Animal Farm vs. Marxism In George Orwell's Animal Farm, the animals and events can be compared to similar people and events during the Russian Revolution of 1917. These similarities stand out due to the symbolism found in the book and the reality of the happenings of the Russian Revolution. Old Major was a prized-boar that belonged to Farmer Jones. The fact that Old Major is himself a boar was to signify that radical change and revolution are, themselves, boring in the eyes of the lower class (represented by the other barnyard animals), who are more prone to worrying about work and survival in their everyday lif