Mollie+-+Russian+Middle+Class

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= ﻿__ MOLLIE THE WHITE MARE __ =

Representing the Middle Class of Russia
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Who is Mollie?

 * White mare of the farm - Minor character in Animal Farm
 * Animal most opposed to Animalism
 * Does not care for politics; simply wants to wear pretty ribbons and snack on lump sugar
 * After hoarding sugar and ribbons, Mollie was confronted, and fled to another farm
 * Considered a traitor by the other animals of Animal Farm

I. Communism

 * Ideology adopted by Soviet Russia
 * The Communist Manifesto declares most problems in society are based on unequal distribution of wealth
 * Ideal society is classless

II. Application in Soviet Russia

 * Old class devisions between nobles and peasants removed
 * Former elites found themselves stripped of their titles and property; All land became publicly owned
 * During this period, the riches 10% of Russia's citizens earned only aout four times the amount of the poorest 10 %



__Parallels between Mollie and the Russian Middle Class __

 * **Mollie: ** || **<span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Russian Middle Class (During Soviet Rule): ** ||
 * * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Enjoyed wearing beautiful ribbons and lump sugar prior to the revolution of Animal Farm || * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Had sufficient salary which allowed luxeries to be enjoyed (such as fine food and clothing) ||
 * * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Equal with all animals under Animalism || * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">All people are equal under Communism ||
 * * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Status reduced; expected to do the same work as Boxer and the other animals || * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Striped of titles and land; became equal with lower class under Communism (as above) ||
 * * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Was somewhat supportive of Animalism at its onset, then disapproved || * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Supportive of Trotsky and Stalin to some extent at the beginning of Soviet Rule ||
 * * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Hid ribbons and lump sugar in her stall || * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Became nostalgic of previous wealth ||
 * * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Left to a neighboring farm, where she was pampered || * <span style="color: #340d44; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Many fled Russia to neighboring countries, where previous luxuries could once again be obtained ||



__﻿__<span style="color: #0d4e0d; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">__Useful Quotes Derived from //Animal Farm//__:
<span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">I. Character Introduction
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who dres Mr. Jones's trap, came minching daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar. She took a place near the frontand began flirting her white mane, hoping to draw attention to the red ribbons it was plaited with" (Pg. 4-5)
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"Mollie redused to learn any by the six letters which spelt her own name. She would form these very neatly out of pieves of twig, and would then decorate them with a flower or two and walk round them admiring them." (Page 23)

<span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">II. Reluctance to conform to "Animalism"
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"'Comrade,' said Snowball, 'those ribbons...are the badge of slaver. Can you not understand that liberty is worth more than ribbons?' Mollie agreed, but she did not sound very convinced." (Page 12)
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"..Mollie was discovered to be mission. Going back, the others found that she had remained behind in the best bedroom. She had taken a pieve of blue ribbon from Mrs. Jones's dressing-table, and was holding it against her shoulder and admiring herself in the glass in a very foolish manner." (Page 16)

<span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">III. Work Ethic
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"Mollie, it was true, was not good at getting up in the mornings, and had a way of leaving work early on the ground that there was a stone in her hoof." (Page 20-21)
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"Mollie was in fact missing. ...it was feared that the men might have harmed her... In the end, however, she was found hiding in her stall with her head buried amon the hay in the manger. She had taken flight as soon as the gun went off." (Page 30)
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"As winter drew on, Mollie became more and more troublesome... On every kind of pretext she would run away from work and go to the drinking pool, where she would stand foolishly gazing at her own reflection in the water." (Page 32)

<span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">III. Nostalgia of Luxuries
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"Clover took her aside. 'Mollie...This morning I saw you looking over the hedge that divides Animal Farm from Foxwood. One of Mr. Pilkington's me was standing on the other side...he was talking to you and you were allowing him to stroke your nose. What does that mean, Mollie?" (Page 32)
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"A though struck Clover. Without saying anything to the others, she went to Mollie's stall and turned the straw over with her hoof. Hidden under the straw was a little pile of lump sugar and several bunches of ribbon in different colours." (Page 32)
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"Three days later Mollie disappeared...then pigeons reported that they had seen her...She was between the shafts of a smart dogcart painted red and black.. A fat, red-faced man... was stroking her nose and feeding her with sugar." (Page 33)
 * <span style="color: #194d19; font-family: Georgia,serif;">"None of the animals ever mentioned Mollie agin." (Page 33)

References:

Chung, T. (2000). Soviet russia. Retrieved from http://www.thecorner.org/hist/total/s-russia.htm Louise, K. (2009, October 22). The notion of class in russia and france. Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2310347/the_notion_of_class_in_russia_and_france.html

Milner, J. (2001). Why did they leave?. Retrieved from http://members.shaw.ca/d_y_g/2_whydidtheyleave.htm

Novel analysis: animal farm. (1999). Retrieved from http://www.novelguide.com/animalfarm/characterprofiles.html