Allie Kilgore

Honors English One

Ms. Price

January 10, 2018

Diseases Found in Literature Characters

Do people ever wonder why they do certain actions or think certain thoughts? Well those

people might have OCD or a disease very similar. According to Psych Central, the definition of

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, OCD, is a “mental disorder whose main symptoms include

obsessions and compulsions, driving the person to engage in unwanted, oftentimes distress

behaviors or thoughts.” (Obsessive Compulsive-Disorder, Psych Central). Napoleon should be

diagnosed with OCD because he always has to be in control which is shown through his actions

in Animal Farm by providing and making the animals abaid by the Seven Commandments and

he also always has a certain way tasks should be completed.

The first reason why Napoleon should be diagnosed with OCD is because he has control

issues. According to Health Central, “Rigid preoccupation with rules, lack of flexibility, lists of

must-and-must-not-do’s are all symptoms. So extreme cases of control could tip into the OCD

classification.” (Control Freaks Exposed, Health Central). This website proves that Napoleon has

OCD because throughout the book he shows these same symptoms. He made the animals work

from sunup to sundown which showed his lack of flexibility, he had the Seven Commandments

put into place which gave the animals a list of must-do’s and must-not-do’s, and lastly he made

the animals follow the Seven Commandments and if they did not follow the Seven

Commandments they would be killed or kicked off the farm which shows Napoleon’s rigid

preoccupation with rules. Since Napoleon shows his control issues through preoccupation with
rules, lack of flexibility with the animals work schedule, and has provided the animals with a list

of must-do’s and must-do-not’s, he should be diagnosed with OCD.

The second reason Napoleon should be diagnosed with OCD is because he has a certain

way he needs tasks to be done. As Mayo Clinic said in one of their articles on OCD, “As with

obsessions, compulsions typically have themes, such as orderliness and following a strict

routine” (Obsessive Compulsive-Disorder, Mayo Clinic). Mayo Clinic helps to prove the fact

that Napoleon’s condition by providing symptoms that match his actions. In Animal Farm it says

that, “At the appointed time the animals would leave their work and march around the precincts

of the farm in military formation, with the pigs leading, then the horses, then the sheep, and then

the poultry” (Orwell, 115). This text shows that Napoleon has OCD because it says that at the

same time that animals would start marching around the farm which shows Napoleon following a

strict routine and since he makes the animals walk in a specific order each time that shows his

sense of orderliness. Since Napoleon shows both symptoms of OCD he should be diagnosed with

the disease.

It is often thought that OCD is only related to fear of contamination or dirt, needing

certain materials orderly and symmetrical, checking, and counting. However, what this argument

fails to consider is that OCD can also include control issues. Those that agree that control issues

are not a part of OCD fail to see that very extreme cases in fact can have symptoms which

include control issues. As said on Health Central, “So extreme cases of control could tip into the

OCD classification.” (Control Freaks Exposed, Health Central). Throughout the book of Animal

Farm countless examples of Napoleon’s OCD, how he has control issue and how he has to keep

the farm orderly and under a strict schedule which are also symptoms of OCD. Even though
control issues are not common for everyone with OCD these symptoms are still relevant in

extreme cases.

Napoleon should be diagnosed with OCD because he always has to be in control which is

shown through his actions in Animal Farm by providing and making the animals abaid by the

Seven Commandments and he also always has a certain way tasks should be done. It is shown

throughout Animal Farm and throughout this paper that Napoleon has OCD. After analyzing the

evidence, it is clear that Napoleon suffers from OCD and it is very likely that other literature

characters suffer from diseases too.