The Unnamable
12-24-2005, 07:44 AM
Squealer
"He was a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tale which was somehow very persuasive. The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white.” (p. 16).
Squealer becomes the agent and mouthpiece of Napoleon, probably because of Napoleon's greater physical power (Napoleon was "a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire Boar”; Squealer is a small fat porker, a castrated pig. Castrated animals lose their aggression). Another probable reason is that Squealer recognises that Napoleon is able and ruthless enough to become a dictator, and he wants to benefit, and survive, by being completely loyal and useful to Napoleon. As far as we can see, he has no conscience to trouble him.
Squealer's name is unattractive, as is his appearance, and it suggests not only his shrill voice, but a tendency to whine and tell lies - "to squeal” - or to inform, to spy or reveal something said in confidence. Squealer's job is to present the policies and actions of Napoleon's ruling class, the pigs, in a favourable light.
Napoleon is not much of a talker himself, and he leaves this important aspect to the carefully chosen and gifted Squealer. Abrupt changes in policy are part of Napoleon's style, and he does not give any reasons for changing his mind. In the case of the windmill, Squealer's job is to explain Napoleon's great cunning in pretending to oppose Snowball's plan, and he makes the barefaced claim that it was Napoleon's own plan, stolen by Snowball. Despite the facts, Squealer is able to convince the animals by a combination of deliberate intellectual confusion, charm, and force. ("He repeated a number of times, 'Tactics, comrades, tactics!' skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions", p. 52).
Notice (1) The confusion - the animals do not know or understand the word ‘tactics’, but Squealer “repeated it a number of times”. Repetition has a way of numbing the brain into acceptance. (2) The charm - although ugly, Squealer has some attractive mannerisms, (like nimble movements, a readiness to laugh, and a whisking tail) essential to salesmanship. (3) The force - the three dogs “who happened to be with him” are not there by chance, as suggested by the words “happened to be”. They are there in a deliberate move to ensure acceptance of Squealer's explanation.
However, Squealer's charm is very superficial. When crossed, he can use threats, and reveals his anger in the way he speaks so deliberately to Boxer. "Speaking very slowly and firmly-, he announces that Napoleon "has stated categorically - categorically, comrade - that Snowball was Jones’s agent from the very beginning- (p. 71). Even after Boxer accepts this explanation, Squealer casts “a very ugly look at Boxer with his little twinkling eyes" (p.71). The "twinkling eyes” reveal not a friendly attitude, but a sharp, evil intelligence at work.
Squealer is a master of language, and skilled at twisting it. It is reasonable to assume that he wrote the speech for Napoleon which announced work on Sunday afternoons as being ‘strictly voluntary’ but any animal who absented himself from it would have his ‘rations cut by half’ (p. 53). This kind of "doublethink" comes easily to someone who is in control of information, and can “turn black into white”. He produces statistics to prove the increased production of food, and "The animals saw no reason to disbelieve him”, but "would sooner have had less figures and more food” (p.79).
Squealer can turn a loss (of the windmill) into a victory, and a hero (Snowball) into a villain. He is clever enough to join with Napoleon and Snowball in writing the principles of Animalism (p. 16), and cunning enough not to cross Napoleon or become over-ambitious. He prospers and becomes "so fat that he could with difficulty see out of his eyes” (p. 108). Another way in which he ensures his own safety is to avoid danger: he "had unaccountably been absent during the fighting" (p.90). He is trusted enough by Napoleon to issue orders. “All orders were now issued through Squealer or one of the other pigs” (p.79). Other than direct orders and “explanations” of policy, Squealer's other methods include rumours and scare stories “It was given out that Napoleon had arranged to sell the pile of timber to Mr Pilkington" (p.82). This is not an official announcement, but a rumour to keep Frederick and the animals guessing.
The rumours about Snowball vary to suit the current negotiating position of the pigs - he is supposed to be either with Frederick or Pilkington. Snowball is the scapegoat for everything going wrong, and the spectre of Jones is used to silence any opposition - "Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?" (p. 60). Squealer is also adept at organising the masses, especially the sheep, and is even able to put across the bewildering change from "Four legs good, two legs bad" (p.31) to "Four legs good, two legs better!" (p. 114).
Of course anyone who is constantly telling lies must be a good actor. The pack of lies he tells about Boxer's murder is full of convincing detail (Boxer's last words, the expensive medicines, etc.) and false emotion (“Said Squealer, lifting his trotter and wiping away a tear”, p. 105). He is a complete hypocrite.
The worst crime in which Squealer takes a major part (no doubt because of his ability to manipulate language) is in the re-writing of the Seven Commandments, and he is actually caught in the act, but only Benjamin can understand what he is up to. Careful to protect himself, he is a shameless flatterer of Napoleon, painting his portrait on the barn, and promoting the hero-worship through titles, poems, songs and ceremonies.
Even without Napoleon's personal fierceness and megalomania, Squealer is just as wicked, as he abuses his gifts for evil purposes.
Key Points
1. Brilliant speaker
2. Very persuasive and charming
3. Good actor
4. Vindictive
5. Coward
6. Dependent on Napoleon
7. Re-writes the Commandments
8. Self-indulgent
Key Quotations
1. “A brilliant talker, ... he could turn black into white”(p. 16).
2. He repeated a number of times, 'Tactics, comrades, tactics!' skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively ... that they accepted his explanation” (P.52).
3. “It was the most affecting sight 1 have ever seen!' said Squealer, lifting his trotter and wiping away a tear” (p. 105).
4. “He cast a very ugly look at Boxer with his little twinkling eyes” (p.71).
5. “Squealer ... had unaccountably been absent from the fighting” (p.90).
6. “A portrait Of Napoleon, in profile, executed by Squealer in white paint” (p.81).
7. “Where the Seven Commandments were written, there lay a ladder broken in two pieces. Squealer, temporarily stunned, was sprawling beside it, and near at hand there lay a lantern, a paint brush, and an overturned pot of white paint” (p.93).
8. "Squealer was so fat that he could with difficulty see out of his eyes” (p. 108)
"He was a brilliant talker, and when he was arguing some difficult point he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tale which was somehow very persuasive. The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white.” (p. 16).
Squealer becomes the agent and mouthpiece of Napoleon, probably because of Napoleon's greater physical power (Napoleon was "a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire Boar”; Squealer is a small fat porker, a castrated pig. Castrated animals lose their aggression). Another probable reason is that Squealer recognises that Napoleon is able and ruthless enough to become a dictator, and he wants to benefit, and survive, by being completely loyal and useful to Napoleon. As far as we can see, he has no conscience to trouble him.
Squealer's name is unattractive, as is his appearance, and it suggests not only his shrill voice, but a tendency to whine and tell lies - "to squeal” - or to inform, to spy or reveal something said in confidence. Squealer's job is to present the policies and actions of Napoleon's ruling class, the pigs, in a favourable light.
Napoleon is not much of a talker himself, and he leaves this important aspect to the carefully chosen and gifted Squealer. Abrupt changes in policy are part of Napoleon's style, and he does not give any reasons for changing his mind. In the case of the windmill, Squealer's job is to explain Napoleon's great cunning in pretending to oppose Snowball's plan, and he makes the barefaced claim that it was Napoleon's own plan, stolen by Snowball. Despite the facts, Squealer is able to convince the animals by a combination of deliberate intellectual confusion, charm, and force. ("He repeated a number of times, 'Tactics, comrades, tactics!' skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions", p. 52).
Notice (1) The confusion - the animals do not know or understand the word ‘tactics’, but Squealer “repeated it a number of times”. Repetition has a way of numbing the brain into acceptance. (2) The charm - although ugly, Squealer has some attractive mannerisms, (like nimble movements, a readiness to laugh, and a whisking tail) essential to salesmanship. (3) The force - the three dogs “who happened to be with him” are not there by chance, as suggested by the words “happened to be”. They are there in a deliberate move to ensure acceptance of Squealer's explanation.
However, Squealer's charm is very superficial. When crossed, he can use threats, and reveals his anger in the way he speaks so deliberately to Boxer. "Speaking very slowly and firmly-, he announces that Napoleon "has stated categorically - categorically, comrade - that Snowball was Jones’s agent from the very beginning- (p. 71). Even after Boxer accepts this explanation, Squealer casts “a very ugly look at Boxer with his little twinkling eyes" (p.71). The "twinkling eyes” reveal not a friendly attitude, but a sharp, evil intelligence at work.
Squealer is a master of language, and skilled at twisting it. It is reasonable to assume that he wrote the speech for Napoleon which announced work on Sunday afternoons as being ‘strictly voluntary’ but any animal who absented himself from it would have his ‘rations cut by half’ (p. 53). This kind of "doublethink" comes easily to someone who is in control of information, and can “turn black into white”. He produces statistics to prove the increased production of food, and "The animals saw no reason to disbelieve him”, but "would sooner have had less figures and more food” (p.79).
Squealer can turn a loss (of the windmill) into a victory, and a hero (Snowball) into a villain. He is clever enough to join with Napoleon and Snowball in writing the principles of Animalism (p. 16), and cunning enough not to cross Napoleon or become over-ambitious. He prospers and becomes "so fat that he could with difficulty see out of his eyes” (p. 108). Another way in which he ensures his own safety is to avoid danger: he "had unaccountably been absent during the fighting" (p.90). He is trusted enough by Napoleon to issue orders. “All orders were now issued through Squealer or one of the other pigs” (p.79). Other than direct orders and “explanations” of policy, Squealer's other methods include rumours and scare stories “It was given out that Napoleon had arranged to sell the pile of timber to Mr Pilkington" (p.82). This is not an official announcement, but a rumour to keep Frederick and the animals guessing.
The rumours about Snowball vary to suit the current negotiating position of the pigs - he is supposed to be either with Frederick or Pilkington. Snowball is the scapegoat for everything going wrong, and the spectre of Jones is used to silence any opposition - "Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?" (p. 60). Squealer is also adept at organising the masses, especially the sheep, and is even able to put across the bewildering change from "Four legs good, two legs bad" (p.31) to "Four legs good, two legs better!" (p. 114).
Of course anyone who is constantly telling lies must be a good actor. The pack of lies he tells about Boxer's murder is full of convincing detail (Boxer's last words, the expensive medicines, etc.) and false emotion (“Said Squealer, lifting his trotter and wiping away a tear”, p. 105). He is a complete hypocrite.
The worst crime in which Squealer takes a major part (no doubt because of his ability to manipulate language) is in the re-writing of the Seven Commandments, and he is actually caught in the act, but only Benjamin can understand what he is up to. Careful to protect himself, he is a shameless flatterer of Napoleon, painting his portrait on the barn, and promoting the hero-worship through titles, poems, songs and ceremonies.
Even without Napoleon's personal fierceness and megalomania, Squealer is just as wicked, as he abuses his gifts for evil purposes.
Key Points
1. Brilliant speaker
2. Very persuasive and charming
3. Good actor
4. Vindictive
5. Coward
6. Dependent on Napoleon
7. Re-writes the Commandments
8. Self-indulgent
Key Quotations
1. “A brilliant talker, ... he could turn black into white”(p. 16).
2. He repeated a number of times, 'Tactics, comrades, tactics!' skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively ... that they accepted his explanation” (P.52).
3. “It was the most affecting sight 1 have ever seen!' said Squealer, lifting his trotter and wiping away a tear” (p. 105).
4. “He cast a very ugly look at Boxer with his little twinkling eyes” (p.71).
5. “Squealer ... had unaccountably been absent from the fighting” (p.90).
6. “A portrait Of Napoleon, in profile, executed by Squealer in white paint” (p.81).
7. “Where the Seven Commandments were written, there lay a ladder broken in two pieces. Squealer, temporarily stunned, was sprawling beside it, and near at hand there lay a lantern, a paint brush, and an overturned pot of white paint” (p.93).
8. "Squealer was so fat that he could with difficulty see out of his eyes” (p. 108)