Squealer is a ?small fat? porker with ?very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements and a shrill voice?. He is a brilliant speaker, and when he?s arguing some particularly difficult points, he has a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which is somehow persuasive. The others say of him that he can turn ?black into white?. Even at the beginning of the novel, we know he?s going to be important as are his speeches since he is presented to us early, clearly and with details.
Squealer?s most important role to persuade, in favour of the pigs, all the other animals the actions and decisions taken are in their interests. For example, on pages 25 and 26, he convinces them that the milk and apples ?should be reserved for the pigs alone?. He does this cleverly using the words ?comrades? to address all the animals and make them feel important. He uses rhetorical questions and states milk and apples are healthy for pigs. He announces this has been proved by science and declares every time that if they don?t let the pigs do what they have in plan, Jones, the proprietor of the farm which the animals have overthrown, will come back. This makes them fully agree with him as no animal wants the mean and cruel Mr. Jones back.
Orwell wants us to notice how easy it is for Squealer to convince the other animals. He uses this technique several times: he affirms the animals forgot what happened in the past and then describes it in such minutious detail, they don?t even dare question him. On page 60: ?Squealer described the scene so graphically, it seemed to the animals that they did remember it?. He also assures them Napoleon is always right to such an extent that Boxer adopts ?Napoleon is always right? as his maxim on page 94. He also presents them with utterly false and invented statistics, they are so gullible they believe their lives are better than in Jones? times and the farm is more prosperous than ever before.
Squealer distorts the Seven Commandments using his persuasive skills to justify the pigs? actions. During the night he adds some words to the Commandments so go in accord with what he?s saying: ?at about twelve o?clock there was a loud crash in the yard, [?] there lay a ladder broken in two pieces. Squealer [?] was sprawling beside it and near at the hand there lay a lantern, a paintbrush and [?] a pot of white paint?. Later Muriel notices the Fifth Commandment is no longer ?No animal should drink alcohol? but ?No animal should drink alcohol to excess?. He plays a vital role because without his speeches and alterations of the Commandments, Napoleon wouldn?t have succeeded in keeping his position as a leader (tyrant).
In the Russian Revolution, Squealer represents the Minister of Information and Propaganda. His speeches mirror the newspaper Pravda about Stalin propagating how he was a caring leader doing everything for the best of his people or justifying his actions just like Squealer with Napoleon.
Another major part of Squealer?s job was speaking for Napoleon who never leaves the farmhouse, leaving Squealer to reassure everyone else how he?s sacrificing himself for the good of others. By staying inside the farmhouse and Squealer pretending nothing is happening, Napoleon is becoming a new Mr. Jones only called Napoleon now. They become human by breaking all the original Commandments being: 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy 2. Whatever goes upon four legs or has wings is a friend 3. No animal shall wear clothes 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed 5. No animal shall drink alcohol 6. No animal shall kill any other animal 7. All animals are equal. On page 47, they start off with engaging in trade breaking the first implicit rule. On page 50, they sleep in beds, on page 62 the dogs kill all animals having confessed their ?crimes?. On pages 77 and 78, they begin to drink alcohol and wear clothes. The original Commandments are altered to suit the pigs? needs. The 7th rule is broken when they start abusing their power. In the end, the pigs start walking on two legs.
In conclusion, Squealer plays a critical role in Animal Farm, without him Napoleon?s tyranny would collapse. He is the character used for communicating with the other animals and his speeches are used for the benefits of pigs, convincing every other animal all is well.
P.S. Notice how the way Squealer is skipping during his speeches is alluding to the fact he?s skipping words meaning he doesn?t say the truth. Also, when Squealer is altering the commandment about alcohol, he?s drunk himself causing him to fall.
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