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{{main|Animal Farm}} {{Short description|Character in Orwell's novella "Animal Farm"}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Major
| image = File:Middle_White_Sow.jpg
| caption = A Middle White sow, the same breed as Old Major is described as in the book
| first = ''Animal Farm''
| creator = ]
| voice = ] (]) <br/> ] (])
| nickname = Willingdon Beauty
| species = ]
| gender = Male
| occupation = Revolutionary Leader of Animal Farm
| family =
| relatives =
| based_on = ], ]
}}


'''Old Major''' (also called '''Willingdon Beauty''', his name used when ]) is the first major character described by ] in '']''. This "]" of pigs is a kind, grandfatherly ] of change. According to one interpretation, he could be based upon both ] and ]. However, according to ]: "the persons of Lenin and Trotsky are combined into one , or, it might even be truer to say, there is no Lenin-pig at all".<ref>{{cite|last=Hitchens|first=Christopher|title=Why Orwell Matters|publisher=]|pages=186-187|ISBN=978-0465030491|date=17 September 2002}}</ref> '''Major''' (also called the '''] Beauty''' during ]) is the first major character described by ] in his 1945 novella '']''. An elderly ] boar, his "]" of pigs is a kind, grandfatherly ] of change.<ref name=balkumari>{{cite journal |title=Animal Imagery in George Orwell's novel 'Animal Farm' |first=Sushil |last=Ghimire |volume=10 |issue=1 |journal=Journal of Balkumari College |doi=10.3126/jbkc.v10i1.42105 |issn=2467-9321 |location=Bharatpur, Nepal |pages=68–72 |date=1 June 2021 |url=https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/jbkc/article/view/42105/32029 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=fajrina>{{cite journal |publisher=] |publication-place=Banda Aceh, Indonesia |title=Character Metaphors in George Orwell's Animal Farm |first=Dian |last=Fajrina |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=79–88 |date=1 March 2016 |url=http://www.jurnal.unsyiah.ac.id/SiELE/article/view/3391/3177 |doi=10.24815/siele.v3i1.3391 |issn=2355-2794 |journal=Studies in English Language and Education |doi-access=free }}</ref>


Major proposes a solution to the animals' desperate plight on Manor Farm under the ] administration and inspires thoughts of a rebellion.<ref name=kata>{{cite journal |title=The Nature of Revolution on Animal Farm |doi=10.9744/kata.21.1.17-23 |issn=1411-2639 |volume=21 |issue=1 |date=1 June 2019 |publisher=] |publication-place=Surabaya, Indonesia |first1=Goran Omar |last1=Mustafa |pages=17–23 |url=https://ahec-aupf.petra.ac.id/index.php/ing/article/view/19253/18652 |first2=Rebin |last2=Najmalddin |journal=K@ta |doi-access=free }}</ref> He does not specify a time for the rebellion; it could be tomorrow or several generations down the road.<ref name=kata/><ref name=guocheng>{{cite journal |title=Symbolism in the Absurdity of Animal Farm |volume=2 |issue=3 |doi=10.25236/FSST.2020.020308 |first=Ma |last=Guocheng |journal=The Frontiers of Society, Science and Technology |issn=2616-7433 |pages=35–37 |url=https://francis-press.com/uploads/papers/jOBQQTpMPqvw46VjSsx398D6JUtic7VmjAzVtzns.pdf |date=22 May 2020 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 }}</ref> But when he dies three days after delivering his speech, the animals immediately set to work on bringing about the rebellion,<ref name=fajrina /> driving Jones and the farmhands off the farm and removing many of the implements of his rule.<ref name=guocheng />
Old Major proposes a solution to the animals' desperate plight on Manor Farm under the Jones administration (representing the ] and ]) and he inspires thoughts of a rebellion of sorts among the animals. The actual time of the revolt is unsaid; it could be tomorrow or several generations down the road. Old Major's "Barn-Yard Speech" at the very onset of the story could be a reference to the ]. The animals are stirred up by this speech, and set to work immediately on the bringing about of the Rebellion.


⚫ The ] that ] transcribes, which are supposed to encompass Major's general ], are gradually altered and deformed under ] until they have entirely different meanings from those originally intended. "]", the song that came to Major in his dream, is later banned on Animal Farm by Napoleon and replaced by "Comrade Napoleon", a hymn composed by Minimus the pig that pledges allegiance to Animal Farm and to work to protect it.<ref name=guocheng />
Shortly after his ], the animals rise in revolt and oust the humans from power. This rebellious act is so quick that many don't realize it happened until it is over. The animals drive Jones and the farmhands off of the farm and remove many of the implements of his rule.


Major's skull is dug up and saluted by the animals every day, even after the rebellion, as a sign of respect that the animals remember their roots and the roots of the Rebellion.<ref name=kata /> Later, after Napoleon decides to accept the humans and strike bargains with them, he announces that the remains are to be disposed of because they represent the old days when Animal Farm was "violent and primitive" toward humans; toward the end of the story, Napoleon announces that he has reburied the skull.<ref name=guocheng />
⚫ The ] that Snowball had transcribed, that were supposed to encompass Old Major's general ], are gradually altered and deformed under Napoleon until they come to entirely opposite meanings than were originally intended. Also, "]", the song that came to Old Major in his dream, was later banned on Animal Farm by Napoleon, at which time it was replaced by "Animal Farm", a hymn composed by Minimus the pig that pledges allegiance to Animal Farm and to work to protect it.


In both film adaptations, Major dies while provoking the animals into rebelling. In the ], he dies suddenly while the animals are singing. The ] is even more unfaithful- Jones slips in mud while investigating the sounds coming from the barn, fires his shotgun, and indirectly hits Major in the rear, killing him. In both film adaptations, Major dies while provoking the animals into rebelling. In the ] (voiced by ]), he dies suddenly while the animals are singing. In the ] (voiced by ]), Farmer Jones slips in mud while investigating the sounds coming from the barn, setting off his shotgun and indirectly hitting Major in his backside so that he staggers backward and falls from the top of the barn to his death.


Major is broadly based on ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Characters - Revision 2 - GCSE English Literature |website=BBC Bitesize |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zqxhn39/revision/2 |publisher=] |access-date=3 December 2019}}</ref><ref name=balkumari /><ref>{{cite journal |title=All Propaganda is Dangerous, but Some are More Dangerous than Others: George Orwell and the Use of Literature as Propaganda |url=https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1483&context=jss |journal=Journal of Strategic Security |volume=8 |issue=3 (Supplement: Eleventh Annual IAFIE Conference) |pages=149–161 |first=Samantha |last=Senn |jstor=26465253 |doi=10.5038/1944-0472.8.3S.1483 |date=22 September 2015 |location=Tampa, Florida|doi-access=free }}</ref>
With ''Animal Farm'' being parallel to the formation of the ], Old Major was based on both ] and ]. The animals hold him in high esteem, and dig up his ] and walk past it and salute it every day, much as Lenin's body was preserved and is kept on display in Moscow. Towards the end of the story Napoleon announces that he had buried the skull, . Marx, author of the '']'', died before the ], whereas Old Major, founder of ], dies before the Animal Farm revolution. His body was saluted by the soldiers everyday, even after the rebellion. This show of respect was a sign that the animals remembered their roots and the roots of the Rebellion. Old Major was very much honored in this way because he was the idealist behind the Rebellion and initiated the work towards it.


==Notes== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}


{{Animal Farm}} {{Animal Farm}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}


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Latest revision as of 14:30, 12 December 2024

Character in Orwell's novella "Animal Farm" Fictional character
Major
A Middle White sow, the same breed as Old Major is described as in the book
First appearanceAnimal Farm
Created byGeorge Orwell
Based onKarl Marx, Vladimir Lenin
Voiced byMaurice Denham (1954 film)
Peter Ustinov (1999 film)
In-universe information
NicknameWillingdon Beauty
SpeciesMiddle White boar
GenderMale
OccupationRevolutionary Leader of Animal Farm

Major (also called the Willingdon Beauty during showings) is the first major character described by George Orwell in his 1945 novella Animal Farm. An elderly Middle White boar, his "purebred" of pigs is a kind, grandfatherly philosopher of change.

Major proposes a solution to the animals' desperate plight on Manor Farm under the Jones administration and inspires thoughts of a rebellion. He does not specify a time for the rebellion; it could be tomorrow or several generations down the road. But when he dies three days after delivering his speech, the animals immediately set to work on bringing about the rebellion, driving Jones and the farmhands off the farm and removing many of the implements of his rule.

The Seven Commandments that Snowball transcribes, which are supposed to encompass Major's general philosophy, are gradually altered and deformed under Napoleon until they have entirely different meanings from those originally intended. "Beasts of England", the song that came to Major in his dream, is later banned on Animal Farm by Napoleon and replaced by "Comrade Napoleon", a hymn composed by Minimus the pig that pledges allegiance to Animal Farm and to work to protect it.

Major's skull is dug up and saluted by the animals every day, even after the rebellion, as a sign of respect that the animals remember their roots and the roots of the Rebellion. Later, after Napoleon decides to accept the humans and strike bargains with them, he announces that the remains are to be disposed of because they represent the old days when Animal Farm was "violent and primitive" toward humans; toward the end of the story, Napoleon announces that he has reburied the skull.

In both film adaptations, Major dies while provoking the animals into rebelling. In the 1954 adaption (voiced by Maurice Denham), he dies suddenly while the animals are singing. In the 1999 version (voiced by Peter Ustinov), Farmer Jones slips in mud while investigating the sounds coming from the barn, setting off his shotgun and indirectly hitting Major in his backside so that he staggers backward and falls from the top of the barn to his death.

Major is broadly based on Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.

References

  1. ^ Ghimire, Sushil (1 June 2021). "Animal Imagery in George Orwell's novel 'Animal Farm'". Journal of Balkumari College. 10 (1). Bharatpur, Nepal: 68–72. doi:10.3126/jbkc.v10i1.42105. ISSN 2467-9321.
  2. ^ Fajrina, Dian (1 March 2016). "Character Metaphors in George Orwell's Animal Farm". Studies in English Language and Education. 3 (1). Banda Aceh, Indonesia: Universitas Syiah Kuala: 79–88. doi:10.24815/siele.v3i1.3391. ISSN 2355-2794.
  3. ^ Mustafa, Goran Omar; Najmalddin, Rebin (1 June 2019). "The Nature of Revolution on Animal Farm". K@ta. 21 (1). Surabaya, Indonesia: Petra Christian University: 17–23. doi:10.9744/kata.21.1.17-23. ISSN 1411-2639.
  4. ^ Guocheng, Ma (22 May 2020). "Symbolism in the Absurdity of Animal Farm" (PDF). The Frontiers of Society, Science and Technology. 2 (3): 35–37. doi:10.25236/FSST.2020.020308 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISSN 2616-7433.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  5. "Characters - Revision 2 - GCSE English Literature". BBC Bitesize. BBC. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  6. Senn, Samantha (22 September 2015). "All Propaganda is Dangerous, but Some are More Dangerous than Others: George Orwell and the Use of Literature as Propaganda". Journal of Strategic Security. 8 (3 (Supplement: Eleventh Annual IAFIE Conference)). Tampa, Florida: 149–161. doi:10.5038/1944-0472.8.3S.1483. JSTOR 26465253.
George Orwell's Animal Farm
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