What is Snowball an Allegory?

The Rise of Snowball and Trotsky

You know, Snowball's a pretty interesting character in George Orwell's "Animal Farm," right? He’s kinda like Leon Trotsky, who was big in the Russian Revolution. Through the ups and downs of Snowball’s tale, Orwell shines a light on Trotsky's journey too. So, what's the deal with these two guys? Well, they both start out strong.

Snowball is this smart and charming pig that really stands out when the animals rise up against Mr. Jones, the farmer. Kinda reminds you of Trotsky who had a major role when Russians were shaking off the Tsarist rule. Both had leadership potential written all over them.

I mean, look at how Snowball wins over the other animals with his smooth talking and big ideas. He's got everyone nodding along to his plans for making life better on the farm. On the flip side, Trotsky's speeches and smarts made him a key player in the Bolshevik Party. Both wanted to change things for good.

Now here’s where it gets real: both are dreamers aiming for utopia. Snowball wants that windmill built; he thinks it’ll make farm life sweet. Trotsky? He was all about industrializing Russia for a socialist future. See how they’re on similar tracks?

Actions and Betrayal

But then, not everything stays peachy keen. Enter betrayal! For Snowball, Napoleon – who's like Joseph Stalin in disguise – starts plotting against him. Napoleon’s sneaky maneuvers get Snowball booted from the farm.

Trotsky faced something quite similar with Stalin eventually kicking him out too. It shows how power struggles can corrupt ideals fast! In "Animal Farm," Napoleon uses lies to smear Snowball's name just like Stalin did with propaganda against Trotsky.

This kind of double-crossing points out how dissenting voices get crushed under totalitarian rules. Orwell's take is kinda like a wake-up call about losing sight of democracy when power gets too concentrated.

The Tragic Fate of Snowball and Trotsky

Poor old Snowball’s fate gets sealed by Napoleon manipulating everyone around him. You’ve gotta feel bad for him; even after giving his best shot at leading! And hey, doesn’t that sound familiar? Just think about Trotsky getting exiled to Mexico only to meet an untimely end there.

Orwell uses this parallel to highlight what happens when dictatorships rear their ugly heads—voices like Snowball's get snuffed out quick under regimes like Napoleon's or Stalin's.

Conclusion

So yeah, through Snowball’s story in "Animal Farm," Orwell cleverly paints an allegory of Leon Trotsky’s rise and fall during such turbulent times in Russia back then.

Diving into these similarities lets us see more clearly why Orwell drew those lines between history on Manor Farm versus real-world revolutions happening outside fiction pages!

This essay breaks down not just those mirror images but also wider themes—power struggles gone awry thanks largely due corruption among leaders themselves pulling strings behind curtains unchecked by any democratic oversight whatsoever...

Bibliography

• Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Penguin Books, 2008.
• Lowe, Norman D., Mastering Modern World History, 4th Edition (Palgrave Macmillan), 2005.
• Nove, Alec. An Economic History of the USSR 1917-1991 (Penguin Books), 1993.
• Taylor, A.J.P., The Russian Revolution: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press), 2013.