Table of ContentsSummaryIntroductionAnimal Symbolism in LiteratureAnimal FarmLittle Red Riding HoodBlack BeautyConclusionSummaryAnalyzing and evaluating literature that uses animals in its text allows the reader to have an better understanding of the meaning of a writing and the intentions of the author. The importance of animals in literature allows the writer to reinforce common themes fundamental to the written works. Certain animals are commonly used to express various specific themes and symbols. These themes will be evaluated and explained by studying animal behavior and why certain animals are chosen by authors to represent a character or symbol. Various texts incorporate animals to represent distinct icons. In order to understand why these animals are chosen, it is necessary to further research the content of the book as well as the biological behavior of the animals. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayIntroductionAnimals play a crucial role in writing and reveal hidden messages found in writing to readers. It is these messages that will be exposed and broken down, not only to show how they affect the writings, but also how the animals themselves bring meanings to the books that human characters alone cannot. Each author has their own purpose in incorporating animals, but they are all used to express the purpose of the novel and give readers the opportunity to connect to the book from a different point of view. The stories that will be studied are Animal Farm, Little Red Riding Hood and Black Beauty. In order to fully understand the importance of animals in novels, we must first dissect these classic readings to better understand the authors and their thoughts. It is these characters that allow us to understand the authors, their intentions, and to understand themselves and who they are as individuals. Animals cannot communicate like humans. Yet authors frequently use animals to tell a story that humans cannot tell. These stories can reveal a powerful and unique message and even lessons. Over the centuries, animals have had a significant effect on humans. This is one of the reasons why humanity has evolved over time with great success. Animals have provided humans with food, clothing, shelter, and basic necessities. Animals are fundamental to our world and are valued for their companionship. Today, thanks to modern medicine, pig organs can be used as transplants in seriously ill patients, saving their lives, while others are kept as pets for companionship. It is clear that animals are vital to human life and play an essential role not only in the food chain but also in the environmental balance of ecosystems. Animal symbolism in literature Extending beyond biological influences, animals are generally loved and familiar to readers, easily identifiable in literature. , making it easier to teach life lessons. Since animals play such a valuable role in meeting human needs, the authors carried this role into literature and thus had a distinct impact on literature today. From cave walls depicting animals to the classic books and tales that will be discussed, it is evident that the use of animals in our world from thousands of years until today has createda deep meaning in our lives. The meaning of animals in literary works can be perceived and interpreted in several ways. Authors use animals in various forms, projecting the message they wish to convey to readers. The connotation that authors apply to animals is extremely powerful since it controls how readers view and interpret these characters. This is well illustrated in Animal Farm, Little Red Riding Hood, and Black Beauty, where each author uses the role of animals to express certain themes and meanings in their writing. Animal FarmAnimal Farm, written by George Orwell, was published in 1945 and is an allegorical novel that describes affairs preceding the Russian Revolution (Orwell ix). Orwell explains these events using animals as symbols. The author tells the story of animals on a farm who rebel against their owner thanks to Old Major's advice and plan to live their own lives together. The animals write their own rules, plan their own lives and the running of the farm. However, shortly into the novel, two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, begin to manipulate and control the other animals. The animals begin to starve while the pigs live a rich and luxurious life. Pigs took over the culture of humans and began to resemble humans. Animal Farm uses animals as symbols to represent leaders and people to express the hardships that millions of people endured under a dictatorship. Each animal has a specific role and represents a distant characteristic. Animal Farm uses animals to tell a story from the past, to allude to a situation, and to describe those who participated in and endured that ordeal. In order to understand how animals find a valuable place in literature, one must first know how authors design animals so that they stand out and allow readers to connect with them. Animal Farm uses anthropomorphism to make animals represent human actions and contain human characteristics. This is seen in Animal Farm when each animal on the farm is described as if they were human. For example, “Snowball was a livelier pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive, but was not considered to have the same depth of character” (Orwell 16). It is clear that pigs cannot speak, at least in human language, but he describes these pigs as if they could participate in human activities. It builds the characters' personalities and allows readers to better understand who they are, in a single sentence. Authors use this tool as a source of energy to surface crucial features that will be fundamental to the book's story. The animals in the story start a revolution, engage in strategic plans, and communicate in depth, allowing the author to indirectly describe a historical event. Anthropomorphism is famous throughout Animal Farm's oeuvre. The famous final lines of Animal Farm tie the whole novel together and reveal the horrors that have taken place. “The outer creatures looked from the pig to the man, and from the man to the pig, and from the pig to the man again; but already it was impossible to tell which was which” (Orwell 141), comparing these two characters together. This is only meaningful if the reader understands the characteristics of pigs. Orwell uses various incidents throughout the book to show how a pig behaves and treats others. Humans in the book are seen as selfish and uncaring beings who use animals for their own benefit. However, the author showsend of the novel how similar these two are. It shows that pigs are capable of these self-centered actions or personalities, meaning they are seen as only caring for themselves. However, why choose a pig over a dog, a cat or a fish? This can be explained by the understanding of pigs. Pigs can weigh up to about a thousand pounds. This is excessive, especially when the pigs are not very tall or wide. Pigs are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals, consuming large quantities. The reason why pigs eat a lot of food is that regular meals cannot be ensured in the wild. People associate these voracious eaters with the characteristics of being greedy and selfish. For example, on the Buddhist Wheel of Existence, a black pig represents negative traits such as self-indulgence. Additionally, religions such as Judaism and Islam believe that pigs are dirty and therefore forbidden to consume them. However, pigs are poorly represented. The porcine species lacks sweat glands, which inhibits the ability to cool its body, and with its sparse hair, it is easily prone to sunburn. It is for these specific problems that pigs seek out cool, muddy ground and cover their backs for protection. Scientists have listed pigs in the top five most intelligent animals (National Geographic Society). Yet, due to their stereotypes and well-known portrayal, Orwell decides to use them to his advantage. “The pigs didn't actually work but directed and monitored the others. “With their superior knowledge, it was only natural that they should assume leadership” (Orwell 27-28), is cleverly used to show how the pigs outwitted and manipulated the others. Here it is obvious that the author chose the pig based on its characteristics. This is fundamental since the theme of deception and betrayal is constantly present throughout the book. Another example where the pigs reinforce the theme of deception can be seen through: "Squealer, temporarily stunned, was slumped next to him, and nearby was a lantern, a brush and an overturned can of white paint (Orwell 108). Here, the Squealer, one of the pigs on the farm, changes the farm rules in favor of the pigs. The pigs use their insight and knowledge to deceive the other animals on the farm with the hidden intention of using them, much like humans were described at the beginning of the novel. Orwell reveals these themes throughout the novel by using various animals to demonstrate deception. Sheep, horses, and other animals are chosen to be placed in Animal Farm to convey Orwell's intended message. The role of each of these animals in the book itself ties together a story that the author strives to tell. The sheep, which represent people blinded by Stalin's propaganda, are seen as unintelligent animals who cannot think for themselves. These people are not really blind, but they have fallen into the trap of manipulation by slogans. Orwell criticizes those who have been deceived. The author shows the intelligence of the sheep by saying, "It ended up that they stayed there for a whole week, during which the other animals did not see them", to show how easy the sheep are to convince. The sheep in the novel are used by Napoleon to repeat various sayings, such as "Four legs good, two legs bad", until finally "Four legs good, two legs better". The sheep are simply tools for the pigs, allowing them to maintain control over theother farm animals and try to show that they have followers. The author demonstrates how unconscious sheep are. Sheep are herd animals that stay in packs and follow each other. Since sheep are vulnerable prey to predators such as wolves, they stay together to protect each other and pose a greater threat to approaching animals. The saying that stood for sheep is “Make one go and they will all go” (Cobb). Sheep are the perfect animal to represent people who will follow the majority and can be easily lured into traps. Even biblical terms such as “lambs to the slaughter” in Isaiah are a frequently used phrase to describe how vulnerable some people can be and how this leads to their own downfall (Harold). Orwell uses sheep as subjects manipulated by pigs based on these slogans. This emphasizes how the pigs controlled and targeted the weak. HorsesHorses in Animal Farm are symbols of strength and loyalty. These animals can carry up to three times their own weight. The boxer, a farm horse, is one of the hardest-working farm animals. He repeats the lines throughout the novel "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right". Not only is Boxer one of the main drivers for getting work done on the farm, but he is also extremely loyal and loyal to the farm and especially the pigs. However, injured from hard work, the pigs sold boxer to a glue factory in exchange for money to buy whiskey for themselves. Not only has a dedicated character been betrayed, but it is also revealed how cruel the pigs are. Farm animals spoke commands stating the rules of the farm. The pigs sent their hardest-working characters to the slaughterhouse in exchange for forbidden items (Orwell). The theme that the horses reinforce in this story is that even the faithful will be betrayed. George Orwell's purpose in using anthropomorphism in Animal Farm to explain the events leading up to the Russian Revolution is used for a variety of reasons. In Animals as Characters in children's literature, the use of anthropomorphism is seen as an obstacle to the author's ability to approach and engage with deep, serious, and even frightening topics. Using anthropomorphism makes it easier and more comfortable for authors to write about a sensitive theme, concern, or topic. Directly composing a novel or story on a subject is sometimes extremely difficult for authors to make readers understand. Therefore, many authors use literary devices incorporating animals to represent and symbolize larger subjects. In the introduction to Animal Farm, Orwell states: "...it was of the utmost importance to me that people in Western Europe saw the Soviet regime as it really was." In the mid-1900s, when talking about unjust leaders and government, the system was a scary subject. Animals were a way for Orwell to indirectly express his concerns, making it easier for the audience to understand and therefore learn the lessons about the Russian Revolution and Communism. Little Red Riding Hood Little Red Riding Hood is a European fairy tale originally written by Charles Perrault. A young girl goes to visit her grandmother but gets distracted on the way. She meets a wolf and strikes up a conversation about her plans. The wolf then goes to the grandmother, devours her and pretends to be the grandmother to also consume the little girl. The wolf isable to communicate with humans so that the story becomes completely alive and symbolizes those in the world with deceptive intentions. The fable uses animals to uncover the truth about reality and the danger within society. A way to teach a valuable life lesson without fully revealing all the truths to the world and some of the horrible events taking place in it. The purpose of using animals in this fable is to teach a lesson to a younger level that not everyone can be trusted. It's easier to understand why a wolf can be so horrible and deceptive than a person. However, the idea that wolves, like that of Little Red Riding Hood, are present throughout our society can be extremely frightening. It is much easier to use animals to represent evil than to explain how some humans are dangerous to others. For example, the wolf says to himself: “What a tender young creature! what a nice plump mouthful it will be better to eat than the old one. I must act cunningly to catch both.'” This reveals his true intentions spoken in a soliloquy. He deceives the girl, distracts her and plots to engulf them both. Animals are used not only to help the authors but also the readers. As a parent, would you read your toddler a story in which a man sabotages a child, murders his grandmother, and eats the body? A story about Jeffrey Dahmer? Probably not. This is why animals are extremely important and help sell authors' work to a society with deeply ingrained social norms. Replacing animals with characters in these childhood classics would have been a literary disaster. The reality can be frightening and realizing it too early can be detrimental. The fact is that some people will lie, steal and kill. This idea, without being traumatic, is extremely difficult to transmit to children, or even to many adults for that matter. This is where Perrault conceives the brilliant substitution of the wolf. The characteristics of wolves have been used to symbolize mysticism, danger and even witchcraft. Despite the fact that wolves pose little to no harm to humans, authors still use this symbolism for various literary messages. Biologically, a wolf's howl is used for territorial reasons to warn potential intruders and to communicate within their pack. Their howl can travel a kilometer or more, depending on extraneous noise and weather conditions. The powerful howls of wolves deceptively give the illusion of proximity, which helps authors add tension, fear, and even terror to their stories. Although wolves have battled near extinction in some areas, their presence in stories almost always evokes fear. With forty-two teeth used to tear flesh and jaws capable of withstanding over a thousand pounds of pressure, these muscular and powerful animals have become the representation of an animal to be feared (Animal Corner). Thus, the wolf is an important animal in Little Red Riding Hood. Black BeautyBlack Beauty, is a beloved children's literature novel, written by Anna Sewell. The author uses a horse's first-person point of view to reveal the secrets they hold, to educate readers about the needs of equines, and to highlight the powerful companionship a horse can provide. Black Beauty is the story of a faithful and well-behaved horse that is passed down from owner to owner. The novel shows the different treatments horses receive and the reasons for their apparent behavior...