"The stupidest questions of all were asked by Mollie, the white mare. The very first question she asked Snowball was: "Will there still be sugar after the Rebellion?"
"No," said Snowball firmly. "We have no means of making sugar on this farm. Besides, you do not need sugar. You will have all the oats and hay you want."
"And shall I still be allowed to wear ribbons in my mane?" asked Mollie.
"Comrade," said Snowball, "those ribbons that you are so devoted to are the badge of slavery. Can you not understand that liberty is worth more than ribbons?"
Mollie agreed, but she did not sound very convinced."
This passage from Animal Farm shows Orwell's criticism of the
Stalinst era of the Soviet Union. Snowball is meant to be a parallel
to Leon Trotsky, a Soviet politician at the time. Though the
character is mostly shown in a positive light, Orwell makes sure to give him
certain moral dilemmas. For example, Snowball believes pigs are super to the rest of
the animals. Using the character Snowball as an example, Orwell seems to
suggest that government corruption cannot be eradicated through the election of
individuals to roles of power. Throughout the novella, there is a
constant reminder that it is power itself that corrupts.
