What are some examples of allusions in Animal Farm?

George Orwell's novella Animal Farm is considered an allegorical tale because all of the characters and events in the story symbolically represent various people, places, and events that correspond to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the early years of the Soviet Union under the leadership of Josef Stalin. Old Major symbolically represents Karl Marx or Vladimir Lenin and the school of thought known as Animalism represents Communism. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky, while Napoleon's character represents Josef Stalin. At the beginning of the story, Mr. Jones is expelled from his farm, which symbolically represents the initial Russian Revolution when Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate. The Battle of the Cowshed represents the infighting during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922, and the Battle of the Windmill allegorically represents the Battle of Stalingrad.

Other characters in the novella allegorically symbolize groups and aspects of the early Soviet Union. Boxer represents the proletariat workers, while Squealer stands for Stalin's propaganda machine. Molly symbolizes the bourgeoisie, the nine ferocious dogs represent Stalin's secret police force, and Moses allegorically represents the Russian Orthodox church. Overall, Orwell's Animal Farm is an allegorical tale that tells the story of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the early years of the Soviet Union.

What is an example of allegory in the book Animal Farm?

There are many literary terms that are so closely related but are not the same. The word allegory is a lot like the word symbol because it's function is to represent. However, the difference between the two is that an allegory is a group of symbols that work together.

Napoleon symbolizing Stalin, Snowball symbolizing Trotsky, Boxer, the working class; Mollie, the vain; Mr. Jones, the Romanovs or Nicolas II; Manor Farm, Russia; and the Rebellion, the Russian Revolution. This group of symbols makes up the entire allegory.

This is similar to metaphor and extended metaphor if you know that concept.

Really, this whole book is an allegory.  Remember, an allegory is like a long metaphor.  In an allegory, something is being used to represent something else.  In this case, the characters and events are allegories for things that happened in Russia and the Soviet Union.

For example, the horse Boxer is an allegory for the working class of the Soviet Union.  He works hard and is completely dedicated to Napoleon (himself an allegory for Stalin).  Napoleon works him basically to death and then, essentially, sells his carcass for money.  This represents Stalin's ruthless exploitation of the working class in the Soviet Union.