Boxer the cart-horse is often cited as the tragic hero of George Orwell's Animal Farm, his unwavering loyalty and eventual demise a stark illustration of the corruption of the revolution. Yet, another character, Clover, offers a similarly poignant, if less outwardly dramatic, perspective on the animals' descent from hopeful rebellion to brutal tyranny. While Boxer embodies the exploited working class through sheer physical labor, Clover represents the quiet, observant consciousness of the farm, a witness whose inner disillusionment grows as she sees the revolutionary ideals twisted by the pigs. Her character highlights the tragedy not just of lost freedom, but of lost hope and the erosion of truth through manipulation.
From the outset, Clover is depicted as a sturdy, motherly mare, deeply invested in the principles of Animalism. She is one of the first to grasp the Seven Commandments, internalizing them as the bedrock of their new society. When she first suspects Napoleon and the pigs are violating the commandments, her confusion and distress are palpable. For instance, when she sees the pigs sleeping in beds, an act explicitly forbidden by the commandment "No animal shall sleep in a bed," she tries to reconcile it with a slightly altered version she remembers: "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets." This internal rationalization, this desperate attempt to maintain faith in the revolution's purity, reveals her underlying loyalty and her deep-seated desire to believe the best. She is not a revolutionary firebrand, but a more contemplative figure, prone to inner questioning rather than outward confrontation.
Clover's role as a witness becomes increasingly significant as the pigs solidify their power. She observes the gradual chipping away of the animals' rights and the distortion of their history. She sees the hens' eggs being confiscated, the pigs acquiring privileges, and the gradual disappearance of Snowball, replaced by propaganda that paints him as a traitor. Her limited literacy – she can read, but not well – prevents her from fully grasping the extent of the pigs' lies, but her intuition and her memory serve as a constant, quiet counterpoint to their narrative. She remembers the early days, the spirit of equality, and the promises made. When Boxer is being taken away to the knacker, Clover's frantic attempt to intervene, her desperate bleating of his name as the van drives off, underscores her powerlessness and her profound grief. She understands, on a visceral level, that Boxer is not being sent to a veterinarian, but to his death, a betrayal of everything they fought for.
Furthermore, Clover's relationship with other animals, particularly Boxer, places her in a position of quiet authority and empathy. She offers him comfort and moral support. She is the one who tries to explain to Boxer that his motto of "I will work harder" is not enough to counter the pigs' exploitation. She understands that the problem lies not with individual effort, but with the systemic corruption at the top. Her concern for the younger generation, like the foals she sees, is also a manifestation of her enduring, though increasingly fragile, hope. She imparts the remembered version of the Seven Commandments to them, a ritualistic act that signifies her commitment to preserving the original ideals, even as they are being systematically dismantled.
Ultimately, Clover embodies the tragedy of the common animal on Manor Farm. She is not a leader, nor a rebel, but a witness whose internal struggles reflect the larger disillusionment of the farm. Her repeated inability to articulate the full extent of the pigs' deception, her reliance on fragmented memories and gut feelings, makes her a deeply human and relatable character. By the end of the novel, when the pigs are indistinguishable from humans, and the single commandment reads "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," Clover looks from the pigs to the animals, and can no longer distinguish between them. This final moment of utter confusion and despair encapsulates the total victory of tyranny and the complete subversion of the revolution's noble intentions, a tragedy witnessed through the quiet, heartbroken eyes of Clover.