The horse in Animal Farm who symbolizes the working class is Boxer. George Orwell presents him as a powerful cart-horse whose immense strength, loyalty, and willingness to work make him one of the novella’s most memorable characters.
Animal Farm was published in 1945 as an allegorical critique of the Russian Revolution and the development of Stalinism. Boxer represents the ordinary labourers who support a political revolution but are later exploited by the regime that claims to govern in their name. His personal motto, “I will work harder,” captures his faith in labour as the solution to every crisis.
Boxer is often confused with Benjamin, the cynical donkey, or Clover, the compassionate mare. Those characters also contribute to the novella’s social commentary, but Boxer is the principal figure associated with the working class. Muriel is a goat who can read, though she does not carry Boxer’s symbolic role.
Boxer’s fate exposes the cruelty of the pigs’ leadership. After years of service, he is sent away when he becomes injured and can no longer work. The animals are told he has gone to a veterinary hospital, but the truth is that the leadership betrays him for profit.