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Squealer’s deceptive abilities are initially harmless.
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| All the other male pigs on the farm were porkers. The best known among them was a small fat pig named Squealer, with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements, and a shrill voice. He was a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive. The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white. (2.2) |
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Squealer uses deception to convince the other animals that the pigs require special privileges. The theft of the milk dates from the very first moments after the Rebellion (2.28), and thus shows how early the pigs’ bad intentions manifest themselves. |
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"Comrades!" he cried. "You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for YOUR sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples." (3.14) |
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Squealer spins tales for the animals of supposed protection against their own ignorance. |
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"Comrades," he said, "I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself. Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be? Suppose you had decided to follow Snowball, with his moonshine of windmills– Snowball, who, as we now know, was no better than a criminal?" (5.19) |
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| Although they directly see Napoleon deceiving Mr. Whymper, the animals never suspect Napoleon’s treachery within the Farm |
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| Napoleon was well aware of the bad results that might follow if the real facts of the food situation were known, and he decided to make use of Mr. Whymper to spread a contrary impression. Hitherto the animals had had little or no contact with Whymper on his weekly visits: now, however, a few selected animals, mostly sheep, were instructed to remark casually in his hearing that rations had been increased. In addition, Napoleon ordered the almost empty bins in the store-shed to be filled nearly to the brim with sand, which was then covered up with what remained of the grain and meal. On some suitable pretext Whymper was led through the store-shed and allowed to catch a glimpse of the bins. He was deceived, and continued to report to the outside world that there was no food shortage on Animal Farm. (7.4) |
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Even when faced with suspicions from the animals, Squealer uses deception to talk his way out of contradictions.
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| "That was part of the arrangement!" cried Squealer. "Jones's shot only grazed him. I could show you this in his own writing, if you were able to read it. The plot was for Snowball, at the critical moment, to give the signal for flight and leave the field to the enemy. And he very nearly succeeded– I will even say, comrades, he WOULD have succeeded if it had not been for our heroic Leader, Comrade Napoleon. Do you not remember how, just at the moment when Jones and his men had got inside the yard, Snowball suddenly turned and fled, and many animals followed him? And do you not remember, too, that it was just at that moment, when panic was spreading and all seemed lost, that Comrade Napoleon sprang forward with a cry of 'Death to Humanity!' and sank his teeth in Jones's leg? Surely you remember THAT, comrades?" exclaimed Squealer, frisking from side to side. (7.17) |
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| Because of violence and intimidation, the deception that was once limited to Napoleon and the other pigs is forced onto the other animals. They, too, become part of the lies. In this case, though, they are forced to lie simply to disguise the failures of the pigs themselves |
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| Presently the tumult died down. The four pigs waited, trembling, with guilt written on every line of their countenances. Napoleon now called upon them to confess their crimes. They were the same four pigs as had protested when Napoleon abolished the Sunday Meetings. Without any further prompting they confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since his expulsion, that they had collaborated with him in destroying the windmill, and that they had entered into an agreement with him to hand over Animal Farm to Mr. Frederick. They added that Snowball had privately admitted to them that he had been Jones's secret agent for years past. When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess. (7.25) |
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| Orwell builds irony as the pigs spin deceptive tales about supposed "deception" that never actually happened |
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| Two days later the animals were called together for a special meeting in the barn. They were struck dumb with surprise when Napoleon announced that he had sold the pile of timber to Frederick. Tomorrow Frederick's wagons would arrive and begin carting it away. Throughout the whole period of his seeming friendship with Pilkington, Napoleon had really been in secret agreement with Frederick. (8.11) |
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| The animals are so entrenched in Squealer’s lies that they accept the flimsiest of excuses for the most despicable act the pigs perform |
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| It had come to his knowledge, he said, that a foolish and wicked rumour had been circulated at the time of Boxer's removal. Some of the animals had noticed that the van which took Boxer away was marked "Horse Slaughterer," and had actually jumped to the conclusion that Boxer was being sent to the knacker's. It was almost unbelievable, said Squealer, that any animal could be so stupid. Surely, he cried indignantly, whisking his tail and skipping from side to side, surely they knew their beloved Leader, Comrade Napoleon, better than that? But the explanation was really very simple. The van had previously been the property of the knacker, and had been bought by the veterinary surgeon, who had not yet painted the old name out. That was how the mistake had arisen. (9.28) |
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Napoleon attempts to change and re-shape history in the minds of the humans exactly as the pigs have done with the animals on the farm.
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| Like all of Napoleon's speeches, it was short and to the point. He too, he said, was happy that the period of misunderstanding was at an end. For a long time there had been rumours-circulated, he had reason to think, by some malignant enemy-that there was something subversive and even revolutionary in the outlook of himself and his colleagues. They had been credited with attempting to stir up rebellion among the animals on neighbouring farms. Nothing could be further from the truth! Their sole wish, now and in the past, was to live at peace and in normal business relations with their neighbours. This farm which he had the honour to control, he added, was a co-operative enterprise. The title-deeds, which were in his own possession, were owned by the pigs jointly. (10.29) |
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Napoleon and the humans are made similar in their deceptions; while we can not tell who played the false ace of spades, we can conclude, just as Clover, that there is ultimately no difference either way.
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| But they had not gone twenty yards when they stopped short. An uproar of voices was coming from the farmhouse. They rushed back and looked through the window again. Yes, a violent quarrel was in progress. There were shoutings, bangings on the table, sharp suspicious glances, furious denials. The source of the trouble appeared to be that Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington had each played an ace of spades simultaneously. (10.34) |
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Animal Farm Theme of Lies and Deceit |
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Like much else in Animal Farm, deception is used to gain power. The pigs deceive the other animals about the past, convincing them that certain events did or did not occur. They deceive them as to the present, pretending that their situation is better than it really is. And they deceive the farm animals as far as plans for the future, ensuring them their dreams will come true. We see that superior intelligence is often used not to lead justly, but to deceive.
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Questions About Lies and Deceit |
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- What are the specific tools that Squealer uses to deceive the animals, and why do they work so well?
- You might have noticed that several different animals, and humans, use deception. If you didn't notice, go back. The question is, how is the way the animals use deception different from the way the humans do? Maybe the motivations are different, or the outcomes, or the style of deception, etc. Or maybe there is no difference.
- The animals are dumb, but they're not that dumb. Well, the sheep are. But the rest have an inclination that something is rotten in the state of Animal Farm. So why don't they do anything about it?
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Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
While the pigs are able to convince some of the animals of their lies, their attempt to deceive ultimately fails with most of the animals on the farm. Deception is not the main tool of power for the pigs.
While the pigs use many different forms of deception and lies, it is their ability to alter the past in the minds of the animals that is their most powerful tool of control.
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| squeeler is the main liar |
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The number one liar in Animal Farm is probably Squealer. That was his job. He smudged statistics. He's representative of groups that put out false evidence to support their claims.
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| not lies, just readjustments or different reasoning |
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The pigs never outright lied (well, they did, but it was usual), they just did things such as, "Oh, you don't need to worry about eating the apples yourself. Since it's us pigs who are running the Farm, why don't you give us the apples so that we have the strength to continue running the place?" |
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| boxer was slaughtered but the pigs lied and said he was in the hospital when he died |
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| One of the boldest lies was the lie about Boxer, when he was injured (symbolic for when, in communism, a person is no longer "of value," he or she has, historically, been known to just...disappear), the pigs lied about where he was going. |
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| they didnt lie they just twisted words and changed the meanings and stuff |
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Most of what happened in Animal Farm, however, was not lying: it was rationalizing. It was using twisted logic to get around this or that.
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| changing the rules to bebefit the pigs |
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But, also, those pigs who changed the rules of Animal Farm (I can't remember who exactly did it, though I think that it was Squealer) were liars. They rewrote the declarations to benefit the pigs, such as changing the law that "All animals are created equal" would now be "All animals are created equal, but some are created more equal than others."
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| Who is a symbol for the Russian Orthodox Church? |
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| Animal Farm is an allegory for |
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| Who is the symbol for Joseph Stalin? |
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| Leon Trotsky is symbolized by: |
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| Power is gained as a result of: |
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| What unites the animals into a community? |
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| Pigs claim power because of their: |
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| Who incites the animals to run the farm for themselves? |
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| How does Napoleon exert his power? |
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| What is the status of the farm at the end of the story? |
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| Bad, worse than when humans were running it. |
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| How do the pigs treat the other animals? |
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| Terribly, they exploit them |
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Shmoop Editorial Team. "Animal Farm Themes (For the Most Part) Flashcards" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
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| Shmoop Editorial Team. "Animal Farm Symbols Flashcards" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. |
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| Shmoop Editorial Team. "Animal Farm Ee-eye-ee-eye Oh! Flashcards" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. |
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| Shmoop Editorial Team. "Animal Farm Chapter 2 Quotes Page 1" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. |
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| Devineni, Anvita. "Ideas Matter." Prezi.com. Prezi, 11 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. |
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| animal farm is the story of an imperfect comunist revolution, the animals create a purely communist govt. but this govt. is quickly hijacked by napoleon and he gradually changes the rules and the power structure untill animal farm becomes a totalitarian dictaror ship. |
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| a form of govt in wich the state seeks to control every facet of life, from economics and politics to each individuals ideas and beliefs |
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| how the farm is ran Jones style |
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| jones runs manor farm with the idea that people are over animals and that is the natural way of things |
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| how the farm is ran napoleon style |
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| napoleon uns the farm with the idea that they are fighting for animals against evil human beings |
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| always used squeeler as propaganda. never changed the rules *wink wink* reminded the animals of "how bad" it was with jones running the farm |
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| napoleon gained the leader ship by expelling snowball so that there was no one else that the animals could listen to and he was able to make decisions with out asking for the approval of another |
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| the dictatorship also allowed napoleon to lie with out the truth being dug up by an associate, and Stalin did the same thing. |
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| trotsky fled to mexico and was hunted down and killed by stalins secret police (napoleons dogs) |
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| stalin lied and manupilated his followers and the believed everything he said because they wanted somethning to believe in that would make their lives better |
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| the pigs and napoleon changed the rules to benefit them. the changing of no animal will sleep in a bed was changed to no animal will sleep in a bed with sheets so that they could sleep inside in jones bed. |
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| the rule all animals are equal is changed to all animals are equal is changed to all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others because the pigs want to feel like they are more superior |
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