Question

"Boxer lives his life in patience and unquestioning service." How far is this statement true? Throw light on Boxer's character. 

Answer 1

Horses are all around prized for their quality, and Boxer is no exemption. Standing just about six feet tall, Boxer is a cart-horse and as strong as two horses put together. Though he has tremendous power to work, he is not of first-rate intelligence and cannot get beyond the letter D.

But later he is sad at the boy who lies face down in the mud which provides a strong contrast to Napoleon's cruelty later. When he finds out about Animalism, Boxer devotes himself completely to the insubordination's cause. At the Battle of the Cowshed, Boxer turns out to be an important trooper, thumping a steady kid oblivious with his powerful foot.

He works for the community. He pulls through the tremendous work of treading out corn with his astonishing muscle power. On certain days the entire work of the farm seems to rest on his mighty shoulders. From morning till night he pushes and pulls, always at the spot where the work is the hardest. He makes an arrangement with a cockerel to call him in the mornings half an hour earlier than anyone else.

He has only two rules. "Napoleon is always right' and "I will work harder".

Notwithstanding when he crumples while remaking the windmill, his first contemplations are not of himself but rather of the work: "It is my lung ... It doesn't make a difference. I think you will have the capacity to complete the windmill without me."

Boxer is brave enough to challenge the pigs but is outsmarted by Squealer, leaving his faith in Napoleon undisturbed. He is the most faithful disciple of Animalism. Despite his split hoof, Boxer refuses to take even a day off from work. The only ambition left in him is to see the windmill well underway before he reaches the age for retirement. He is the backbone of the farm. He is not discouraged by the destruction of the windmill on two occasions. Finally, his illness, caused by overwork, gives the pigs their chance for revenge. He sacrificed his life for his comrades.