Boxer in Animal Farm: The Loyal Horse and His Fate
Boxer is a huge, gentle cart-horse in Animal Farm and the farm's strongest and most loyal worker. He believes in the rebellion completely, answers every problem by working harder and trusts that Napoleon is always right, until the pigs sell him to a horse slaughterer when he can no longer work.
He stands for the ordinary working people of the Soviet Union, whose labor and faithfulness were exploited by the regime they believed in.
| Fact | Boxer |
|---|---|
| Species | Cart-horse, nearly six feet tall |
| Best friend | Clover, a motherly mare |
| First motto | I will work harder |
| Second motto | Napoleon is always right |
| Award | Animal Hero, First Class |
| Fate | Sold to a horse slaughterer |
| Represents | The loyal working class |
Who is Boxer?
Boxer is described as being as strong as any two ordinary horses put together, with a white stripe down his nose that gives him a slightly stupid look. He is not clever and never learns the alphabet beyond the letter D, but he is universally respected for his steady character and tremendous power. He arranges with a cockerel to wake him half an hour earlier than everyone else so he can do extra work.
↑ Back to the topWhat are Boxer's mottoes?
After the rebellion Boxer adopts a personal motto: he will work harder. Whenever things go wrong, whether the harvest or the windmill, that is his answer. Later, when Napoleon takes power and the animals are troubled by what is happening, Boxer adds a second motto: Napoleon is always right. These two sayings sum up both his greatest strength and his tragedy, since his loyalty makes him easy to use.
↑ Back to the topWhat does Boxer do in the battles?
In the Battle of the Cowshed, Boxer rears up and strikes a stable boy with his iron-shod hoof, knocking him senseless. Believing he has killed him, Boxer is upset; he did not want to take a life. He receives the medal Animal Hero, First Class alongside Snowball. In the Battle of the Windmill he fights again and is badly hurt.
↑ Back to the topHow does Boxer help build the windmill?
Boxer does more work on the windmill than anyone, dragging stone up the quarry slope and pulling loads alone. When the windmill falls in a storm and later is blown up by Frederick's men, he simply starts again. His only wish is to see it finished before he retires; old animals were promised a pension and a corner of pasture.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens to Boxer at the end?
Worn out and with a split hoof, Boxer collapses while hauling stone. Napoleon announces he will be sent to a hospital in the town. A van comes to take him away, and Benjamin the donkey reads the lettering on its side: it belongs to a horse slaughterer and glue maker. The animals shout to Boxer to escape, and he kicks at the van's walls, but he is too weak.
Squealer later tells the animals that the van had just been bought by a vet who had not yet repainted it, and that Boxer died peacefully in hospital praising Napoleon. Soon afterward a crate of whisky is delivered to the farmhouse, and the pigs hold a loud party.
↑ Back to the topWhat does Boxer represent?
Boxer represents the working people who powered the Soviet Union with their labor and trusted the leadership without question. He is often linked to the Stakhanovite movement, which celebrated workers who greatly exceeded their quotas. His fate shows Orwell's view of how a regime can use up its most faithful supporters and discard them once they are no longer useful.
↑ Back to the topMore about Animal Farm
This guide discusses the whole plot, including the ending.