Muskaan Mrs. Fleetwood, p. 1 English 9 15 May 2023 Chasing the Scapegoat Typically, accusing someone of something they never did in the first place sounds highly ironic. The accused person faces a stressful situation, as others quickly blame them for their troubles. Throughout history, scapegoating individuals or groups has been prevalent and, unfortunately, misused. A prime example of this is the novel Animal Farm. George Orwell’s Snowball, a well-intentioned and intelligent pig, becomes the unfortunate victim of a scapegoat by Napoleon, a robust pig, and his master propagandist Squealer's ruthless schemes. Napoleon, realizing he was on the verge of losing control, cunningly uses nine enormous dogs who “dashed straight” (Orwell 53) …show more content…
The failure of the windmill project is blamed on Snowball as well, even though he was not there to defend himself. As time passes, Napoleon's skillful use of Squealer helps him spread propaganda throughout the farm. Upon encountering problems with the windmill and fearing potential criticism, Napoleon shrewdly shifts the focus onto Snowball. He has Squealer inform the other animals, "Do you know the enemy who came at night and overthrew our windmill? SNOWBALL!!!" (Orwell 69). He avoids criticism by scapegoating his "enemy" Snowball, and the animals begin to fear him. Despite the fact that Snowball could not have been responsible for the destruction, the naive animals are quick to believe Napoleon's false accusations. By blaming Snowball for both the windmill's failure and its destruction, Napoleon effectively consolidates his power and instills fear in the other animals. Snowball was an easy target to point the finger at because he wasn't on the farm to defend himself. Since Snowball can’t defend himself, all of Napoleon's comments about Snowball are simply regarded as fact. This method …show more content…
By masterfully spreading false information among the animals, Napoleon paints Snowball as a traitor colluding with humans, casting doubt on Snowball's celebrated courage during the battle. Employing devious tactics like unleashing ferocious dogs to expel Snowball from the farm and fabricating stories about him undermining Animal Farm at night, Napoleon successfully turned Snowball into an eternal threat to their safety. One significant change was Napoleon's claim that he, rather than Snowball, had been the mastermind behind the battle strategy. Originally, Snowball was not only present at the battle but also played a crucial role in leading the animals to victory. Later on, Snowball's portrayed as a “traitor” (Orwell 70) who had conspired with humans during the battle. In reality, Snowball was a fierce fighter and fought alone with zero concern for his own safety, "dashed straight for Jones” (Orwell 42), and injured himself in the process. However, Napoleon twisted this narrative to discredit and vilify his rival. Eventually, even Squealer added fuel to Napoleon's scheme by falsely accusing Snowball of selling himself to Frederick and “was in league with Jones from the very start!” (Orwell 72). This contrasted sharply with the initial account of Snowball's conduct, reflecting courage and loyalty