In George Orwell’s dystopian novel Animal Farm, Napoleon is the pig who becomes the farm’s ruler.
Napoleon is one of the pigs who takes control after the animals overthrow Mr. Jones. He gradually concentrates power, uses trained dogs as enforcers, and turns the farm’s revolutionary ideals into a dictatorship. His rule is supported by propaganda delivered by Squealer.
Napoleon is commonly interpreted as an allegorical counterpart to Joseph Stalin, although Animal Farm is not a one-to-one historical record. Snowball, the rival pig expelled from the farm, is associated with Leon Trotsky. Old Major inspires the rebellion but dies before it begins.
Orwell published Animal Farm in 1945, with the subtitle “A Fairy Story.” The closing scene emphasizes the pigs’ transformation: they become indistinguishable from the human exploiters the rebellion originally opposed.