A Connotative Analysis of Characters in George Orwell’s Animal Farm

Abstract

This article analyses the characters’ connotations in George Orwell’s political allegory, Animal Farm. Connotations generally fall into three categories: positive, neutral, and negative, categories that are clearly displayed when studying its characters. So, with the three kinds of characters, men, animals, and birds, that are found in this allegory, there are some that have positive connotations, like Old Major and Snowball, to quote but two, and others, negative connotations, like Napoleon and Squealer. Those who are neutral, like the Sheep, unwillingly lean towards antivalues for a simple reason: Animal Farm is, above all, a dystopia. Today, this allegory remains topical because it discusses the ever-growing abuses of political leaders over impotent peoples, but it is a hackneyed work, just like its themes. However, it arouses a lively interest when one touches on the figurative meaning of its characters. To do this, a semantic approach is used.