Summary
The story takes place on a farm somewhere in England. The story is told by an all-knowing narrator in the third person. The action of
this novel starts when the oldest pig on the farm, Old Major, calls all animals to a secret meeting. He tells them about his dream of a
revolution against the cruel Mr Jones. Three days later Major dies, but the speech gives the more intelligent animals a new outlook
on life. The pigs, who are considered the most intelligent animals, instruct the other ones. During the period of preparation two pigs
distinguish themselves, Napoleon and Snowball. Napoleon is big, and although he isn't a good speaker, he can assert himself.
Snowball is a better speaker, he has a lot of ideas and he is very vivid. Together with another pig called Squealer, who is a very good
speaker, they work out the theory of "Animalism". The rebellion starts some months later, when Mr Jones comes home
drunk one night and forgets to feed the animals. They break out of the barns and run to the house, where the food is stored.
When Mr Jones sees this he takes out his shotgun, but it is too late for him; all the animals fall over him and drive him off the
farm. The animals destroy all whips, nose rings, reins, and all other instruments that have been used to suppress them. The same day
the animals celebrate their victory with an extra ration of food. The pigs make up the seven commandments, and they write them
above the door of the big barn.
They run thus:
- Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
- Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings is a friend.
- No animal shall wear clothes.
- No animal shall sleep in a bed.
- No animal shall drink alcohol.
- No animal shall kill another animal.
- All animals are equal.
The animals also agree that no animal shall ever enter the farmhouse, and that no animal shall have contact with humans. This
commandments are summarised in the simple phrase: "Four legs good, two legs bad". After some time, Jones comes back
with some other men from the village to recapture the farm. The animals fight bravely, and they manage to defend the farm. Snowball
and Boxer receive medals of honour for defending the farm so bravely. Also Napoleon, who had not fought at all, takes a medal. This
is the reason why the two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, often argue. When Snowball presents his idea to build a windmill, to produce
electricity for the other animals, Napoleon calls nine strong dogs. The dogs drive Snowball from the farm, and Napoleon explains
that Snowball was in fact co-operating with Mr Jones. He also explains that Snowball in reality never had a medal of honour, that
Snowball was always trying to cover up that he was fighting on the side of Mr Jones. The animals then start building the windmill, and
as time passes the working-time goes up, whereas the food rations decline. Although the "common" animals have not
enough food, the pigs grow fatter and fatter. They tell the other animals that they need more food, for they are managing the whole
farm. Some time later, the pigs explain to the other animals that they have to trade with the neighbouring farms. The common animals are
very upset, because since the revolution there has been a resolution that no animal shall trade with a human. But the pigs ensure them
that there never has been such a resolution, and that this was an evil lie of Snowball. Shortly after this decision the pigs move to the
farmhouse. The other animals remember that there is a commandment that forbids sleeping in beds, and so they go to the big
barn to look at the commandments. When they arrive there they can't believe their eyes, the fourth commandment has been changed to:
"No animal shall sleep in bed
with sheets". And the other commandments have also been changed: "No animal
shall kill another animal without reason", and "No animal shall drink alcohol in excess". Some months later a
heavy storm destroys the windmill, which is nearly finished. Napoleon accuses Snowball of destroying the mill, and he promises
a reward to the animal that gets Snowball. The rebuilding of the mill takes two years. Again Jones attacks the farm, and although the
animals defend it, the windmill is once again destroyed. The pigs decide to rebuild the mill again, and they cut down the food rations to
a minimum. One day Boxer breaks down. He is sold to a butcher, but Napoleon tells the pigs that Boxer has been brought to a
hospital where he has died. Three years later, the mill is finally completed. During this time Napoleon deepens the relations with the
neighbouring farm, and one day Napoleon even invites the owners of this farm for an inspection. They sit inside the farmhouse and
celebrate the efficiency of his farm, where the animals work very hard with a minimum of food. During this celebration, all the other
animals meet at the window of the farm, and when they look inside they can't distinguish between man and animal.
Symbolism/Interpretation
The novel Animal Farm is a satire of the Russian revolution, and therefore full
of symbolism. Generally, Orwell associates certain real characters with the characters
of the book. Here is a list of the characters and things and their meaning:
Mr Jones: Mr Jones is one of Orwell's major (or at least most obvious) villain
in Animal Farm. 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 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 hard hit. The
parallels between crop failure of the farm and the depression in the 1930s
are clear. Only the leaders and the die-hard followers ate their fill during
this time period. Mr Jones symbolises (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 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 "pure-bred" of pigs is the kind, grandfatherly
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 untold. 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
at any time 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 seems as though the pigs fed off old
Major's inspiration and then used it to benefit themselves (an interesting twist
of capitalism) instead of following through on the old Major's honest proposal.
This could be Orwell's attempt to dig Stalin, whom many consider to be someone
who totally ignored Marx's political and social theory. Using Old Major's
apparent naivety, Orwell concludes that no society is perfect, no pure socialist
civilisation can exist, and there is no way to escaping 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.
Napoleon: Napoleon is Orwell's chief villain in Animal Farm. The name Napoleon
is very appropriate 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 the to uncontrollable sins of
human nature. For example, although Napoleon seems at 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 murdered many. At 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 quickly becomes more or less a dictator who of
course has never even been elected by the animals.
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 1930s. Propaganda was a key to
many publications, and since there 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 the evil intentions of the pigs, the intentions 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 supposed to metaphor characters in Russia.
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 passes, both eventually
realise 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 an effort
to establish a private police force. These dogs would later be used to eliminate
Snowball, his arch-rival. Snowball represents Leo Dawidowitsch 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 precursor of the KGB. Trotsky was found
with a pick axe in his head at his villa in Mexico.
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 signalled the beginning of communism in red China.
This form of communism, much like the distorted Stalin view of socialism, is still
present today in the oppressive socialist government in China. Boxer and Clover
are used by Orwell to represent the proletariat, or unskilled labour 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 with
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 themselves 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.
Pigs: Orwell uses the pigs to surround and support Napoleon. They symbolise
the communist party loyalists and the friends of Stalin, as well as perhaps the
Duma, or Russian parliament. The pigs, unlike other animals, live in luxury and
enjoy the benefits of the society they help to control. The inequality and true
hypocrisy of communism is expressed here by Orwell, who criticised 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 emphasises, "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 reckon 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 is later 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 labelled "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.
Mollie: Mollie is one of Orwell's minor characters, but she represents
something very important. Mollie is one of the animals 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
traitor when she is seen being petted by a human from a neighbouring farm.
Soon Mollie is confronted by the "dedicated" animals, and she quietly leaves
the farm. Mollie characterises 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 characterise 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 belief Orwell hated and
according to which basically all animals act the same. The naivety of Marxism is criticised,
socialism is not perfect, and it doesn't work for everyone.
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 realised 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 and support
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.
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.
Old 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
excited 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 are those
who never totally embrace the revolution, those so cynical they no longer look to
their leaders for help. Benjamin symbolises 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 level compared with 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
demeanour, 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."
Rats & Rabbits: The rats and the rabbits, who are regarded as wild animals,
somehow represent the socialist movement, the so-called "Menscheviki".
In the very beginning of the book the animals vote if rats and rabbits should
be comrades.
Pigeons: The pigeons symbolise 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 had
similar problems with their people in this century. There was a huge
"Red Scare" in the United States in the 1920s. In the 1950s 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 ordinary people. The fear of
communism became a phobia in America and anyone speaking out against the
government was a suspect.
Farm buildings: The farm stands for the Kremlin. In the early days of the
USSR there were sightseeing tours through the Kremlin. Later it became the
residence of Stalin.
Windmill: The Windmill for example stands for the Russian industry, that has
been built by the working-class. (Clover...)
Fredericks: Stands for Hitler. There has also been an arrangement and secret
deals. (Allusion to Fritz.)
Foxwood: Foxwood farm represents England.
Pinchfield: Pinchfield symbolises Germany.
Destruction of the Windmill: This destruction is a symbol for the failure of
the Five Year Plan.
