ANIMAL FARM

SUMMARY

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CHAPTER 1

In Orwell's first chapter, the reader is introduced to all of his wonderful animals— with two

important exceptions: Snowball and Napoleon (two characters who will become the focus

later). Obviously most of the chapter is intended to spark pity and a sense of sympathy for

the poor, suffering farm animals, but the old Major's words are very telling. The "wise" old

pig addresses the central conflict of the book, and of Orwell's intended meaning-- tyranny.

The first (and seemingly only) dictatorship the animals must overcome is the rule of Mr.

Jones and the other humans.

The boar asserts, "Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and

the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever. Man is the only creature that

consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to

pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the

animals."

The speech, as intended, is very inspiring and encouraging to the tired, troubled farm

animals. They even sing the words to old Major's dream five times in succession before Mr.

Jones blasts the side of the barn with a shotgun. Unfortunately for the animals, the old

Major's naivety is not revealed. The ideal society he proposes is of course only an ideal--

but the animals don't know this. Perhaps even the old sow himself is too caught up in

emotion to understand the complexities of the solution he submits.

Old Major does know a few things though. He boldly warns all of them, "Your resolution

must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that

Man and the animals have a common interest....we must not come to resemble him...No

animal must ever live in a house or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or

smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade."

Ironically, Napoleon isn't present to hear the words of this prophet. The future only seems

optimistic; even old Major seems content. Little does he know, the foreshadowing of his

comments seem almost too obvious to the mindful reader.

Toward the end of the section the animals vote on whether wild animals, like rats and

rabbits, are going to be considered their friends or foes. They overwhelmingly agree that

the rats and rabbits are to be friends, although Orwell doesn't say why. Perhaps this is a

mistake-- the first step to the overtaking of their revolution. Only time will tell for the

animals.

One subtle point-- Orwell's use of the word "comrades" seems very interesting in a setting

which supposedly takes place in England. Perhaps this is a metaphor for the influx of

communist ideology or maybe it's just a...coincidence.

CHAPTER 2

Orwell's second chapter is drenched with metaphors— most of which will not come to light

until later in the novel. The first is old Major's death. This represents the end to the older

regime, the initial revolution. Now someone else will have to step into authority.

Secondly Orwell strangely describes a pig named Squealer. The name sounds fairly pig-like

but his actions don't. Supposedly Squealer has a special ability to persuade others. Orwell

boasts, "...he could turn black into white." Obviously a pig like this could be used by the

right people (animals).

Next, the author tells us about a peculiar raven named Moses, who is the "especial pet" of

Mr. Jones. All the animals consider him a spy and hate him; they say he tells lies about

Sugarcandy Mountain and does no work.

Boxer and Clover, two cart horses, are described as the "most faithful disciples" of Snowball

and Napoleon. Although they lack the intelligence of the pigs they serve, the horses can

convince other animals to follow the cause using "simple arguments."

Orwell uses chapter 2 to really make Mr. Jones into a bad guy, although he admits that he

was at one time a good master. Mr. Jones' main problem is that he drinks too much and

neglects the farm. Even his men are "idle and dishonest." Soon the animals are fed up

with Jones (pardon the pun) after not being fed for over a day, so they organize and

successfully carry out the long- awaited revolt. The animals rename Manor Farm Animal

Farm yet agree not to live in the house. Yet some of the "elite" pigs have already adopted

some of Man's ways; Snowball and Napoleon have suddenly taught themselves to read and

write, and soon a list of 7 Commandments is written on the tarred wall. Unfortunately only

a few of the animals can actually read the rules. This will come back to haunt them later.

Orwell again closes with a eerie foreshadowing. After Snowball and Napoleon order the

animals to work in the hay field, the milk which many of the lower animals asked to drink

mysteriously disappears. Napoleon, however, dismisses the milk plea by proclaiming, "The

harvest is more important."

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3 is uneventful for the most part although it does have a few more important

metaphors. For one thing, the pigs are starting to emerge as the "elite" class of animals

although all animals are supposed to be equal. Orwell narrates, "The pigs did not actually

work, but directed and supervised the others." Of course the rational is classic and easy to

see through. Orwell continues, "With their superior knowledge it was natural that they

should assume the leadership."

The not-so-hidden metaphor here is the evidence of a decline in standards. In other words,

though you might think to yourself, "Gee, who cares if the pigs supervise? It's only natural,

like Squealer said," really that is exactly what Orwell wants you to think. One of his major

messages is the idea that a few little white lies here and there do add up to a serious

wrong. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Most of the rest of this chapter is optimistic. The animals do for the most part live in

Orwell's ideal society of socialism. "Nobody stole, nobody grumbled over his rations, the

quarreling and biting and jealousy which had been normal features of life in the old days

had almost disappeared."

Two more characters were described in detail. Boxer, the loyal horse is said to be the

hardest worker. "His answer to every problem, every setback, is 'I will work harder!'"

Old Benjamin, the donkey, is said to have changed his lifestyle little since the revolt. He

seems indifferent to the whole thing. He says, "Donkeys live a long time. None of you has

ever seen a dead donkey."

Mollie is the only animal who doesn't seem to fit in. She's always thinking about how she

looks, etc. She only learns the letters in her name, unlike the others, who energetically learn

the whole alphabet. Of course some learn better than others. The dogs and pigs know the

most. Some of them are even learning black smithing and other "human" trades.

Snowball and Napoleon start to fight and argue over everything. Both pigs enjoy the apples

and milk only given to them. Of course this is just in the farm's "best interest." Really pigs

don't like the taste of milk and apples, but force it down in order to stay healthy and help

supervise (haha).

CHAPTER 4

Orwell's fourth chapter is a look into the outside world. This is really more or less a reality

check after so much narrative about the utopian lifestyle of Animal Farm. The passage does

clear up a few questions any inquisitive reader would have about the outside world. I mean,

wouldn't you think that the other neighboring farmers might think something's up if one day

they see a bunch of pigs supervising horses plow a field? Anyway, Orwell explains, "It was

lucky that the owners of the two farms which adjoined Animal Farm were on permanently

bad terms." Anyone considering the allegorical significance of Foxwood and Pinchfield

might guess that they are really just deep metaphors for the nations bordering Russia.

(More on this in the metaphor profile section--click on side links.)

Anyway, these farmers just shrug off the animal rule as a gimmick and don't think much of it

until they realized that the animals are actually being more productive than Jones had

been. They also get a little nervous when they realize that the Animal Farm pigeons have

gone to neighboring farms, teaching other animals the "Beasts of England" song and

encouraging them to revolt. So the farmers next strategy is to criticize the farm, saying that

the animals "practiced cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and had

their females in common." This symbolizes the outcry of America and other Western

nations during the beginning stages of the cold war. Ridicule was really the only tactic they

had left after being scared to death of the Soviet powers after World War II.

The real action in the chapter is when Jones and his men try to recapture the farm.

Napoleon and his pig allies had long expected this to happen, so they plan a very extensive

defense strategy. When the Jones crew attacks, "they were gored, kicked, bitten, and

trampled on." So many of the men die, thus concluding the Battle of the Cowshed.

The final metaphor is the reference to the shotgun of Mr. Jones. Really this part of the

allegory is pretty neat. The pigs decide to prop the gun up, pointing it toward the gate from

which Mr. Jones and his men attacked. In Russian terms, the gun may represent the Soviet

decision to begin making nuclear weapons to later use on the United States.

CHAPTER 5

Orwell's fifth chapter is an action-packed tale of two animals who leave the farm. First

Mollie, who never was too fond of the whole idea of revolution since it meant she wouldn't

have any more sugar lumps, is seen talking to a neighbor man and letting him stroke her

nose. When confronted by Clover, she denies it, then runs away forever. "None of the

other animals ever mentioned Mollie again."

Next, Orwell again addresses the enmity between Snowball and Napoleon. This time the

two are arguing over Snowball's plan to build a windmill. But during the debate, something

terrible happens. Instead of letting the animals decide whether or not to build the

structure, Napoleon signals his private troop of attack dogs who chase Snowball off the

stage and under the fence, never to be seen again.

Soon Squealer is sent in to convince the animals that Napoleon really is a good leader, even

though he tries to kill those who oppose him. Then he attempts to drum up more support

for Napoleon with this propaganda:

"Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure. On the contrary, it is a deep and

heavy responsibility. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals

are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But

sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we

be?"

The classic hypocrisy seen here is too hard to miss. If all animals are really equal, then

wouldn't it be just as likely that Napoleon might make a mistake? Wouldn't it be easier to

make the right decision when all the animals are collaborating instead of placing their lives

in the hands of a tyrant? Besides who did Mr. Jones turn into anyway?

CHAPTER 6

Orwell mostly uses chapter 6 as a series of foreshadows. The first involves, of course,

Napoleon. This time he's beginning to trade with the neighboring farmers, Foxwood and

Pinchfield. The necessity comes from materials only humans can make. But the picture-

perfect world the animals imagined had no conflicts like this. I mean, who could have

imagined that Boxer might need new horseshoes? Well, ok maybe the animals were being

naive. Anyway, Napoleon decides that he will conduct trade with the "outside" world. But

some of the animals think that maybe this was once forbidden.

Orwell explains, "Once again the animals were conscious of a vague uneasiness. Never to

have any dealings with human beings, never to engage in trade, never to make use of

money— had not these been among the earliest resolutions passed at the first triumphant

Meeting when Jones was expelled? All the animals remembered passing such a resolution;

or at least they thought that they remembered it. The four young pigs who had protested

when Napoleon abolished the Meetings raised their voices timidly, but they were promptly

silenced by a tremendous growling from the dogs."

Soon the animals have more reason to be uneasy. They notice that the pigs have recently

begun to sleep in beds, which, of course, is one of the forbidden associations with humans.

Muriel reads the commandments to the confused Clover from the barn wall and notices that

one of them has been altered. Now it reads, "No animals shall sleep in a bed with sheets."

Again Orwell explains, "Curiously enough, Clover had not remembered that the Fourth

Commandment mentioned sheets; but as it was there on the wall, it must have done so."

Of course, Clover, the unsuspecting loyalist of Napoleon, simply thinks that everything is

innocent.

Toward the end of the reading, the windmill, which was Snowball's idea stolen by Napoleon,

mysteriously collapses in the middle of the night. Of course all the animals are upset that

such a terrible event could make worthless the object for which they had labored so long.

Napoleon and Squealer completely blame Snowball with no hesitation.

CHAPTER 7

Chapter 7 continues Orwell's portrayal of the animals' plight. Animal Farm has seemed to

have fallen on hard times. The crops are not as bountiful as before and the pigs are

increasingly forced to trade with the outside world in order to get many of the supplies they

need. "...Napoleon ordered the almost empty bins in the store-shed to be filled nearly to

the brim with sand, which was then covered up with what remained of the grain and meal.

On some suitable pretext Whymper was led through the store-shed and allowed to catch a

glimpse of the bins. He was deceived, and continued to report to the outside world that

there was no food shortage on Animal Farm."

As Napoleon was deceiving the neighboring farmers he was also tricking his own animals.

The scapegoat was again Snowball. "Whenever anything went wrong it became usual to

attribute it to Snowball." In fact many of the claims begin to sound ridiculous to the

objective mind. Of course, Squealer's mission is to keep everything subjective in the minds

of the animals.

The cornerstone of this chapter is the savage act of Napoleon. Bothered by their

"conscious," many animals come forward saying they had been told in a dream by Snowball

to murder Napoleon or a similar such act. So Napoleon, with the help of his dogs, slaughters

anyone who is said to be disloyal. "...the tale of confessions and executions went on, until

there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon's feet and the air was heavy with the smell

of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones." To top it off,

Napoleon outlaws Beasts of England, which had served as one of the only remaining ties

between Animal Farm and old Major.

CHAPTER 8

As with the sleeping beds, some of the animals think they remember something in the

commandments against animals killing animals. But when Muriel reads the writing on the

barn wall to Clover, interestingly, the words are, "No animal shall kill any other animal

without cause."

To replace Beasts of England, Napoleon forces to animals to sing his own little self-worship

song, called Comrade Napoleon. And to further distance the animals from their ties of

respect and admiration for Snowball, Napoleon (with help from Squealer no doubt) tells

them that really Snowball was no hero at the Battle of Cowshed, but in fact a coward who

ran away from the danger. Napoleon goes on to say that the award Snowball received was

really just a myth too. "Once again some of the animals heard this with a certain

bewilderment, but Squealer was soon able to convince them that their memories had been

at fault."

The inter-farm commerce continues with Napoleon's attempted sale of the firewood from a

large tree cut down years ago. After playing games with Frederick and Pinchfield, the "wise"

Napoleon decides to sell the fire-wood to Frederick. And what made it an especially wise

move was the fact that he wouldn't except a check, which of course could bounce; so father

Napoleon makes Frederick pay with "real five-pound notes." Unfortunately for the animals

these notes are forged. So in essence Mr. Frederick steals the wood.

To make it even worse, Mr. Frederick and his men decide to attack the farm, and this time

they bring more guns than sticks. After blowing up the reconstructed windmill with

dynamite, Frederick and his men shoot and kill several animals with their rifles. "It was a

savage, bitter battle." Many animals die and still more are wounded. The men are,

however, finally pushed back through the gates and Napoleon declares a victory. Somehow

this battle doesn't seem quite as magical as the last one, but nonetheless, the Battle of the

Windmill is still called a victory.

Orwell goes on to say, "It was a few days later than this that the pigs came upon a case of

whisky in the cellars of the farmhouse." And surprise, surprise, Napoleon suddenly becomes

"sick" and is said to be dying. Obviously, he has broken the commandment about drinking

alcohol, and sure enough, after the hang-over the Leader is better and soon is perfectly

fine. But to justify this little episode, arrangements to amend the rules are made. "No

animal shall drink alcohol to excess."

CHAPTER 9

Orwell basically uses chapter 9 to continue the fall of Animal Farm and to foreshadow his

dramatic conclusion in chapter 10. For example, the rations of the everyday lowly animals

are again reduced by Napoleon and the elite. "A too rigid equality in rations, Squealer

explained, would have been contrary to the principles of Animalism." Of course this

comment is taken totally out of context since the principles of Animalism guarantee equality

of all animals. But the animals have been too well brainwashed by the pigs; the rules of the

revolution have long since passed. Orwell writes, "Truth to tell, Jones and all he stood for

had almost faded out of their memories."

Another not so startling however sad fact is the new rule about who has the right-of-way

when a pig and another animal encounter each other on a path. The other animals are

forced to stand to one side while the pigs, who "were to have the privilege of wearing green

ribbons on their tails on Sunday's" can walk right by. (In regards to the ribbons, now Mollie

doesn't seem so bad after all.)

The next bizarre event is Moses' sudden and unexplained return. This raven and former

friend of Mr. Jones now seems to feel right at home telling the animals about SugarCandy

Mountainto keep them working. What links the parallel between Napoleon and Jones even

further is the fact that Moses is paid by Napoleon in beer.

Last in the chapter is the touching yet destined death of Boxer. After working so long for

his master (dictator) Napoleon, any reader could have guessed the outcome. The troubling

part, however, is the way Napoleon and the pigs handle his death. Instead of letting him

enter his leisurely retirement, they force him into a glue-making truck and then lie about it

to the other animals. Squealer says that Boxer has died in a hospital bed, despite receiving

the best possible care (obviously a lie).

CHAPTER 10

Chapter 10 is Orwell's most dramatic and thought-provoking of the chapters. While the

others seems to have at least a shred of comedy, chapter 10 is almost pure tragedy and

metaphor for Russia. For more on the symbolism of characters and connection to Stalin and

all of Russia, visit the character profiles and metaphors sections on the left. In the chapter

review's, the main purpose is to provide a brief synopsis of each section without getting too

into the symbolism, which may bore some readers, although it's really the most fascinating

part of the book.

The fall of the ideals of Animalism is summed up in Orwell's first page of the chapter.

"Squealer was so fat that he could with difficulty see out of his eyes." Chapter 10 takes

place in the future and so there are some drastic changes. For example, Napoleon says with

no hesitancy, "The truest happiness lay in working hard and living frugally." This is a stark

change from the beginning of the book when Napoleon is considered the generous leader

who wants unlimited food for all! Even more disgustingly, the hypocrisy of the statement is

obvious. For Napoleon, of all animals, doesn't work hard or even lift a finger anymore.

Orwell goes on to state, "Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without

making the animals themselves any richer— except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs."

The parallels between Jones and Napoleon are strengthened again when Orwell hints at the

prospect of a new rebellion against Napoleon. "Some day it was coming: it might not be

soon, it might not be within the lifetime of any animal now living, but still it was coming.

Even the tune of Beasts of England was perhaps hummed secretly here and there." And

even more stunning (although one might have guessed it would happen sooner or later) is

the sight of a pig walking on his hind legs. Even the sheep have been conditioned to it.

They suddenly break out into a chant of "Four legs good, two legs better!"

To top it off, the pigs break the ultimate rule about wearing human clothes. Even so, the

animals are ignorant and "very stupid." Orwell narrates, "It did not seem strange when

Napoleon was seen strolling in the farmhouse garden with a pipe in his mouth— no, not

even when the pigs took Mr. Jones's clothes out of the wardrobes and put them on,

Napoleon himself appearing in a black coat...."

Lastly, Napoleon invites all the neighbors over to celebrate the "success" of Animal Farm,

which is changed back to the name of Manor Farm. Orwell narrates, "Mr. Pilkington once

again congratulated the pigs on the low rations, the long working hours, and the general

absence of pampering which he had observed on Animal Farm."

The 7 Commandments are abridged for the last time, simply reading, "All animals are equal

but some animals are more equal than others."

The closing paragraph is purely haunted. Orwell describes a human-like fight between the

pigs and humans during the celebration. "Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they

were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The

creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again;

but already it was impossible to say which was which."

Plot Summary

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The story is set on the Manor Farm, owned and operated by Mr. Jones.

One night the prize boar, Old Major, tells all the other farm animals he has realized that the

misery of their daily lives is all due to the tyranny of human beings, and that if they work to

overthrow the humans their lives will become easy and comfortable.

After Old Major dies, the pigs (led by the two boars Snowball and Napoleon) start teaching

his ideas (which they develop into a system of thought called Animalism) to the

other animals. A few months later, Mr. Jones gets drunk and forgets to feed the animals,

who become so hungry that they rebel and drive the human beings off the farm. They

rename the farm 'Animal Farm' and write the Seven Commandments of Animalism up on

the wall of the barn. Jones comes back with a group of armed men and tries to recapture

the farm, but the animals, led by Snowball, defeat the men.

Snowball and Napoleon argue constantly over plans for the future of the farm, never able to

agree - especially over a windmill whichSnowball wants to build to provide the farm with

electric power, and which Napoleon ridicules. Napoleon calls in nine dogs whom he has

specially trained and they chase Snowball off the farm. Squealer, the very persuasive pig

who relays most of Napoleon's decisions to the other animals, tells them that Snowball was

a traitor in league with Jones, and that the windmill was really Napoleon's idea anyway and

will go ahead.

The animals work hard - work on the windmill is slow and they rely heavily on Boxer the

cart-horse, who is very strong and hard-working. Napoleon begins trading with nearby

farms, and the pigsmove into the farmhouse and sleep in the beds there - even though

sleeping in beds like humans was forbidden by the original principles of Animalism.

The winter is difficult - the animals have little food. Napoleon and Squealer

blame Snowball for everything that goes wrong on the farm, from bad crops to blocked

drains. Then Napoleon's dogs attack four pigs, who then confess

to plotting with Snowball and start a series of confessions of various 'crimes' from

other animals- all of those who confess are slaughtered by the dogs, leaving the survivors

shaken and miserable.

The windmill is finally completed and to get money to buy themachinery for it, Napoleon

decides to sell a pile of timber - after wavering between the two neighboring

farmers Pilkington and Frederick, he sells it to Frederick only to discover that he has been

paid with worthless forged banknotes. Frederick and his men then come on to the farm and

blow the windmill to pieces with explosives, although the animals manage to drive them off

the farm again after a bloody battle. A few days later the pigs find a case of whisky in the

farmhouse cellar and get drunk.

Boxer is injured while working on repairs to the windmill, and Benjamin notices that the van

Napoleon calls to send him to the vet, has 'Horse Slaughterer' painted on the side. After

Boxer has 'died in hospital' under care of the vet, the pigs mysteriously find money to buy

another case of whiskey.

After many years, life is just as hard as it ever was. The pigs start walking on two legs. None

of the old Commandments are left on the barn wall. A group of human farmers come to see

the farm, they quarrel with the pigs over a game of cards - and the animalsdiscover they can

no longer tell which is human and which is pig.

Major Characters

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Mr. Jones: The farmer. In previous years, while he worked theanimals hard, he used to be a

capable farmer. Recently, though, helost money in a lawsuit, became depressed, and

started drinking heavily. He no longer gets much done and he spends a lot of time drinking

and reading the newspapers in the kitchen.

Old Major: The prize Middle White boar, always called Old Major although at pig shows he

was exhibited under the name Willingdon Beauty. At the time of his death he was twelve

years old, quite stout and majestic-looking with a wise and benevolent appearance

Boxer: The male cart-horse, is very large and as strong as any two ordinary horses put

together. He has a white stripe down his nose, which makes him look slightly stupid, and in

fact he isn't highly intelligent, but he is steady, very hard-working and respected by all.

Clover: the female cart-horse, is very kind and motherly. She is stout, never having gotten

her figure back after her fourth foal. She is devoted to Boxer.

Benjamin: The donkey is the oldest and worst-tempered animalon the farm. He doesn't

seem to care who is in charge of the farm since he says it makes no difference in his life. He

is very cynical, he seldom talks and never laughs. He is also very intelligent and insightful. He

is devoted to Boxer in his own way, and the two of them usually spend their Sundays

together grazing side by side.

Snowball: A boar. Vivacious, creative and quick in speech, but not considered as 'deep' as

Napoleon. After he is expelled from the farm, Napoleon and Squealer identify him as the

'enemy' and blame him for everything that goes wrong.

Napoleon: A Berkshire boar (Berkshires are large, black pigs). He is rather fierce-looking. He

doesn't talk much, but has a reputation for getting his own way. Later he becomes the

Leader of Animal Farm and is hero-worshipped by the other animals.

Squealer: A porker, small and fat with round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble movements and

a shrill voice. He is very persuasive, can convince anyone of anything, and when arguing a

difficult point he has an almost hypnotic way of skipping from side to side and whisking his

tail.

Minor Characters

The Dogs: Become the 'police' for Napoleon. Originally there are three dogs on the farm,

Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher. When Bluebell and Jessie give birth to nine puppies between

them, Napoleon says he will educate the young puppies and secludes them in a loft in which

he trains them to be his personal guard. The dogs become his weapon of terror, tearing out

the throats of his political opponents.

The Pigs: The cleverest animals on the farm, find it easiest to learn to read and write and

understand Animalism, and so they teach the other animals. They do not produce food by

their own labor, but say they are the 'brain-workers' and become the leadersof the farm. Of

the male pigs, only Snowball and Napoleon are boars (kept for breeding) and the others are

porkers (i.e. have been castrated so as to be raised for meat).

Muriel: The white goat. She learns to read even better than thedogs can, and sometimes

reads to the others in the evenings from scraps of newspaper which she finds on the rubbish

heap.

Mollie: The white mare is very pretty and shallow. She loves sugar and plaiting her mane

with ribbons, and she doesn't understand or care about political ideas.

The Cat: She is always looking for the most comfortable place to sleep and disappears

whenever there is work or danger around.

Moses: The tame raven. He is Mr. Jones's special pet, is a spy and does no work - the

other animals don't like him. He tells theanimals about a special place called Sugarcandy

Mountain where allanimals go when they die. Moses likes beer - Mr. Jones sometimes feeds

him on beer-soaked crusts of bread.

Mrs. Jones: The farmer's wife.

Pilkington: An easygoing upper-class farmer who lets his farm run down and get neglected,

spending most of his time hunting or fishing.

Frederick: A tough, shrewd farmer. He is money-minded, drives hard bargains and is always

taking people to court.

Minimus: A pig with a special talent for composing songs and poems, who becomes the

official poet.

Mr. Whymper: The solicitor. He is a sly-looking little man with side whiskers, a solicitor with

a very small business, but clever enough to realize before anyone else that Animal Farm will

need a broker and the commissions will be worth having.

The Sheep: Probably the stupidest animals on the farm. They become Napoleon's most

brainlessly devoted followers.

Objects/Places

The barn: A meeting place for the animals. There is a raised platform on one end, lit by a

lantern which hangs from a beam above it, and this is used as a kind of stage for speeches.

Later the Seven Commandments are painted up on the barn wall.

'Beasts of England': A song that comes to Old Major in a dream. He remembers his mother

and the other sows singing the tune and the first three words when he was young. He

believes it was sung by the animals of long ago and has been lost to memory. The song is

about freedom from the cruelty of humans, and the riches the animals will have when they

are free.

The Rebellion: The day, predicted by Old Major, when the animals rise up to overthrow the

humans and free themselves.

Animalism: The philosophy that Snowball, Napoleon and Squealerdevelop based on Old

Major's speech. The original basic idea is that all animals are equal, and humans are their

enemy.

Sugarcandy Mountain: A mysterious country where all animals go when they die. According

to Moses, it is up in the sky a little way past the clouds. In Sugarcandy Mountain it is Sunday

all week, clover is always in season, and lump sugar and linseed cake grow on the hedges.

Manor Farm: The original name of the farm under Mr. Jones.

Animal Farm: The name the animals give the farm when they take over.

The Seven Commandments: The basic principles of Animalism, which are painted up on the

wall of the barn. Mysteriously, the Seven Commandments often seem to have changed from

what the animals remember them to be.

The Flag: Made from an old green tablecloth that belonged to Mrs. Jones, with a white hoof

and horn painted on it. Snowball made it, with the green to represent the green fields of

England and the hoof and horn to represent the future Republic of the Animals that would

be established when all humans had finally been overthrown.

The Meetings: Held every Sunday. The animals all gather in the barn, the coming week's

work is planned out, resolutions are put forward (always by the pigs) and then debated and

voted on. The meetings end with singing 'Beasts of England'.

Wild Comrades Re-education Committee: The object of this is to tame the rats and rabbits

and other wild animals. The cat joins and is very active for some days - she is seen sitting on

the roof trying to persuade a sparrow that all animals are now comrades and it can come

and perch on her paw.

Foxwood: Pilkington's farm - large, old-fashioned and in a disgraceful condition due to

neglect.

Pinchfield: Frederick's farm - small and well-run.

The Battle of the Cowshed: The battle that takes place when Jones tries to retake the farm

- Snowball leads the animals and develops a clever plan in which they ambush the men in

the cowshed and cut off their route of escape.

The Windmill: The grand project that Snowball proposes for supplying the farm with

electricity. Napoleon adopts this project himself after he chases Snowball off the farm. The

animals spend years building the windmill out of stone, and it is destroyed twice, but when

they do eventually get it working it is used to thresh corn rather than to give them

electricity.

Spontaneous Demonstrations: Held once a week. The animals leave their work, march

around the farm in military formation with the pigs leading, then the horses, then cows,

then sheep, then poultry, with the dogs behind and Napoleon's black cockerel at the head of

all. Boxer and Clover carry a green banner marked with the hoof and horn and the slogan

'Long live Comrade Napoleon!' Afterwards there are recitations of poems in Napoleon's

honor, Squealer gives a speech about how much more food is being produced, and

sometimes the gun is fired. The sheep particularly love these demonstrations.

Character Profiles

http://www.novelguide.com/animalfarm/characterprofiles.html

Mr. Jones: Mr. Jones is Orwell's chief (or at least most obvious) villain in Animal Farm. Of

course Napoleon is also the major villain, however much more indirectly. Orwell says that at

one time Jones was actually a decent master to his animals. At this time the farm was

thriving. But in recent years the farm had fallen on harder times (symbol of the world-wide

Great Depression of the 30's) and the opportunity was seen to revolt. The world-wide

depression began in the United States when the stock market crashed in October of 1929.

The depression spread throughout the world because American exports were so dependent

on Europe. The U.S. was also a major contributor to the world market economy . Germany

along with the rest of Europe was especially hit hard. The parallels between crop failure of

the farm and the depression in the 1930's are clear. Only the leaders and the die-hard

followers ate their fill during this time period.

Mr. Jones symbolizes (in addition to the evils of capitalism) Czar Nicholas II, the leader

before Stalin (Napoleon). Jones represents the old government, the last of the Czars. Orwell

suggests that Jones (Czar Nicholas II) was losing his "edge." In fact, he and his men had

taken up the habit of drinking. Old Major reveals his feelings about Jones and his

administration when he says, "Man is the only creature that consumes without producing.

He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough , he cannot run

fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives

back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving and the rest he keeps

for himself."

So Jones and the old government are successfully uprooted by the animals. Little do they

know, history will repeat itself with Napoleon and the pigs.

Old Major: Old Major is the first major character described by Orwell in Animal Farm. This

"purebred" of pigs is the kind, grand fatherly philosopher of change— an obvious metaphor

for Karl Marx. Old Major proposes a solution to the animals' desperate plight under the

Jones "administration" when he inspires a rebellion of sorts among the animals. Of course

the actual time of the revolt is unsaid. It could be the next day or several generations

down the road. But old Major's philosophy is only an ideal.

After his death, three days after the barn-yard speech, the socialism he professes is

drastically altered when Napoleon and the other pigs begin to dominate. It's interesting

that Orwell does not mention Napoleon or Snowball anytime during the great speech of old

Major. This shows how distant and out-of-touch they really were; the ideals old Major

proclaimed seemed to not even have been considered when they were establishing their

new government after the successful revolt. It almost seemed as though the pigs fed off old

Major's inspiration and then used it to benefit themselves (a interesting twist of capitalism)

instead of following through on the old Major's honest proposal. This could be Orwell's

attempt to dig Stalin, who many consider to be someone who totally ignored Marx's political

and social theory.

Using old Major's seeming naivety, Orwell concludes that no society is perfect, no pure

socialist civilization can exist, and there is no way to escape the evil grasp of capitalism.

(More on this in the Napoleon section.) Unfortunately when Napoleon and Squealer take

over, old Major becomes more and more a distant fragment of the past in the minds of the

farm animals.

Moses: Moses is perhaps Orwell's most intriguing character in Animal Farm. This raven, first

described as the "especial pet" of Mr. Jones, is the only animal who doesn't work. He's also

the only character who doesn't listen to Old Major's speech of rebellion.

Orwell narrates, "The pigs had an even harder struggle to counteract the lies put about

by Moses, the tame raven. Moses, who was Mr. Jones's especial pet, was a spy and a tale-

bearer, but he was also a clever talker. He claimed to know of the existence of a mysterious

country called Sugarcandy Mountain , to which all animals went when they died. It was

situated somewhere up in the sky, a little distance beyond the clouds, Moses said. In

Sugarcandy Mountain it was Sunday seven days a week, clover was in season all the year

round, and lump sugar and linseed cake grew on the hedges. The animals hated Moses

because he told tales and did no work but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain,

and the pigs had to argue very hard to persuade them that there was no such place."

Moses represents Orwell's view of the Church. To Orwell, the Church is just used as a

tool by dictatorships to keep the working class of people hopeful and productive. Orwell

uses Moses to criticize Marx's belief that the Church will just go away after the rebellion.

Jones first used Moses to keep the animals working, and he was successful in many ways

before the rebellion. The pigs had a real hard time getting rid of Moses, since the lies about

Heaven they thought would only lead the animals away from the equality of socialism. But

as the pigs led by Napoleon become more and more like Mr. Jones, Moses finds his place

again. After being away for several years, he suddenly returns and picks up right where he

left off. The pigs don't mind this time because the animals have already realized that the

"equality" of the revolt is a farce. So Napoleon feeds Moses with beer, and the full-circle is

complete.

Orwell seems to offer a very cynical and harsh view of the Church. This proves

that Animal Farm is not simply an anti-communist work meant to lead people into

capitalism and Christianity. Really Orwell found loop-holes and much hypocrisy in both

systems. It's interesting that recently in Russia the government has begun to allow religion

again. It almost seems that like the pigs, the Kremlin officials of today are trying to keep

their people motivated, not in the ideology of communism, but in the "old-fashioned" hope

of an after-life.

Snowball: Orwell describes Snowball as a pig very similar to Napoleon— at least in the early

stages. Both pigs wanted a leadership position in the "new" economic and political system

(which is actually contradictory to the whole supposed system of equality). But as time goes

on, both eventually realize that one of them will have to step down. Orwell says that the

two were always arguing. "Snowball and Napoleon were by far the most active in the

debates. But it was noticed that these two were never in agreement: whatever suggestion

either of them made, the other could be counted to oppose it." Later, Orwell makes the

case stronger. "These two disagreed at every point disagreement was possible."

Soon the differences, like whether or not to build a windmill, become too great to deal with,

so Napoleon decides that Snowball must be eliminated. It might seem that this was a

spontaneous reaction, but a careful look tells otherwise. Napoleon was setting the stage for

his own domination long before he really began "dishing it out" to Snowball. For example,

he took the puppies away from their mothers in efforts to establish a private police force.

These dogs would later be used to eliminate Snowball, his arch-rival.

Snowball represents Trotsky, the arch-rival of Stalin in Russia. The parallels between Trotsky

and Snowball are uncanny. Trotsky too, was exiled, not from the farm, but to Mexico, where

he spoke out against Stalin. Stalin was very weary of Trotsky, and feared that Trotsky

supporters might try to assassinate him. The dictator of Russia tried hard to kill Trotsky, for

the fear of losing leadership was very great in the crazy man's mind. Trotsky also believed in

Communism, but he thought he could run Russia better than Stalin. Trotsky was murdered

in Mexico by the Russian internal police, the NKVD-the pre-organization of the KGB. Trotsky

was found with a pick axe in his head at his villa in Mexico.

Napoleon: Napoleon is Orwell's chief villain in Animal Farm. The name Napoleon is very

coincidental since Napoleon, the dictator of France, was thought by many to be the Anti-

Christ. Napoleon, the pig, is really the central character on the farm. Obviously a

metaphor for Stalin, Comrade Napoleon represents the human frailties of any revolution.

Orwell believed that although socialism is good as an ideal, it can never be successfully

adopted due to uncontrollable sins of human nature. For example, although Napoleon

seems as first to be a good leader, he is eventually overcome by greed and soon becomes

power-hungry. Of course Stalin did too in Russia, leaving the original equality of socialism

behind, giving himself all the power and living in luxury while the common peasant

suffered. Thus, while his national and international status blossomed, the welfare of Russia

remained unchanged. Orwell explains, "Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown

richer without making the animals themselves any richer--except, of course for the pigs and

the dogs."

The true side of Napoleon becomes evident after he slaughters so many animals for

plotting against him. He even hires a pig to sample his food for him to make certain that no

one is trying to poison him. Stalin, too, was a cruel dictator in Russia. After suspecting many

people in his empire to be supporters of Trotsky (Orwell's Snowball), Stalin systematically

murders many.

By the end of the book, Napoleon doesn't even pretend to lead a socialist state. After

renaming it a Republic and instituting his own version of the commandments and the Beasts

of England, Comrade Napoleon, he quickly becomes more or less a dictator who of course

has never even been elected by the animals.

Boxer: The name Boxer is cleverly used by Orwell as a metaphor for the Boxer Rebellion in

China in the early twentieth century. It was this rebellion which signaled the beginning of

communism in red China. This communism, much like the distorted Stalin view of socialism,

is still present today in the oppressive social government in China. Boxer and Clover are

used by Orwell to represent the proletariat, or unskilled labor class in Russian society. This

lower class is naturally drawn to Stalin (Napoleon) because it seems as though they will

benefit most from his new system. Since Boxer and the other low animals are not

accustomed to the "good life," they can't really compare Napoleon's government to the life

they had before under the czars (Jones). Also, since usually the lowest class has the lowest

intelligence, it is not difficult to persuade them into thinking they are getting a good deal.

The proletariat is also quite good at convincing each other that communism is a good

idea. Orwell supports this contention when he narrates, "Their most faithful disciples were

the two carthorses, Boxer and Clover. Those two had great difficulty in thinking anything

out for themselves, but having once accepted the pigs as their teachers, they absorbed

everything that they were told, and passed it on to the other animals by simple

arguments."

Later, the importance of the proletariat is shown when Boxer suddenly falls and there is

suddenly a drastic decrease in work productivity. But still he is taken for granted by the

pigs, who send him away in a glue truck. Truly Boxer is the biggest poster-child for

gullibility.

Squealer: Squealer is an intriguing character in Orwell's Animal Farm. He's first described as

a manipulator and persuader. Orwell narrates, "He could turn black into white." Many

critics correlate Squealer with the Pravda, the Russian newspaper of the 1930's.

Propaganda was a key to many publications, and since their was no television or radio, the

newspaper was the primary source of media information. So the monopoly of the Pravda

was seized by Stalin and his new Bolshevik regime.

In Animal Farm, Squealer, like the newspaper, is the link between Napoleon and other

animals. When Squealer masks an evil intention of the pigs, the intentions of the

communists can be carried out with little resistance and without political disarray.

Squealer is also thought by some to represent Goebbels, who was the minister of

propaganda for Germany. This would seem inconsistent with Orwell's satire, however,

which was suppose to metaphor characters in Russia.

Mollie: Mollie is one of Orwell's minor characters, but she represents something very

important. Mollie is the animal who is most opposed to the new government under

Napoleon. She doesn't care much about the politics of the whole situation; she just wants

to tie her hair with ribbons and eat sugar, things her social status won't allow. Many

animals consider her a trader when she is seen being petted by a human from a neighboring

farm. Soon Mollie is confronted by the "dedicated" animals, and she quietly leaves the

farm. Mollie characterizes the typical middle-class skilled worker who suffers from this new

communism concept. No longer will she get her sugar (nice salary) because she is now just

as low as the other animals, like Boxer and Clover.

Orwell uses Mollie to characterize the people after any rebellion who aren't too receptive

to new leaders and new economics. There are always those resistant to change. This

continues to dispel the believe Orwell hated that basically all animals act the same. The

naivety of Marxism is criticized— socialism is not perfect and it doesn't work for everyone.

Benjamin: Old Benjamin, an elderly donkey, is one of Orwell's most elusive and intriguing

characters on Animal Farm. He is described as rather unchanged since the rebellion. He

still does his work the same way, never becoming too exited or too disappointed about

anything that has passed. Benjamin explains, "Donkeys live a long time. None of you has

ever seen a dead donkey."

Although there is no clear metaphoric relationship between Benjamin and Orwell's

critique of communism, it makes sense that during any rebellion there or those who never

totally embrace the revolution— those so cynical they no longer look to their leaders for

help. Benjamin symbolizes the older generation, the critics of any new rebellion. Really this

old donkey is the only animal who seems as though he couldn't care less about Napoleon

and Animal Farm. It's almost as if he can see into the future, knowing that the revolt is

only a temporary change, and will flop in the end.

Benjamin is the only animal who doesn't seem to have expected anything positive from

the revolution. He almost seems on a whole different maturity lever compared to the other

animals. He is not sucked in by Napoleon's propaganda like the others. The only time he

seems to care about the others at all is when Boxer is carried off in the glue truck. It's

almost as if the old donkey finally comes out of his shell, his perfectly fitted demeanor,

when he tries to warn the others of Boxer's fate. And the animals do try to rescue Boxer,

but it's too late. Benjamin seems to be finally confronting Napoleon and revealing his

knowledge of the pigs' hypocrisy, although before he had been completely independent.

After the animals have forgotten Jones and their past lives, Benjamin still remembers

everything. Orwell states, "Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his

long life and to know that things never had been, nor ever could be much better or much

worse— hunger, hardship, and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of

life."

Muriel: Muriel is a knowledgeable goat who reads the commandments for Clover. Muriel

represents the minority of working class people who are educated enough to decide things

for themselves and find critical and hypocritical problems with their leaders. Unfortunately

for the other animals, Muriel is not charismatic or inspired enough to take action and

oppose Napoleon and his pigs.

Pigs: Orwell uses the pigs to surround and support Napoleon. They symbolize the

communist party loyalists and the friends of Stalin. The pigs, unlike other animals, live in

luxury and enjoy the benefits of the society they help control. The inequality and true

hypocrisy of communism is expressed here by Orwell, who criticized Marx's oversimplified

view of a socialist, "utopian" society. Obviously George Orwell doesn't believe such a

society can exist.

Toward the end of the book, Orwell emphasizes, "Somehow it seemed as though the farm

had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer— except, of course, the

pigs and the dogs."

Dogs: Orwell uses the dogs in his book, Animal Farm, to represent the KGB or perhaps more

accurately, the bodyguards of Stalin. The dogs are the arch-defenders of Napoleon and the

pigs, and although they don't speak, they are definitely a force the other animals have to

contend with.

Orwell almost speaks of the dogs as mindless robots, so dedicated to Napoleon that they

can't really speak for themselves. This contention is supported as Orwell describes

Napoleon's early and suspicious removal of six puppies from their mother. The reader is left

in the dark for a while, but later is enlightened when Orwell describes the chase of

Snowball. Napoleon uses his "secret dogs" for the first time here; before Snowball has a

chance to stand up and give a counter-argument to Napoleon's disapproval of the windmill,

the dogs viciously attack the pig, forcing him to flee, never to return again.

Orwell narrates, "Silent and terrified, the animals crept back into the barn. In a moment

the dogs came bounding back. At first no one had been able to imagine where these

creatures came from, but the problem was soon solved: they were the puppies whom

Napoleon had taken away from their mothers and reared privately. Though not yet full-

grown, they were huge dogs, and as fierce-looking as wolves. They kept close to Napoleon.

It was noticed that they wagged their tails to him in the same way as the other dogs had

been used to do to Mr. Jones."

The use of the dogs begins the evil use of force which helps Napoleon maintain power.

Later, the dogs do even more dastardly things when they are instructed to kill the animals

labeled "disloyal."

Stalin, too, had his own special force of "helpers." Really there are followers loyal to any

politician or government leader, but Stalin in particular needed a special police force to

eliminate his opponents. This is how Trotsky was killed.

Animals: The sheep and other animals are very similar to Boxer and Clover. Both the horses

and sheep represent in many ways the proletariat, or working class of unskilled laborers.

These animals depend on their backs, not their brains, to do work. Thus, they fall into the

bottom of society and are the focal point of politicians' brainwashing.

The animals are stubborn and easily swayed. Orwell points out repeatedly that if it

wasn't for the bleating of the sheep, "Two legs bad, four legs good," which was strategically

inspired by the pigs, Napoleon wouldn't have the power and control that he eventually

came to enjoy and then abuse.

Frederick: The theme of the gun and flag rituals performed by the animals at the urging of

Napoleon is strengthened through Orwell's description of Mr. Frederick, the neighbor of

Animal Farm. Frederick, through the course of the book, becomes an enemy and then a

friend and then an enemy again to Napoleon, who makes many secret deals and treaties

with him. One of the major problems the two farms have is the issue of the timber.

Napoleon sells the wood to Frederick for bank notes, only to find that they are worthless.

During the world wide depression, countries were forced by necessity to trade with other

countries. One country would have a product or natural resource another country would

not; therefore to survive, the country would trade. Many times the trades were unfair and

fraudulent. This created many international problems. So you can see the parallels are

clear.

Pilkington: Orwell uses Pilkington, another neighbor of Animal Farm, as a metaphor for the

Allies of World War II (excluding, of course Russia). Like the Soviet Union before World War

II, Animal Farm wasn't sure who their allies would be. But after losing the relationship with

Frederick (Germany), Napoleon (Stalin) decides to befriend Pilkington, and ally with him.

Napoleon and the other pigs even go as far as to invite him over for dinner at the end of the

book. Here Mr. Pilkington and his men congratulate Napoleon on the efficiency of Animal

Farm.

Orwell narrates, "Mr. Pilkington once again congratulated the pigs on the low rations, the

long working hours, and the general absence of pampering which he had observed on

Animal Farm." Russia's allies, after the war, also admired it's efficiency. But soon the cold

war would begin between the United States and Russia. This is unbelievably also referred to

in the book (published in 1946) when Orwell writes, "An uproar of voices was coming from

the farmhouse...a violent quarrel was in progress. There were shouting, banging on the

table, sharp suspicious glances, furious denials." Amazingly Orwell seemed to sense the

start of American-Russian tension for years to come.

Rats: Orwell's rats (and the other wild animals, like rabbits, for that matter) represent the

opposition to the Bolsheviks. They too, had to be included in the rebellion, although for the

longest time they sided with the another party. The rats and rabbits symbolize other

political parties. Although the communist party took off with Lenin, there were still others

around. These are the wild animals.

Pigeons: The pigeons symbolize Soviet propaganda, not to Russia, but to other countries,

like Germany, England, France, and even the United States. Russia had created an iron

curtain even before WWII. The Communist government raved about its achievements and

its advanced technology, but it never allowed experts or scientists from outside the country

to check on its validity. Orwell mentions the fact that the other farmers became suspicious

and worried when their animals began to sing Beasts of England. Many Western

governments have gone through a similar problem with their people in this century. There

was a huge "Red Scare" in the United States in the 20's. In the 1950's in the United States,

Joseph McCarthy was a legislative member of the government from Wisconsin. He accused

hundreds of people of supporting the Communist regime, from famous actors in Hollywood

to middle-class common people. The fear of communism became a phobia in America and

anyone speaking out against the government was a suspect.

THEME

Topic Tracking: Greed

Greed 1: Old Major describes all the evils the humans force on the animals as due to greed.

He warns the animals that humans act only in their own interests and will steal

everything the animalsproduce. Jones callously slaughters the animals when they have

become useless.

Greed 2: Although the animals assume that the apples will be shared out equally, the

pigs take all the apples and milk for themselves. The pigs do not acknowledge that they are

being greedy, but say that they are taking the apples and milk for the good of the other

animals, because it is important that they remain in good health to manage the farm.

Greed 3: Mollie is too lazy to do her share of the work, even though the other animals are

supporting her and giving her an equal share of food. Because Mollie wants her sugar and

ribbons, even though they are not allowed on the farm, she decides to run away

from Animal Farm. She abandons the other animals and finds a new owner who will give her

what she wants.

Greed 4: Napoleon isn't satisfied with the fact that the pigs, of whom he is a leader, now run

the farm. He wants more power, he wants personal power, and he doesn't want to share his

power with Snowball - so he develops a scheme to run Snowball off the farm.

Greed 5: The pigs are not satisfied with living in their sty, but move into the farmhouse.

They take their meals in the kitchen, use the drawing-room as a recreation room and sleep

in the beds. They also start getting up an hour later than the other animals do.

Greed 6: Napoleon is still hungry for more power and more status. He issues all his orders

through Squealer or one of the other pigs, and avoids going out in public more often than

once every two weeks. When he does appear he is attended by his dogs and a black

cockerel. In the farmhouse he moves into separate apartments from the others, takes his

meals alone with two dogs waiting on him, and eats from the special Crown Derby china

dinner service. The gun is now fired on his birthday as well as the other two anniversaries

every year. The pigs make up titles for him like 'Father of All Animals', 'Terror of Mankind'

and 'Protector of the Sheep-fold.'

Greed 7: Napoleon refuses to take a check for the timber, and demands to be paid in cash.

He then holds a special meeting to display the bank-notes - he lies on a bed of straw on the

platform, wearing both the military decorations he has awarded himself, with the money

next to him piled on a china dish from the farmhousekitchen. The animals are allowed to file

past one by one and look at the money for as long as they want to.

This backfires on Napoleon - it turns out that the notes were forged and Frederick got the

timber for nothing.

Greed 8: Napoleon buys sugar for himself, but doesn't allow the other pigs to eat it.

He fathers thirty-one piglets, impregnating all four of the sows on the farm at about the

same time.

The pigs are hungry for yet more status - they make a rule that if a pig and another animal

meet on a path, the other animal must stand aside. They also make a rule that all pigs, of

whatever degree, will be allowed to wear a green ribbon on their tail on Sundays as a mark

of privilege.

Greed 9: The pigs cook up the barley and instead of using it to feed the hungry animals, use

it to brew beer. They give each pig an allowance of a pint of beer a day, with half a gallon for

Napoleon, which is served to him in the Crown Derby soup tureen.

Greed 10: The pigs sell Boxer to the knacker to be slaughtered, because he is past work -

even though, with proper care, he could have been expected to live another three years.

They want the money to buy themselves whisky.

Greed 11: After many years, Napoleon becomes a mature boar weighing twenty-four stone,

while Squealer becomes so fat that it is difficult for him to see out of his eyes.

Greed 12: Clearly, the human farmers are just as keen to make a profit and care as little

about their animals as the pigs do. The humans compliment the pigs on their methods.

Topic Tracking: Principles of Animalism

Principles of Animalism 1: The basic ideas Old Major passes on in his first speech are that

humans are the enemy because they overwork the animals and treat them badly. He says all

animalsshould cooperate to overthrow the humans. He teaches that all animals are equal,

even the wild creatures like rats and rabbits, and that they should all protect each other as

friends. All humans are enemies. He warns the animals never to live in houses, sleep in beds,

wear clothes, drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, touch money or engage in trade - these are all

the evil habits of humans. Particularly, no animal must ever try to exert power over another

animal - strong or weak, they are all brothers. As a symbol of Animalism and its ideas, he

teaches them the song, Beasts of England.

Principles of Animalism 2:Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer are the ones who develop Old

Major's ideas into a complete system of thought and name it Animalism. They determine

specific principles which they can then teach to the other animals.

Principles of Animalism 3:The pigs then reduce theprinciples of Animalism to seven basic

commandments. These include that animals are equal, all animalsare friends and all humans

enemies, and that animals should not wear clothes, sleep in a bed, drink alcohol or kill any

other animal.

The Seven Commandments omit some of Old Major's original warnings, such as that animals

should not touch money or engage in trade.

Principles of Animalism 4: Although all the animals are equal, the pigs take over the

leadership with the very first harvest - it is seen as natural that because they know more

they should direct and supervise the others.

Principles of Animalism 5: The Seven Commandments are then reduced to just one

principle, which is written in bigger letters above the others - Four Legs Good, Two Legs

Bad. Snowball says that this is the essence of Animalism and anyone who thoroughly grasps

it will be safe from human influences.

Principles of Animalism 6: It is accepted that the pigs have the right to decide the farm

policies because they are more intelligent - even though all animals are equal.

Principles of Animalism 7: Napoleon then decides that the animalsshould not even be

allowed to vote on decisions, but everything should be decided by a committee of pigs

which will meet in private and communicate its decisions to the other animals later. He is to

preside over the committee himself.

Principles of Animalism 8: The skull of Old Major, as the founder of Animalism, is disinterred

(now clean of flesh) and set up on a stump at the foot of the flagstaff, beside the gun,

and the animalsare required to file past it reverently before entering the barn on a Sunday.

Although the animals are supposedly still equal, the seating arrangements in the

barn change to reflect a kind of hierarchy. The pigs and dogs sit on the raised platform, with

the other animals sitting facing them in the main part of the barn. At the very front of the

platform are Napoleon, Squealer and the poet Minimus, with the young dogs forming a

semi-circle around them.

Principles of Animalism 9: At crucial moments when the animalsare dragging heavy boulders

up the slope of the quarry, the pigswill actually join in. This is clearly unusual - the pigs are

avoiding all the physical labor that goes into running the farm and leave it all for the 'lower'

animals to do.

Principles of Animalism 10: Old Major warned never to handle money, engage in trade, or

have any dealings with human beings, but Napoleon has now decided to do this. He has

little choice - the farm needs iron, lamp oil, nails and string etc. which it cannot produce.

However, the pigs do not admit that they are going against anything Old Major said. They

claim there was never any resolution against these things.

Principles of Animalism 11: Squealer begins to refer to Napoleon as 'the Leader'. When the

pigs move into the farmhouse and begin sleeping in the beds, the Fourth Commandment

turns out to have mysteriously changed. It now reads 'No animal shall sleep in a bedwith

sheets.'

Principles of Animalism 12: Napoleon's dogs slaughter a large number of the animals. This is

the first time anyone has broken the rule that no animal shall kill another animal - up to now

not even a rat has been killed.

Principles of Animalism 13: The change of 'Beasts of England' to the song 'Animal Farm' is

part of the change from Old Major's original ideas of freedom to the pigs' own agenda.

Principles of Animalism 14: After Napoleon has several of the animals executed, the Sixth

Commandment has mysteriously changed and now reads "No animal shall kill any other

animalwithout cause."

Principles of Animalism 15: The term 'Comrade', originally meant to remind everyone that

all the animals are equal, becomes completely meaningless when used in connection with

the general hero-worship of Napoleon.

Principles of Animalism 16: After the pigs get drunk on whisky from the farmhouse cellar,

Napoleon orders Whymper to buy some booklets on brewing and distilling, and arranges to

plant barley. The Fifth Commandment is then found to have been changed to read 'No

animal shall drink alcohol to excess.'

Principles of Animalism 17: Squealer explains away the fact thatthe pigs and dogs have not

had their rations reduced along with the other animals, by saying that a too rigid equality in

rations would be 'contrary to the principles of Animalism'.

Principles of Animalism 18: Napoleon now argues against ideas from the early days of

Animalism, like putting electric lights in the stalls, by saying that they are 'contrary to the

spirit of Animalism'.

Principles of Animalism 19: The pigs disobey even the 'essence' of Animalism - four legs

good, two legs bad. In the end the Seven Commandments of Animalism are obliterated and

replaced with one commandment which is the opposite of the originals: "All animals are

equal, but some are more equal than others." Right after this, the pigs order a telephone

and newspaper subscriptions and start wearing clothes, carrying whips and smoking pipes.

Principles of Animalism 20: After so completely subverting theprinciples of Animalism, the

pigs actually turn into humans.

Topic Tracking: Propaganda

Propaganda 1: Old Major uses some techniques of propaganda in his speech to the animals -

he identifies humans as the enemy, and attempts to unite them all against this common

enemy. He promises that their lives will be better and easier if they do what he suggests and

overthrow the humans. He also teaches them a simple, easy-to-remember song, Beasts of

England, to inspire them with his ideas. Although he genuinely believes that he is acting in

the animals' best interests and is not trying to deceive them, this is all still propaganda.

Propaganda 2: The pigs persuade the other animals to agree with the principles of

Animalism. They hold secret meetings in the barn, which always end with singing 'Beasts of

England'. When the animals talk about loyalty to Mr. Jones, or ask why they should care

about the Rebellion if it is going to happen after they die, or why they need to work for it if

it is going to happen anyway, the pigs do not focus on logically explaining away these

difficulties. Instead, they tell the animals that these ideas are contrary to the spirit of

Animalism. It is very difficult to oppose an abstract argument like this. When Mollie asks if

there will still be sugar and ribbons after the Rebellion,Snowball tells her that her ribbons

are a badge of slavery. Although she does not seem convinced, she doesn't try to argue with

him. Boxer and Clover, once they have been told something by the pigs, pass it on to the

other animals by simple arguments.

Propaganda 3: Although the sheep, hens and ducks may not fully understand what it means,

they all memorize the slogan "Four legs good, two legs bad." Such a slogan is simple, easy to

remember and repeat. The sheep develop a great liking for it and often all lie around in the

field bleating "Four legs good, two legs bad" for hours without getting tired of it. The

question is, does someone repeating such a slogan really think about what it means, or

simply get used to the sound and accept the slogan?

Propaganda 4: Squealer uses several clever techniques to persuade the other animals to

accept that the pigs will keep all the apples and milk. He tells the animals that he hopes they

don't think the pigs are doing this to be selfish - implying that if they do think this, they are

being foolish. He tells them that many of the pigs in fact dislike milk and apples - he says he

dislikes them himself - and take them only to stay healthy for the sake of the other animals.

He tells them it is scientifically proven that milk and apples contain substances absolutely

necessary to the health of a pig. He says that because the pigs are brainworkers and do all

the management, they have a duty to stay as alert and healthy as they possibly can. He

plays off the animals' fears by telling them that if the pigs fail in their duty, Jones will come

back. All the animals are very afraid of Jones coming back, and so if the only way to avoid it

is to give the pigs all the milk and apples, they will agree to this.

Propaganda 5: Snowball and Napoleon use messengers to spread their ideas as widely as

possible to animals on surrounding farms, and to teach these animals the signature tune,

"Beasts of England".

Propaganda 6: Pilkington and Frederick engage in anti-Animal Farm propaganda, making up

exaggerated horror stories about what they think is happening there, without any grounding

in reality.

Propaganda 7: Each faction - the one that supports Napoleon and the one that

supports Snowball - develops its own simple slogan to persuade animals to vote for

that candidate, emphasizing the future benefits. The two slogans are "Vote for Snowball and

the three-day week" and "Vote for Napoleon and the full manger".

Propaganda 8: Squealer emphasizes that with one false step, the animals will bring Jones

back. He uses their fear of Jones to make them cooperate.

Propaganda 9: When the animals ask why, if the windmill was Napoleon's idea, he spoke so

strongly against it, Squealer explains that it was a maneuver to get rid of Snowball, who was

a dangerous influence. He says that this is called 'tactics', and although the animals don't

understand the word, Squealer is so persuasive and the three dogs with him look so

threatening that they accept the explanation.

Propaganda 10: Squealer persuades the animals that their memories are at fault when they

think they remember passing a resolution against money and trade at the first meeting after

the Rebellion. He suggests that this is imaginary and probably due to lies spread

by Snowball. He also asks them how they can be sure they did not dream it, since there is no

record in writing and no proof of such a resolution.

Propaganda 11: When the animals remember passing a resolution in the early days never to

use the farmhouse, Squealer is again able to convince them that they are imagining it. He

emphasizes that it is necessary for the pigs as brainworkers to have a quiet place to work,

and that it is unsuitable for the Leader (Napoleon) to be living in an undignified sty.

He convinces them that there can never have been a ruling against beds, since a bed is

simply a place to sleep and even a pile of strawmust count as a bed - he says the rule was

against sheets, which are a human invention, and that the pigs have removed the sheets

from the farmhouse beds. He says the pigs need a comfortable place to sleep because of all

the brainwork they have to do, and asks whether the animals want the pigs to be too tired

to carry out their duties, and whether they want Jones to come back.

Propaganda 12: When the windmill blows down in a gale, Napoleon prevents the pigs from

looking stupid for building the walls too thin. He claims that Snowball crept in overnight and

broke the windmill apart. He also has a pig leave footprints in the grass leading to the

hedge, so that he can 'discover' them in front of the animals, sniff them and announce that

they are Snowball's. This lends credibility to his story.

Propaganda 13: Napoleon does not want the humans to realize that the animals are

starving, so he persuades Whymper that there is more than enough food. Previously no

animals have had contact with Whymper, but Napoleon orders a few of them, mostly sheep,

to casually mention to each other that rations have been increased when Whymper is

nearby. He also arranges for the nearly empty storage bins to be filled up with sand, which is

then covered with what remains of the grain and meal. He finds an excuse to lead Whymper

through the storage shed, so that Whymper is deceived into thinking the bins are all full and

reports to the outside world that the animals have plenty of food.

During the major shortage at the end of January, Napoleon avoids making appearances in

public, and makes sure he is guarded by a number of dogs whether he is inside the

farmhouse or somewhere on the farm.

Propaganda 14: Squealer manages to convince the animals that whereas they

remember Snowball fighting heroically at the Battle of the Cowshed, he was in fact on the

other side. He does this by telling them that the pigs have found secret documents proving

it - he tells Boxer he could show him evidence of the plot in Snowball's own handwriting, but

Boxer would not be able to read it since Boxer only knows the first four letters of the

alphabet. The animals remember seeing Snowball wounded by Jones's gun, but Squealer

tells them it was part of the arrangement and the shot only grazed him. He asks them if they

don't remember Snowball signaling them all to turn and run away at the key moment (which

in fact happened, since Snowball had arranged to lead the men into the cowshed by

pretending to run away and then ambushing them). Squealer describes Snowball's

cowardice at the scene of the battle, and Napoleon's imaginary bravery, in such detail that it

seems to the animals they do remember these things.

When Boxer still refuses to believe that Snowball was already a traitor at the Battle of the

Cowshed, Squealer changes his mind by telling him that Napoleon says so.

Propaganda 15: Napoleon bans the song 'Beasts of England' and replaces it with a new song

praising the glories of Animal Farm. Squealer explains the action by saying that 'Beasts of

England' is outdated because it was a song wishing for freedom and the animals now have

their freedom and no longer need the song. Some of the animals might have protested, but

the sheep, Napoleon's most devoted followers, start bleating 'Four legs good, two legs bad'

over and over again and put an end to the discussion.

Propaganda 16: When the animals become upset because they are always hungry, Squealer

starts reading to them every Sunday from long strips of paper, telling them that the

production of every type of food on the farm has increased by two, three or even five

hundred percent. The animals do not remember very well what conditions were like under

Jones, so they do not dispute this.

Propaganda 17: As Napoleon leans towards selling the timber to Pilkington rather than

Frederick, anti-Frederick rumors begin to abound. Some of them are that Frederick is

planning to take over Animal Farm with a group of armed men and has already bribed the

magistrates and police to let it happen; and that Frederick tortures and starves his animals.

Napoleon tells the pigeons that he sends out to neighboring farms to drop their slogan of

'Death to Humanity' and replace it with 'Death to Frederick'.

Propaganda 18: Now that the animals have finally accepted Squealer's version of the Battle

of the Cowshed and remember this as the true version, he is able to convince them further

that they are still remembering things wrong and Snowball was in fact criticized for his

cowardice in the battle.

Propaganda 19: When Napoleon changes his mind and sells the timber to Frederick, all the

stories are immediately changed so that the animals will not think that Napoleon has acted

inconsistently. He tells them that the rumors of an attack are totally untrue, that he has

been in agreement with Frederick secretly the whole time, and that the rumors of cruelty to

animals on Pinchfield probably originated with Snowball, who is not at Pinchfield after all,

but has been living in luxury at Foxwood for years. He says he only pretended to be friendly

with Pilkington to get Frederick to raise his price.

Propaganda 20: Squealer overwhelms the animals and forestalls their complaints with

endless lists of 'facts' which they cannot disprove because the facts are total nonsense.

Propaganda 21: Strategically, as the animals have less and less food, Napoleon makes sure

they are encouraged more and more to be enthusiastic about Animal Farm and be patriotic.

He also further revises his story of the Battle of the Cowshed, to make the animals believe

that Snowball was the out and out villain. Some of them still remember seeing wounds on

Snowball's back, but they are told that these were inflicted by Napoleon's teeth.

Propaganda 22: Although the pigs officially declare that everything Moses says about

Sugarcandy Mountain is a lie, they secretly are glad to have his ideas spread around the

farm - they allow him to stay on doing no work, and give him an allowance of a gill of beer a

day. Moses tells the animals that after they die they will have a happy, easy life in a better

world, and this makes them more likely to accept their current hungry, laborious lives.

CHAPTER MAP

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