Mr Jones
English Lit: AQA GCSE Animal Farm, topic 2.2.1
Mr Jones
Animal Farm is an allegory; all of the events and characters symbolise 20th century historical and political events.
5 key words
- Selfish.
- Controlling.
- Violent.
- Neglectful.
- Tyrant.
Corrupt and neglectful ruler
- Mr Jones is lazy and selfish. He runs Manor Farm at the start of the novella.
- He has complete control over the animals. He profits from what they produce and barely gives them anything in return.
- He neglects his animals and they are often underfed.
- He lives in luxury, while the animals suffer. He is irresponsible; he gets drunk and neglects his duty of care for the animals.
- Mr Jones is cruel and keeps order and control on the farm through violence.
Overthrown ruler
- Mr Jones’ neglect and tyranny cause the animals to rebel and revolt. No loyalty is shown towards Jones.
- For the remainder of the novel, Jones has no power and is portrayed as a drunken and weak failure.
Context
- Mr Jones represents Tsar Nicholas II who had ruled Russia.
- He was powerful, unpopular, and selfish and had complete authority.
- The Communist Party, led by Lenin, had Tsar Nicholas and his family killed.
Mr Jones - Key Quotes
Here are a few key quotes concerning Mr Jones' character:
Drunk
- “Too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes”.
Example of corruption
- “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing”.
Tyrant
- Under Jones “the life of an animal is misery and slavery”.
Violent
- “He seized the gun”.
Test yourself on Mr Jones
Which of these are true of Jones?
Who from Russian history does Jones represent?
Which of these quotes is NOT describing or related to Jones?