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Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Napoleon and Snowball:
As the two founders of “Animalism” and two of Old Major’s closest comrades, the pigs Snowball and Napoleon have a great deal in common. However, they also serve as foils for one another, highlighting each other's contrasting traits. Snowball—who can be seen as a literary manifestation of the exiled Communist leader Leon Trotsky—represents an idealistic and intellectual approach to leadership, one that’s in line with Old Major’s dreams of equality. Napoleon, however, embodies a more pragmatic and far more ruthless quest for power. Napoleon himself is intended to represent Joseph Stalin, the dictator who eventually succeeded Vladimir Lenin as the head of the Soviet Union and who exiled Trotsky to Siberia.
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Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Boxer and Squealer:
In Animal Farm, the carthorse Boxer and the pig Squealer are foils for one another. The differences between their personalities and choices each highlight the traits of the other. In this story, Boxer embodies the hardworking, loyal working-class revolutionary, while Squealer represents the manipulative propaganda machine of the ruling class.
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