Mr. PilkingtonMr. Pilkington owns Foxwood, a neighboring farm. And—he doesn't sound so bad, really. The narrator tells us that he's "an easy-going gentleman farmer who spent most of his time in fishing or hunting according to the season" (4.2). Well, easy-going except when it comes to his other neighbor, Mr. Frederick: "These two disliked each other so much that it was difficult for them to come to any agreement, even in defence of their own interests" (4.2). Show
Do you get it? Okay, we'll tell you: Mr. Pilkington is a symbol for the West (the U.S. and U.K.) and his quarrelsome neighbor is Germany. Both Pilkington and Frederick are worried that revolutionary spirit might spread to their own animals: Pilkington calls it a "terrible wickedness" to keep his animals in place (4.3). Things get tricky when Napoleon re-opens business relations with humans. He sometimes deals with Pilkington and sometimes with Frederick, but never with both simultaneously. For a while, Napoleon's relations with Pilkington are "almost friendly," and Napoleon seems to hate Frederick as much as Pilkington does (8.7). At the last minute, however, Napoleon does a switcheroo and sells some promised timber to Frederick. The next thing you know, the animals on the farm are chanting "Death to Pilkington" (8.11). But then Frederick cheats Napoleon. The pigs send over some pigeons to Pilkington, hoping to patch up their relations. But it can't be done. The pigeons return with a simple message: "Serves you right" (8.16). The relations between Animal Farm and Foxwood appear to be severed. Mr. Pilkington and Stalin's RussiaWhat's up with all this backdoor dealing? The entire episode alludes to Stalin's non-aggression pact with Hitler in 1939. See, Hitler and Stalin had been enemies for years. Hitler was a fascist, and communists in the 1930s were basically anti-fascist by definition. (Quick Brain Snack: fascists believed in unquestioning loyalty to a strong military state headed by an authoritarian leader.) In the 1930s, Stalin had almost signed on to an anti-German alliance with Britain and France, but the alliance fell apart at the last minute. So, Nazi Germany and Stalin's Russia signed a non-aggression pact in 1929, left-leaning idealists (like one Mr. George Orwell) were super bummed out. They still believed in the supposed socialist ideals of the Soviet Union, and the non-aggression pact make Stalin look like just another tyrant. Only when Hitler broke the pact by launching a massive surprise invasion of Russia in June 1941 did Stalin suddenly remember that he was supposed to be an anti-fascist—and at that point, Stalin and the West became buddy-buddy again. At the end of the novel, Pilkington is having a fancy dinner at Napoleon's farmhouse. (We're guessing pork chops are not on the menu.) The scene probably represents the Tehran Conference, a 1943 meeting between the leaders of the United Kingdom (Prime Minister Winston Churchill), the United States (President Franklin D. Roosevelt), and the Soviet Union (uh, Stalin, in case you haven't been paying attention). These dudes agreed how to handle the rest of the war and started planning what to do with Europe after the war—like give most of Eastern Europe to the Soviet Union. (Hungry for more details on this fascinating Tehran Conference? See "Symbols, Imagery, Allegory.") Since Animal Farm ends on this note, we're feeling… a little uneasy. Pilkington toasts Napoleon, and jokes, "If you have your lower animals to contend with, we have our lower classes!" (10.24). LOL, right? And then the book ends with Pilkington and Napoleon scowling at each other when they "both played an ace simultaneously." And it's the same ace. In other words, one of them has been cheating (10.31). The alliance is artificial, tense, and doomed. Pretty prophetic, Mr. Orwell. The owner of Foxwood, a neighboring farm in "disgraceful" condition, Pilkington becomes an ally to Napoleon. This alliance, however, has a rocky start, when Napoleon changes the pigeons' message of "Death to Jones;
Frederick" to "Death to Pilkington" and Pilkington refuses to help when the farm is attacked by Frederick. However, Napoleon and Pilkington eventually reconcile since they are, in essence, made of the same moral fiber and need each other to prosper (as seen when Pilkington sells part of his land to Napoleon). In the novel's last scene, Pilkington praises what Napoleon has done with
Animal Farm, getting more work out of the animals with less food and likening the "lower animals" to humanity's "lower classes." The final moments of the novel, when Pilkington and Napoleon each attempt to cheat the other at cards, shows that their "friendship" is simply a facade each is using in order to better swindle the other. The gentleman farmer who owns Foxwood, one of Animal Farm’s neighbors. Foxwood is large, sprawling, and old-fashioned, and Mr. Pilkington himself spends more time hunting and on leisure activities than he does farming. Though Napoleon vilifies Mr. Pilkington at various times, Mr. Pilkington does appear to enter into an agreement to buy timber from Animal Farm in good faith—but he rudely pulls his support for Animal Farm when Napoleon double-crosses him. Mr. Pilkington attends the final card game at Animal Farm and tries to cheat Napoleon. Mr. Pilkington represents the Allies before World War II. Mr. Pilkington Quotes in Animal FarmThe Animal Farm quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Pilkington or refer to Mr. Pilkington. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
 ). The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. Page Number and Citation: 141 Explanation and Analysis: Mr. Pilkington Character Timeline in Animal FarmThe timeline below shows where the character Mr. Pilkington appears in Animal Farm. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
...the animals, the owners of the two neighboring farms hate each other. The gentlemanly Mr. Pilkington owns Foxwood, an overgrown and old-fashioned farm on one side, while the shrewd Mr. Frederick... (full context) None of the rumors that Mr. Frederick or Mr. Pilkington spread about Animal Farm, however, land well with their animals. Over the next year, animals... (full context) ...Manor Farm. Rumors circulate that Napoleon is going to strike a deal with either Mr. Pilkington or Mr. Frederick, but not with both. (full context) ...Animal Farm has a pile of timber that Mr. Whymper suggests selling, and both Mr. Pilkington and Mr. Frederick want to buy it. Napoleon deliberates in his decision to sell, and... (full context)
Napoleon busies himself negotiating with Mr. Frederick and Mr. Pilkington about the timber. Mr. Frederick wants it badly, but he won’t offer a good price—and... (full context) ...he sold the timber to Mr. Frederick. He changes the pigeons’ message to “Death to Pilkington,” says the rumors about Mr. Frederick’s cruelty are untrue, and insists that Snowball is living... (full context)
...to hide, and even Napoleon looks nervous. The pigeons return with a note from Mr. Pilkington reading, “Serves you right.” (full context) ...pigs and men all with mugs of beer. A card game is in progress. Mr. Pilkington stands to make a speech and says that he’s thrilled that the era of hostility... (full context)
Mr. Pilkington says that the “lower animals” on Animal Farm perform more work and get less food... (full context)
...skull on Sundays. The flag is now plain green too. Napoleon’s only criticism of Mr. Pilkington’s speech is that he spoke of Animal Farm, which isn’t the correct name anymore—the farm... (full context) ...hear an uproar inside and return to the window. They see that Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington each played an ace of spades at the same time, and everyone is shouting. The... (full context) Who does Mr Frederick in Animal Farm represent in the Russian revolution?Mr. Frederick is a symbol of Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany during World War II, with the Battle of Windmill as a metaphor for the Battle of Stalingrad.
Who do Mr Pilkington and Mr Frederick represent?Pilkington symbolizes both Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Britain, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, the President of the United States (in other words, capitalist governments). But Napoleon destroys the trust when he suddenly decides to sell to Frederick (representing Hitler, leader of Germany).
Why does Mr Pilkington represent Churchill?If Animal Farm is the Soviet Union and Foxwood Farms is supposed to be the West, then Pilkington is the leadership of the West. Since Orwell himself was British, then it's more likely Mr. Pilkington would represent Winston Churchill.
Who does Mr Jones represent symbolize from the Russian revolution?Jones is an allegory for Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. Jones is overthrown by the animals of his farm, who represent Bolshevik and liberal revolutionaries.
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Who does Mr Pilkington represent in the Russian Revolution
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