Animal Farm Readers Notebook

When we read animal farm by Gorge Orwell in class, it was actually the second time I've read the book and I already knew it was supposed to be a metaphor for the rise of the Soviet Union, so I think I was able to focus on what the characters and events represented instead of trying to follow the story line. For example, the battle of cowshed in the book when Jones tried to retake the farm represented the Russian revolution when after the czars had been overthrown, the White Army, who wanted to replace autocratic government ruled by the czar, fought the Red Army, who wanted to implement communism instead. In this war the White Army was defeated by the Red Army quickly, similar to the book where Orwell wrote "And so within five minutes of their invasion they were in ignominious retreat by the same way as they had come, with a flock of geese hissing after them and pecking at their calves all the way." I noticed similarities like these in many characters, events ,and ideas some of which were Napoleon who represented Stalin, Snowball who represented Lenin who contested Stalin for leadership over soviet Russia, Old Major who represented Marxist, the man who first conceived of communism, and animalism which represented Marxism. There is a metaphor for almost every important political figure, social class, event, and idea or figure from Soviet Russia in animal farm.
          In the book one of the only major characters I did not understand what they were a metaphor for was Boxer. Through most of the book I thought he represented the working class of Soviet Russia, until when in the text Benjamin said,"Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied. Do you not understand what that means? They are taking Boxer to the knacker's!" Later after this quote the pigs convince the animals that Boxer was only going hospital, but to the readers it is obvious that he was not. What confuses me about this part of the book is that if Boxer represented an entire social class, how could Napoleon have sold him? The scenario makes sense in the book, but I don't understand how entire social class could be "sold". One possibility could be that Boxer represented a political figure that organized labor in Soviet Russia that was executed by Stalin. Another thing that this event in the book could be a metaphor for is the Russian work camps, called gulags, that many Russian citizens who were believed to be rebellious were sent to. I think my second possible solution makes the most sense, except for the fact that the citizens sent to the gulags were either rebellious or believed to be rebellious, and that doesn't fit Boxers catch phrase "Napoleon is always right" and overall pro-Napoleon beliefs.