Tsar Nicholas and establish the Soviet Union, but were eventually betrayed by the Stalinists.

Boxer is also caring and looks out for the other animals for example when they are hungry he makes sure somehow they get food. Boxer has various mottos right through from the beginning of the story that are defining to his personality, such as: "I will work harder." and "Napoleon is always right." This accurately represents his loyal characteristic.

Boxer fights in the Battle of the Cowshed and the Battle of the Windmill, but is upset when he thinks he has killed a stable boy when, in fact, he had only stunned him. When Boxer defends Snowball's reputation from Squealer's revisionism, the pigs designate him as a target for the Great Purge, but he easily out muscles the dog executioners, sparing them at Napoleon's request. His death shows how far the pigs are willing to go. When he collapses from overwork, the pigs say they have sent him to a veterinarian, when they sent him to the knacker's yard to be slaughtered, in exchange for money to buy a case of whiskey for the pigs. A strong and loyal draft horse, Boxer plays a huge part in keeping the Farm together prior to his death, and was the only close friend of Benjamin, the cynical donkey.

Throughout Old Major's speech, which inspired the principles of Animalism, a specific reference is made to how Boxer would be turned into glue under Farmer Jones' rule, thus implying that it would not happen to him under Animalism. "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." [1]

Boxer is a bit dim-witted and can only remember four letters of the alphabet at a time. Boxer is a loyal supporter of Napoleon; he listens to everything the self-appointed ruler of the farm says and assumes, sometimes with doubt, that everything Napoleon tells the farm animals is true: "Napoleon is always right."

He has been described as "faithful and strong";[2] he believes any problem can be solved if he works harder.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Chapter I p. 9, Signet Classics edition
  2. ↑ Sutherland, T. (2005). "Speaking My Mind: Orwell Farmed for Education". The English Journal 95 (1): 17–19. JSTOR 30047391.
  3. ↑ Roper, D. (1977). "Viewpoint 2: The Boxer Mentality". Change 9 (11): 11–63. doi:10.1080/00091383.1977.10569271. JSTOR 40176954.