The Russian Orthodox Church In George Orwell's Animal Farm

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The Russian Orthodox Church played a big role in the Russian Revolution. Believing in this religion resulted in hundreds of persecutions and executions. Somehow, this religion managed to make it all the way through the revolution and continues to exist today. George Orwell brilliantly uses symbolism in his book “Animal Farm”, to demonstrate the real life people and events of the Russian Communist Revolution. He uses Moses, a tame raven, to represent the Russian Orthodox Church. The word “orthodox” means right believing. The supporters of this religion believe that they follow the traditions that were put in place by the apostles of the early Christian church. Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox are the three main Christian groups. “The…show more content…
Toward the beginning of the book, Moses was described as “Mr. Jones’s especial pet, a spy and tale bearer, but also a clever talker.” (Orwell 17) More than once, Moses mentions Sugarcandy Mountain, a country located up in the sky where the animals will go after they die. The animals were not very fond of Moses because all he did was talk. He never did any work. The animals had a hard time deciding whether Moses was telling the truth or lying about this mysterious Sugarcandy Mountain. When telling the animals about this place, Moses says, “In Sugarcandy Mountain it is Sunday seven days a week, clover is in season all the year round, and lump sugar and linseed cake grow on the hedges.” (Orwell 18) Some of the animals believed him, while the pigs argued to convince the animals that this place did not exist. This Mountain that Moses describes represents Heaven. This is exactly what took place during the Revolution. The Russian Orthodox Church tried to persuade everyone to believe in a paradise called Heaven, where they would go after they died. The pigs, always disagreeing with what Moses described, represent the Russian government. The Russian government always tried to convince the people not to follow the religious leaders. Also, the fact that Moses was Mr. Jones’s especial pet is another example of symbolism. Mr. Jones, representing the Tsar of Russia, demonstrates that the
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