Orwell Collection characters

Appears from the start

The prize Middle White boar at Manor Farm, respected by the other animals for his age and wisdom. Near the end of his life he gathers them to describe a future without human masters and teaches them a song of liberation, giving the rebellion its first shared vision.

First appears in chapter 2

A large Berkshire boar who helps turn Old Major's ideas into a doctrine for the farm animals. He is quiet, forceful, and less persuasive in public than Snowball, with whom he shares leadership after the rebellion.

First appears in chapter 2

An energetic young boar and one of the chief organizers of the animals' new society. More inventive and eloquent than Napoleon, he throws himself into committees, education, and plans for improving the farm.

First appears in chapter 2

A small, agile pig with a gift for turning disputed claims into convincing explanations. He becomes the leadership's principal speaker to the other animals.

Appears from the start

A huge cart-horse whose strength and steady labor make him indispensable to the farm. He is loyal, modest, and slow to question those he trusts, answering difficulties by resolving to work harder.

Appears from the start

A motherly cart-horse and Boxer's close companion. She is dependable and compassionate, and although she struggles to read, she notices when the principles of the rebellion no longer seem to match life on the farm.

Appears from the start

The farm's elderly donkey, known for a sour manner, an unwillingness to show enthusiasm, and the belief that life changes little. He can read as well as any animal but usually keeps what he understands to himself.

Appears from the start

The careless, often drunken owner of Manor Farm. His neglect leaves the animals hungry and helps provoke the uprising that drives him from the property.

First appears in chapter 2

A tame raven who tells the animals about Sugarcandy Mountain, a paradise awaiting them after death. He does no work, disappears when Jones is expelled, and remains associated with promises that distract from present hardship.

First appears in chapter 11

A records clerk in the Ministry of Truth who secretly hates the totalitarian Party ruling Oceania. Frail, observant, and thirty-nine years old, he begins a private diary despite knowing that independent thought can lead to death.

First appears in chapter 11

A young woman with dark hair who works in the Ministry's Fiction Department and wears the sash of the Junior Anti-Sex League. Winston repeatedly notices her and initially fears that her apparent orthodoxy may conceal an interest in reporting him.

First appears in chapter 11

A powerful Inner Party official with an intelligent, controlled presence. A brief look exchanged at the Ministry makes Winston imagine that O'Brien may share his hatred of the Party, although he has no evidence that this hope is safe.

First appears in chapter 11

The remote, mustachioed face displayed throughout Oceania under the Party's claim that he watches everyone. Whether he is a person or a symbol is unclear, but he is presented as the beloved protector at the center of public loyalty.

First appears in chapter 11

The official enemy of Oceania and alleged leader of a secret counterrevolutionary network called the Brotherhood. His image is used during public rituals of hatred, and Winston finds himself resisting the emotions the Party demands toward him.

First appears in chapter 12

Winston's neighbor at Victory Mansions, an enthusiastic Party functionary devoted to organized activities and communal displays of loyalty. His unruly children have been trained to suspect enemies everywhere, including inside their home.

First appears in chapter 12

An elderly dealer in the proletarian district who sells Winston an old notebook and later shows him a private room above his secondhand shop. His apparent attachment to objects and memories from before the Party appeals to Winston.

First appears in chapter 15

A philologist working with Winston on the latest edition of the Newspeak dictionary. Intelligent and openly fascinated by the destruction of words, he explains how the Party intends to make rebellious thought impossible by shrinking language itself.