Table of Contents
Summary
Introduction
This is an introduction to the topic.
Literature Symbolism with Animals
Animal Farm
The young girl in the red cloak ventured out to her grandmother’s house, with a basket in her hand.
Black Beauty
In conclusion,
Summary
It is possible to understand the meaning of any writing that contains animals and how it was written by the author and help you evaluate it. Writing can reinforce the fundamental themes of literature by highlighting the significance of animals. Certain animals are used routinely to express specific themes or symbols. This article will examine animal behavior and explain why authors choose certain animals to represent characters or symbols. Many texts use animals as icons. It is important to study the book’s text and look at the animals’ biology in order understand why they were chosen.
IntroductionAnimals have a vital role in writing. These messages will also be broken down and exposed to show how they influence writing and how animals add meaning to books in ways that human characters cannot. Each author uses animals for their own purposes, but all of them are used to help readers understand the purpose of the story and provide a way for them to share their thoughts. Animal Farm and Little Red Riding Hood are the stories we will explore. To fully understand the importance of animals in novels, it is necessary to first read these classic books to gain a better understanding about the authors’ thoughts. These characters help us understand authors, their intentions, and to understand ourselves and our individual selves. Animals are not able to communicate with humans. Authors often use animals to tell stories that humans can’t. These stories can convey powerful messages and lessons. Animals have been an integral part of human history for centuries. Humankind has progressed with great success because of them. Humans are dependent on animals for food, shelter, clothing, and other basic needs. Animals have been valued as companions and a fundamental part of the human world. Modern medicine has made it possible to transplant pigs’ organs into patients in critical condition. Some pigs are kept as pets, and others as medical aid. Animals are essential to human life. The role of animals in human life is so important that authors have used it to their advantage and made literature more interesting. It is obvious that animal use has had deep implications on our lives from thousands of year ago. Many interpretations and perceptions can be made of the animal meanings in literary works. Authors use animals in many forms to communicate their message. It has a huge impact on how readers perceive and interpret the characters. This is evident in Animal Farm and Little Red Riding Hood as well as Black Beauty. In each case, the authors use animals’ roles to communicate certain themes and messages to their writings.
Animal FarmAnimal Farm was a 1945 novel written by George Orwell. It describes the events preceding the Russian Revolution. Orwell uses animals to illustrate these events.
The story tells of farm animals who rebelled against their owners because they didn’t like Old Major’s advice. The animals make their own rules, decide how to live their lives and set the direction of their farm. Napoleon and Snowball become adept at manipulating and controlling animals. Animals die from starvation, while pigs live in luxury and comfort. The culture of humans is overthrown by the pigs, and they begin to look like people. Animal Farm uses animals for symbols to portray rulers or people. It also reflects the hardships many have suffered under dictatorships. Each animal represents a distinct characteristic.
Animal Farm uses animals in order to tell a tale of the past. Understanding how authors create animals that stand out and connect to readers is key to understanding how they make them valuable in literature. Animal Farm uses the anthropomorphism technique to make animals resemble human beings. Animal Farm uses anthropomorphism to describe each animal as if it were a human. Orwell 16: Snowball, for example, was more animated than Napoleon and was faster at speech and inventive, but he was not thought to have the same depth or character. While it is evident that pigs are incapable of speaking, at least in human language, the author describes these pigs as though they could engage in human activities. It helps readers understand the characters better and gives them a sense of their personalities. It is a powerful tool that authors use to identify key characters and make them more important to their book’s plot. The story’s animals are able to communicate with the author in detail, participate in strategic planning and throw a revolution. This allows them to indirectly describe an historical event. Animal Farm is famed for its anthropomorphism. The last lines of Animal Farm tie the novel together and expose the horrors that have occurred. “The creatures looked outside from pigsto man and from manto pigs, then back to pigs again. But it was already impossible say which was which” is Orwell’s 141 comparison. This is only relevant if you are familiar with the characteristics of pork. Orwell illustrates how a pig treats other people through various stories. The book depicts human beings as selfish and indifferent, using animals only for their own pleasure. But, the author shows that these are very similar. The author shows that pigs can be self-absorbed and have personalities. This means that pigs do not care about their own welfare.
It is not difficult to see why a pet pig would be better than a pet cat, dog, or fish. Understanding pigs can help you understand this. Pigs can reach a staggering 1,000 pounds. This is a lot, especially if pigs don’t have a lot of height or width. Pigs can eat both plants or animals. Omnivores eat large amounts of both. Because it is impossible to provide regular meals in nature, pigs have to eat a lot. These voracious eaters are associated with being greedy, selfish and insatiable. The Buddhist Wheel of Existence depicts a black-pig as a sign of self-indulgence, which is a negative trait. Judaism or Islam say that pigs must be kept clean and therefore they cannot be eaten. Pigs are not what they seem to be. Porcines are not able to sweat, so they can’t cool down. And, with their thin hair, it is easy to get sunburnt. These are the reasons pigs prefer to lie down on their backs and avoid getting muddy. National Geographic Society lists pigs as one of the five most intelligent species. Orwell makes a decision to exploit this fact because of their well-known stereotypes. “The pigs weren’t really in the workforce, but supervised and directed others. Orwell 27-28 uses Orwell’s cleverly crafted phrase to demonstrate how pigs outsmarted other people. It is clear that the author selected the pig based upon its traits. This is important because throughout the book, the themes of deceptions and betrayals are constantly portrayed.
Another example of how the deceitful pigs reinforce the theme is when “Squealer” was left temporarily stunned. It found a lantern, paintbrush, and a pot of white paint near its feet (Orwell108). The trickery of the pigs is similar to that of the humans in the novel. Orwell uses various animals to illustrate deceit throughout his novel. Orwell uses sheep, horses, and others to send his intended message. The book’s role in telling the story ties them together.
Sheep are the symbol of people who are blinded in Stalin’s propaganda. These people may not be blind, but they have fallen prey to the lure of slogans. Orwell is criticizing people who were tricked. The sheep’s intelligence is displayed by the author who says that they stayed there for a week and the other animals did not see them. This shows how easily sheep can be persuaded. Napoleon uses the sheep to repeat many sayings to his readers, including “Four legs, two legs bad”, “Four leg good, and two legs worse”, and finally “Four leg good, four legs better.” The sheep are used by Napoleon to repeat various sayings, such as “Four legs good, two legs bad”, to eventually become “Four legs good and two leg better”. This is how sheep can be blind. Sheep live in herds and are able to follow their fellow animals. Sheep are susceptible to predators like wolves and so they stick together to protect each other. Cobb used the expression, “Get one of them to go, and all will go” (Cobb). Sheep can easily be led into traps and will follow the majority.
Harold uses phrases even from the bible like “Lambs to Slaughter” which is a common phrase to express how vulnerable people are and how that can lead to their own demise (Harold). These slogans are used by Orwell to manipulate sheep. This shows how the pigs targeted and controlled the weak. HorsesHorses from Animal Farm are symbols of loyalty and strength. These horses can weigh up to three times their body weight. Boxer is a horse from the farm who can carry up to three times their own weight. He repeats throughout “I’ll work harder” in the novel and “Napoleon has always been right.” Boxer is not only a key reason why the farm is successful, but he’s also very loyal and faithful towards the farm and pigs. After becoming tired of the hard work, Boxer was sold by the pigs to a glue manufacturer to make money for their whiskey. This was the deceitful act of betraying a faithful character. The farm’s animals gave orders stating farm rules. Orwell says that the pigs sacrificed their most productive character to go to slaughter for forbidden objects. Horses reinforce the theme of loyalty being betrayed in this story. George Orwell used anthropomorphism to explain events prior to the Russian revolution in Animal Farm. There are many reasons. The author of Animals as People in Children’s Literature uses anthropomorphism to address deep, serious, and sometimes frightening topics. Authors can write more easily and comfortably about sensitive issues, concerns, or topics by using anthropomorphism. Authors sometimes find it difficult to create a story or novel about a topic that readers will appreciate.
Many writers incorporate animals into their writings to signify and represent larger issues. Orwell states “… in the Introduction to Animal Farm that it was important for people living in Western Europe to see the Soviet system as it is. The system was terrifying during the 1920’s. Orwell could use animals to indirectly express his concerns, which made it easier to explain and so help the audience absorb the lessons learned about communism/Russian revolution.
Little Red Riding HoodThe European fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood was first written by Charles Perrault. A young girl travels to her grandma’s house, but she gets distracted. A wolf approaches her and she has a lengthy conversation about her plans. The wolf enters the grandma’s home and consumes her. The story becomes fully alive because the wolf can communicate effectively with humans. To reveal the truth about society and its dangers, the fable uses animals. The fable is meant to help people learn valuable lessons, but not reveal all of the details. This fable uses animals as a way to teach younger generations that not all people are trustworthy. It’s easier to understand why a wolf is so evil and deceitful than a human.
But the idea of wolves being seen all over our society, like Little Red Riding Hood’s, can be quite frightening. It’s much easier to use animals as a way to show the evil than to explain why some people are more dangerous than others. The wolf, for example, thinks to himself that he is a young, tender creature. She will have a much better mouthful than the old woman, and it will be a great plump one. I must act carefully, so that .'”, can be caught. His true intentions are revealed through a soliloquy. He lies to the girl, distracts, and plots their engulfment. Authors and readers are also helped by animals. Do you think that your child would be able to read a story by a man who kills his grandmother, abducts her child, and then eats it? Jeffrey Dahmer. Most likely not. This is why animals have a great deal of significance and allow authors to sell their work to a society that has deeply embedded social norms. This would have resulted in a literary catastrophe if people were substituted for animals in these classics from childhood. Reality can be scary, and too much awareness can lead to disaster. There are people out there who lie, steal, or kill. This idea is difficult to communicate to children without traumatizing. Perrault came up with the brilliant idea of substituting a wolf. To symbolize danger, mysticism, and witchcraft, the wolf’s characteristics were used.
Although wolves are not harmful to humans, many authors use this symbolism in their writing. The howl of the wolf is biologically used by them to communicate with their pack members and warn anyone who might be intruding on their territory. Extraneous noises and weather conditions can make their howl travel miles. Writers are able to create tension, fear, or terror by adding wolves’ powerful howls to deceitfully give the impression of being in close proximity. While wolves are often considered endangered in certain areas, they can be found in many stories to instill fear. These powerful and muscular animals are now feared due to their forty-two teeth that can be used to rip flesh and their jaws that can withstand over 1,000 pounds of pressure. Little Red Riding Hood is a major animal that includes the wolf.
Anna Sewell wrote Black BeautyBlack Beauty, a popular children’s book. To tell the story of Black Beauty, the author views the horse from the perspective of a horse. She also teaches the reader about the equine needs. Black Beauty is about a well-behaved and loyal horse who has been passed from owner one to the next. The novel explores the different treatments horses receive as well as the reasons they behave in this way. Anna Sewell employs both personification as well as anthropomorphism in order to make horses seem human-like. Sewell uses Black beauty as her horse to tell the story. This builds a relationship between the horses and readers. It creates more empathy in the reader because the horses can communicate what they think and feel. It seems as though the animals can think and feel just like humans. There is an allusion so strong in the novel that you almost believe Black Beauty to be human. The novel makes readers forget about the differences between them and their horses. It’s difficult to distinguish reality from fantasy. These relationships are built by the author using tools to build trust and feelings and to endear the story to the readers. Horses in the story are a symbol of strength, resilience, purity, and integrity.
The story shifts between horses and humans at various points. Black Beauty was raised in a loving family and sold to many different owners. Some adore him while others wear Black Beauty because of fatigue. Black Beauty opens his novel with the line “The first thing I can recall was an open meadow with a lot of clear water” (Sewell 3). This is to let the reader know that the horse was originally raised in the care of a good person. Sewell uses imagery from the first chapter as a way to depict the horse’s surroundings. This is what makes Black Beauty so docile, well-behaved and tolerant of being abused. This is quite heroic and powerful. This author is proving that Black Beauty never rebelled or hurt his owners, even in the midst of many tortuous events. Black Beauty was taught this by Dutchess. Her mother gave her advice. Anna Sewell uses the Black Beauty story to highlight the common themes of ownership and companionship, poverty and wealth, understanding and compassion, and reinforce these themes throughout the novel. Black Beauty’s ownership is affected by the changes in other horses.
Together, horses and man point out flaws of horse-human relations. Sir Oliver, an old Birtwick horse whose tail was cut by his masters — claims that man mistreats animals in his care to look fashionable or sharp. To make it look better, they often cut the tails of their animals or slice their ears. He claims that these actions cause great pain and are detrimental to God’s creation. In fact, the body parts they take off can have an important function, such as the horse’s tail being used as a fly-swatter. As the horses pointed out, the blinders drivers force horses wear on their eyes are also misguided. Humans should respect the natural instincts of their animals and not try to alter them.
The book includes stories of horses who tell their stories in order to explain why they did what they did. Different horses share their stories and the actions of their previous owners. Ginder explains “… He has never known a horse, man or horse, who was kind or caring to help him. Ginder was abused by her owner, who treated her like a property and not an animal.
Ginger does eventually end up at Birtwick. The new owner treats Ginger with compassion. She also understands her past circumstances. Grinder trusts Grinder because the owner is patient and gently brushes her. This is a drastic change in lifestyle. The author can express his opinion on how people treat animals and links them with others. Horses are often exploited and mistreated by other humans. This brings up poverty. “…It is a mockery for a man to tell his horse that he should not overwork it. A horse that’s tired will need a whip to keep it going. Your wife and children must be put before your horse …”. Seedy Sam, a London taxi driver, describes the hardships that he has to endure in order for others to survive. He then says that he would rather make his family hungry than exploit an animal. The novel shows how far people will go to satisfy their own needs. Animals are property that humans have the right to use. Even if it means that they die. The story is filled with suffering and constant repetition of this theme.
The story’s horses are used and neglected by the author, which reinforces the theme about poverty. Because horses aren’t seen as living things or creatures, they are viewed as objects. This shows just how far people will travel to get a quick buck. Anna Sewell uses animal abuse in her novel to illustrate the harsh reality that society faces and the importance of one’s morals. To give meaning to the text and to convey the author’s message to the audience, every text includes animals in its writing. Some authors wouldn’t be able convey their message and story without animals.
ConclusionAnimals are a source of courage for writers. They allow them to write indirectly about controversial, sensitive subjects. Authors can use personification and anthropomorphism to show animals as humans. It is evident that Animal Farm and Little Red Riding Hood all employ animals to communicate a message and construct meanings. These characters allow the author to reinforce and highlight their themes and show readers the meaning and purpose of their work.
