Animal Farm

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF GEORGE ORWELL

Eric Blair was born and spent his youth in India. He was educated at Eton in England. From 1922-27 he served in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. Through his autobiographical work about poverty in London (Down and Out in Paris and London, 1933), his experiences in colonial Burma (Burmese Days, 1934) and in the Spanish Civil War (Homage to Catalonia, 1938), and the plight of unemployed coal miners in England (The Road to Wigan Pier, 1937), Blair (who wrote under the name George Orwell) exposed and critiqued the human tendency to oppress others politically, economically, and physically. Orwell particularly hated totalitarianism, and his most famous novels, Animal Farm (1945) and 1984 (1949), are profound condemnations of totalitarian regimes. Orwell died at the age of 47 after failing to treat a lung ailment.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

In 1917, two successive revolutions rocked Russia and the world. The first revolution overthrew the Russian Monarchy (the Tsar) and the second established the USSR, the world's first Communist state. Over the next thirty years the Soviet government descended into a totalitarian regime that used and manipulated socialist ideas of equality among the working class to oppress its people and maintain power. Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian Revolution and the Communist Soviet Union. Many of the animal characters in Animal Farm have direct correlations to figures or institutions in the Soviet Union.

RELATED LITERARY WORKS

Orwell subtitled Animal Farm "A Fairy Story." Characters in fairy tales tend to be two-dimensional stereotypes used to reveal some broad observation about life. As the critic C.M.

Wodehouse wrote in a piece on Animal Farm in 1954, a fairy tale has no moral. It simply says, "Life is like that—take it or leave it." Animal Farm uses the format of a fairy tale to expose the evils of totalitarian exploitation. Rather than attack totalitarianism directly, the book shows its offenses plainly and clearly and lets the reader deduce the dangers posed by totalitarian governments. The literary work most often mentioned alongside Animal Farm is 1984, another Orwell novel. 1984, published in 1949, envisions a future in which a dictatorship monitors and controls the actions of all of its citizens. Like Animal Farm, 1984 depicted the horrific constraints that totalitarian governments could impose on human freedom.

KEY FACTS

• Full Title: Animal Farm - A Fairy Story

• When Written: 1944-45

• Where Written: England

• When Published: 1945

• Literary Period: Modernism

• Genre: Novel / Fairy Tale / Allegory

• Setting: A farm somewhere in England in the first half of the

20th century

• Climax: The pigs appear standing upright and the sheep bleat

"Four legs good, two legs better!"

• Antagonist: Napoleon

• Point of View: Third person omniscient

EXTRA CREDIT

Rejection. Though Animal Farm eventually made Orwell famous, three publishers in England rejected the novel at first.

One of those who rejected it was T.S. Eliot, the famous poet and an editor at the Faber & Faber publishing house. Several American publishing houses rejected the novel as well. One editor told Orwell it was "impossible to sell animal stories in the

U.S.A."

Outspoken Anti-Communist. Orwell didn't just write literature that condemned the Communist state of the USSR. He did everything he could, from writing editorials to compiling lists of men he knew were Soviet spies, to combat the willful blindness of many intellectuals in the West to USSR atrocities.

Manor Farm is a small farm in England run by the harsh and often drunk Mr. Jones. One night, a boar named Old Major gathers all the animals of Manor Farm together. Knowing that he will soon die, Old Major gives a speech in which he reveals to the animals that men cause all the misery that animals endure.

Old Major says that all animals are equal and urges them to join together to rebel. He teaches them a revolutionary song called "Beasts of England." Old Major dies soon after, but two pigs named Snowball and Napoleon adapt his ideas into the philosophy of Animalism. Three months later, the animals defeat Jones in an unplanned uprising. The farm is renamed "Animal Farm."

The ingenuity of the pigs, the immense strength of a horse named Boxer, and the absence of parasitical humans makes Animal Farm prosperous. The animals post the Seven

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Commandments of Animalism on the side of the barn. The commandments state that all animals are equal and no animal may act like a human by sleeping in a bed, walking on two legs, killing other animals, drinking alcohol, and so on.

A fight for power soon develops between the two pigs Snowball and Napoleon. The rivalry comes to a head over Snowball's idea to build a windmill. At the final debate about the windmill, Napoleon summons dogs he has secretly reared to be his own vicious servants and has them chase Snowball from Animal Farm. Napoleon tells the other animals that Snowball was a "bad influence," eliminates the animals' right to vote, and takes "the burden" of leadership on himself. He sends around a pig named Squealer, who persuades the animals that Napoleon has their best interests at heart.

Three weeks later Napoleon decides they should build the windmill after all. The animals set to work, with Boxer leading.

Focusing on the windmill reduces the productivity of the farm, and all the animals but the pigs get less to eat. The pigs begin to trade with other farms, move into Mr. Jones's farmhouse, and start to sleep in beds. This confuses the animals who considered this forbidden behavior. But when they check the Commandment about beds, it reads: "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets."

Over the next few years, Animal Farm battles with its human neighbors. The windmill gets destroyed first by a storm and then by a human attack. Napoleon blames all catastrophes on the "traitor" Snowball, and uses fear tactics, information control, and deadly purges of anyone he considers an enemy to strengthen his power over the farm. Meanwhile, the pigs secretly continue to rewrite the Commandments and all of Animal Farm's history to support their lies. They give the animals less food and demand more work, while eating more and working less themselves. The other animals, duped by the pigs' misinformation, continue to consider themselves part of a great revolution. When Boxer, the most devoted worker on the farm, is no longer able to work, the pigs sell him to a glue factory and use the proceeds to buy whiskey.

Years pass. Now only a few of the remaining animals on the farm experienced the revolution. Even fewer remember its goals. The pigs teach themselves to walk on two legs and begin carrying whips. When the animals look at the Seven Commandments, they have been replaced by the statement: "All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others." The pigs make peace with their human neighbors and have a feast. The other animals are shocked to discover that they can no longer tell the pigs from the humans.

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Old Major Old Major – A pig. He creates the ideas behind Animalism and inspires the other animals to rebel. As a prize boar, Old Major has lived a relatively privileged life among the animals. This privileged life has given him the time to think about and understand fully the ways that humans exploit and enslave animals. Old Major's ideas inspire the animals' revolution, though Old Major dies before the revolution occurs. Old Major symbolizes both Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, the fathers of Communism.

Napoleon Napoleon – A pig. One of Old Major's main disciples. A "fierce-looking Berkshire boar," Napoleon prizes power over ideas, unlike Snowball, Old Major's other main disciple. Napoleon is cowardly, shrewd, calculating, and selfish. While he fully supports the revolution against Mr. Jones, he cares more about his own power than he does about the ideals of the revolution.

His selfishness leads him to build a totalitarian government based on terror and lies that gives him more power over the other animals than Mr. Jones ever had. Napoleon symbolizes Stalin, who led the Soviet Union from 1930 until his death in 1953.

Snowball Snowball – A pig. Alongside Napoleon, one of Old Major's main disciples. Snowball is a more lively, original, and intelligent pig than Napoleon, but he is less shrewd in the ways of power.

Snowball values the ideals of the revolution more than Napoleon does, though at times Snowball does seem willing to sacrifice the principle of animal equality for his own personal comfort. In the end, despite Snowball's bravery in supporting the revolution, his political naiveté is no match for Napoleon's cunning. Snowball symbolizes Trotsky, a rival of Stalin exiled from Russian and assassinated on Stalin's orders in Mexico in 1940.

Squealer Squealer – A pig. Short and fat, Squealer is a terrific speaker who prioritizes his personal comfort above all else. Whenever the pigs violate the tenets of Animalism, Squealer persuades the other animals that the pigs are actually acting in everyone's best interest. Squealer represents the Soviet press, which Stalin controlled throughout his rule.

Bo Boxxer er – A horse. Strong and hardworking, Boxer is extremely

honorable, though not so intelligent. Boxer believes deeply in the revolution, so much so that he thinks the Animal Farm leader, who also leads the revolution, must be virtuous and wise. One of Boxer's favorite sayings is "Napoleon is always right." Boxer has the strength to overthrow Napoleon's dictatorship, but not the wit to realize that it is a dictatorship.

Boxer devotes all his strength to supporting Napoleon, yet when that strength finally fails him, Napoleon betrays him.

Boxer symbolizes the male working class and peasants of the Soviet Union.

Clo Clovver er – A horse. Clover is a gentle, motherly, and powerful

mare, who supports the revolution, but becomes dismayed by the direction it takes under Napoleon. Yet she has neither the will nor the personality to resist the pigs. She becomes a witness to the corruption of the revolution as it turns into a

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totalitarian state, though she only vaguely understands that something has gone wrong. Clover symbolizes the female working class and peasants of the Soviet Union.

Benjamin Benjamin – A donkey. Guided by a skeptical philosophy that life will always be difficult and painful, Benjamin is not surprised when the pigs corrupt the revolution and transform Animal Farm into a totalitarian state. Though Benjamin's skepticism proves to be correct, it also makes him powerless. Alone among the other animals, Benjamin seems to understand what's going on, but he does nothing to stop it. In the end, his inaction comes back to haunt him when his dear friend Boxer is betrayed and killed. Benjamin represents those who were aware of Stalin's unjust and oppressive policies but did nothing to try to stop them.

MINOR CHARACTERS

Minimus Minimus – A pig who writes propaganda poems and songs praising Napoleon and Animal Farm. Minimus represents the takeover of art by propaganda in a totalitarian state that aims to control what its citizens think.

Mollie Mollie – A vain horse who loves sugar and wearing pretty ribbons in her mane, Mollie never much cares about the revolution. She abandons Animal Farm and puts herself into service for another human well before totalitarianism even takes hold on the farm. Mollie symbolizes the selfish and materialistic middle-class.

The Dogs The Dogs – Jessie, Bluebell, Pincher, and the nine attack dogs provide the pigs with the brute force necessary to terrorize the other animals. In return, the dogs receive special privileges. The dogs don't rule, but they live comfortably. The dogs symbolize the Soviet secret police.

Moses Moses – A tame raven who constantly speaks about a beautiful place called Sugarcandy Mountain where all animals go when they die. Moses represents organized religion.

The Sheep The Sheep – Dumb animals who believe whatever propaganda is told to them and follow orders. The sheep represent the duped citizens of a totalitarian state.

Muriel Muriel – A goat. One of the few animals other than the pigs and dogs who becomes fully literate.

Mr Mr. Jones . Jones – The owner of Manor Farm, and once a strict and

fierce master, Mr. Jones has in recent years become drunk, careless, and ineffective, though he remains as casually cruel and arrogant as ever. Mr. Jones symbolizes the Russian Tsar in the early 20th century.

Mr Mr. F . Frederick rederick – The owner of the neighboring farm of

Pinchfield. A vicious, cruel, and calculating man, Frederick symbolizes the Fascist Germans.

Mr Mr. Pilkington . Pilkington – The gentleman owner of the neighboring farm

of Pilkington. A man who prefers recreation to farm work,

Pilkington represents the Allies before World War II, particularly the British.

Mr Mr. Wh . Whymper ymper – The human that the pigs use as their

connection to the outside world, Whymper symbolizes capitalists who got rich doing business with the USSR.

In LitCharts literature guides, each theme gets its own color-coded icon. These icons make it easy to track where the themes occur most prominently throughout the work. If you don't have a color printer, you can still use the icons to track themes in black and white.

TOTALITARIANISM

George Orwell once wrote: "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been … against totalitarianism." Animal Farm is no

exception. Totalitarianism is a form of government in which the state seeks to control every facet of life, from economics and politics to the each individual's ideas and beliefs. Different totalitarian states have different justifications for their rule. For instance, Mr. Jones runs Manor Farm based on the idea that human domination of animals is the natural order of things, while Napoleon and the pigs run Animal Farm with the claim that they are fighting for animals against evil humans.

Orwell's underlying point is that the stated goals of totalitarianism don't matter because all totalitarian regimes are fundamentally the same. Every type of totalitarianism, whether communist, fascist, or capitalist, is founded on oppression of the individual and the lower class. Those who hold power in totalitarian regimes care only about one thing: maintaining their power by any means necessary. While the story of Napoleon's rise to power is most explicitly a condemnation of totalitarianism in the Soviet Union, Orwell intends Animal Farm to criticize all totalitarian regimes.

REVOLUTION AND CORRUPTION

Animal Farm depicts a revolution in progress. Old Major gives the animals a new perspective on their situation under Mr. Jones, which leads them to

envision a better future free of human exploitation. The revolution in Animal Farm, like all popular revolutions, arises out of a hope for a better future. At the time of the revolution, even the pigs are excited by and committed to the idea of universal animal equality.

So what undermines the animal's revolution and transforms it into a totalitarian nightmare? Animal Farm shows how the high ideals that fuel revolutions gradually give way to individual and class self-interest. Not even Napoleon planned to become a

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dictator before the revolution, but as his power grew, he took more and more until his power became absolute. Revolutions are corrupted in a slow process. Animal Farm portrays that process.

CLASS WARFARE

One of the main tenets of Animalism is that all animals are equal. But quite quickly the pigs begin to refer to themselves as "mindworkers" to

distinguish themselves from the other animals, who are physical laborers. Over time, this sense of separation takes hold: the pigs begin to discourage their children from playing with the children of the other animals, and then establish themselves as absolute rulers of the "lesser" menial laborers.

Animal Farm shows how differences in education and occupation lead to the development of class, which leads inevitably to class warfare, in which one class seeks to dominate the other. Animal Farm suggests that the "mindworking" class will almost always prevail in this struggle.

Animal Farm doesn't just focus on the upper classes, however.

In fact, it focuses more closely on the oppressed working class.

The farm animals work so hard that they have no time to learn or educate themselves or think deeply about their world.

Instead, they're taught that work is their contribution to society, their way to freedom. Boxer believes that "I will work harder" is the answer to every problem, though he never perceives that the pigs exploit his effort. Benjamin occupies the other extreme: he recognizes what's going on, but his cynicism stops him from taking action against the pigs. In the end, Animal Farm implies that whether because of ignorance, inaction, or fear, the working class allows itself to be dominated by the "mindworkers."

LANGUAGE AS POWER

Animal Farm shows how the minority in power uses vague language, propaganda, and misinformation to control the thoughts and beliefs of the majority

in the lower classes. The pigs, especially Squealer, become extremely sophisticated and effective in their attempts to rewrite the rules of Animal Farm and Animalism. They even revise the farm's entire history in order to mislead the other animals into believing exactly what they say. By the end of the novel, the animals on the farm believe Snowball fought against them at the Battle of the Cowshed even though they saw him fight with them. They believe life on the farm has improved even though they have less food than ever, and that Napoleon has their best interests at heart even though he kills those who disagree with him. As the only literate animals on the farm, the pigs maintain a monopoly on information that they use to build and hold their power.

THE SOVIET UNION

While Animal Farm condemns all forms of totalitarianism, it is most explicitly a bitter attack on the Soviet Union. Though Orwell supported the

ideas of Socialism, he strongly opposed the Soviet Union's descent into totalitarianism under Stalin. Animal Farm satirically attacks the Soviet Union by mirroring many events from Soviet history in the novel. The events of Animal Farm that mirror historical events in the Soviet Union, such as the revolution and the subsequent corruption of its ideals, will be highlighted and discussed in the Summary and Analysis sections.

Symbols appear in blue text throughout the Summary and Analysis sections of this LitChart.

CHARACTER NAMES

Orwell wrote Animal Farm as an allegory, a symbolic representation of real events. Many characters and

events in the novel symbolize people in the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union. Here are some of the animals who symbolize individuals or groups in Soviet society: Mr. Jones (Russian Tsar and the aristocratic order); Old Major (Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin); Napoleon (Stalin); Snowball (Trotsky); Squealer (the press); the pigs (ruling bureaucrats); and Moses the Raven (organized religion). Nearly all of the other animals represent the working class and Soviet peasants. For a more complete list, see the "Character" section.

THE WINDMILL

The windmill represents the massive infrastructure constructions projects and modernization

initiatives that Soviet leaders instituted immediately after the Russian Revolution. In Animal Farm, the windmill also comes to symbolize the pigs' totalitarian triumph: the other animals work to build the windmill thinking it will benefit everyone, and even after it benefits only the pigs the animals continue to believe that it benefits all the animals.

Note: all page numbers for the quotes below refer to the Signet Classics edition of Animal Farm published in 1996.

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Chapter 1 Quotes

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. 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.

Related Characters: Old Major (speaker)

Related Themes:

Page Number: 7

Explanation and Analysis

The boar Old Major gives this rousing speech after calling the other animals into the barn. He argues that men hold an unfair power over animals, for they take resources without offering anything in return.

Old Major’s rhetoric employs many features characteristic of revolutionary speech. For instance, it posits the existence of a single evil that, if removed, would fix all issues. In making man the single and “root cause” of the animals’ hardship, Old Major glosses over any differences or quibbles among the animals themselves. To do so, he selects the quality that all animals hold in common except men: resource production. Though Old Major could have chosen a value that, say, man and some animals have in common, his decision instead allows the animals to unify against this false “lord.”

Orwell here shows the efficacy of this revolutionary speech, while also pointing out its false premise: that all animals can be considered equal and will live in harmony and without hunger once man is removed. It thus becomes a parody of the socialist and soviet efforts to unify disparate groups or people in the fight to overturn governmental systems—for that tactic predicts the fact that new lords will simply replace the vanquished humans.

Why then do we continue in this miserable condition?

Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is

stolen from us by human beings.

Related Characters: Old Major (speaker)

Related Themes:

Page Number: 7

Explanation and Analysis

Old Major continues his rallying speech to the other farm animals. He claims, here, that animals are trapped in a system that extracts the products of their labor and therefore makes them dependent on their human masters.

The entirety of Old Major’s speech is built on a socialist framework, and this line is particularly reminiscent of Soviet speech patterns and ideology. That “labour” has been “stolen” speaks to the common Marxist critique of alienated labor: in this account, Karl Marx, the theoretical origin for communism, believed that capitalist practices had divorced those producing commodities from the actual use of those commodities. Instead of, for example, building one’s own car or farming one’s own corn, capitalism had forced people to build cars and farm corn for others. Old Major is subtly invoking this idea when he points out that what the animals produce is “stolen.” Whereas the Marxist sense was more metaphorical or symbolic, in this case the stealing is literal.

The animals are thus a useful way to make abstract concepts concrete (as any good allegory does). Orwell’s work therefore positions the animals as both engaging in and representing a revolution against the “miserable condition” of capitalism. Their relative successes and failures can be read as the corresponding values and limits of other revolutionary movements.

Remember, comrades, 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, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself.

And among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.

Related Characters: Old Major (speaker)

Related Themes:

Page Number: 10

Explanation and Analysis

As Old Major’s rousing speech draws to a close, he gives these final polemical statements. They draw harsh boundaries between men and animals and offer a specific, prescriptive strategy for the animals to unite.

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What stands out in Old Major’s language here is his absolutism: each sentence carries a term such as “never” “no,” “all” and “perfect” thus permitting no space for nuance or exceptions. The goal in employing such terms is to draw strict boundaries that consolidate one group against another. By defining a singular and complete evil—“All men are enemies”—Old Major can link a disparate set of animals with the single term “comrades.” Thus adopting a direct foe becomes the essential way to consolidate a group with a direct purpose.

Yet Orwell also implies the danger inherent in this kind of rhetoric. Old Major insists, for instance, that the animals not take into account any other perspectives. When he says “No argument” and “It is all lies,” Old Major does not actually offer compelling counter-evidence, but rather asserts that any potential criticism should be ignored without due consideration. This sort of blind acceptance is precisely what will allow new tyrants to take control in the animal world after they have overthrown the humans—for Old Major has paved the way for them by indoctrinating the animals with authoritarian values and squashing the merit of independent thought.

Chapter 2 Quotes

THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.

3. No animal shall wear clothes.

4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.

5. No animal shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

7. All animals are equal.

Related Themes:

Page Number: 24-25

Explanation and Analysis

After having successfully ousted Mr. Jones and taken control of the farm, the pigs publicly display these tenets of Animalism. They detail the new rules of Animal Farm, which has been founded on a communally-shared philosophy.

The tone of these commandments continues the kind of absolutist rhetoric employed by Old Major in his rousing speech. They all begin with words that permit no exception—“Whatever” “no” and “all”—and thus unify the farm animals under well-defined terms. Their society is thus shown to stem from a singular ideology—that developed by Old Major—rather than from a democratic election or

debate process. By publicly displaying the commandments, they imply that any social contention can be resolved by returning to these seven rules.

Order in the commandments deserves some additional attention: By first designating “an enemy” and then “a friend,” the commandments place the fear of humans as the farm’s core value. Orwell seems to point out how the USSR, along with other authoritarian regimes, rely first and foremost on a well-defined enemy in order to derive their other societal values. Indeed, almost all the commandments refer indirectly to humans, defining animal behaviors as anti-consumer and anti-economic. Only the last two commandments actually speak to morality as it concerns inter-animal relations, and the term “equal” remains deliberately unclear. Orwell thus stresses how an ideologically-driven society derives power but also ambiguity from its strict public rules.

Chapter 3 Quotes

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.

Related Themes:

Page Number: 29

Explanation and Analysis

Immediately after the animals take control of the farm, their society seems to be functioning extremely well. The text presents an ideal scenario in which Animalism solves not only the external fight with humans but also the internal strife between animal factions.

Once more, a set of absolutist terms—“nobody” and “almost disappeared” highlight how extensively the change has permeated the farm. These changes refer to the interpersonal dealings of the animals, which, we can presume, normally included stealing, grumbling, quarreling, biting, and jealousy. Thus not only has Animalism prevented bad actions done by some animals to each other; it has also eliminated bad thoughts such as “jealousy.” It seems that the revolution has indeed successfully led to the equity and peace envisioned by Old Major. Orwell thus shows how the early moments after a revolutionary event can indeed create intended effects—and that only later will the less positive outcomes manifest themselve.

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I will work harder!

Related Characters: Boxer (speaker)

Related Themes:

Page Number: 29

Explanation and Analysis

Boxer adopts this phrase as his motto in the animal’s new society. He becomes the epitome of the socialist work ethic, in which one derives self-value from the ability to contribute to the well-being of others.

Above all, this sentence shows how Boxer has fully internalized the values of Animalism. He is motivated to work ever harder based on a striking commitment to the society, and to his belief that he can improve the lives of others simply through hard work. Indeed, he is quite effective in this endeavor, and is able to aid the animals in producing an excellent harvest.

Yet the phrase also speaks to his narrow-minded perspective: Boxer does not consider other ways that he could approach life, but rather identifies fully with a single quality: his physical strength. Orwell renders him a caricature of how adherents to socialism were required to behave dependently: the best workers were instructed not to reflect on their position in the system, but simply drive themselves to work ever harder. Boxer thus demonstrates both the efficacy of a revolution like that in the USSR, as well as the significant drawbacks to such a structure.

Four legs good, two legs bad.

Related Characters: The Sheep (speaker)

Related Themes:

Page Number: 34

Explanation and Analysis

Snowball invents this phrase when the sheep are unable to learn the commandments of Animalism. Yet the sheep cannot actually make sense of the specific nature of the sentence and thus apply it constantly to irrelevant contexts.

The sentence reflects both the need to simplify ideological language and the drawbacks of oversimplification. The fact that the sheep cannot read or memorize the full commandments is a metaphor for how less-educated members of a populace often cannot fully make sense of

their political regime: in light of that divide, leaders must translate the tenets of the regime into increasingly simple language. And the sheep’s way of responding to the phrase—applying it randomly—shows the way those distilled slogans will rapidly shift contexts and be mis-appropriated when they are unleashed in the general populace.

Once more, the most essential part of Animalism is shown to be the opposition to humans: it does not concern the

actual ways that animals should treat each other, but rather focuses on the enemy of “two legs bad.” “Four legs good,” pointedly, does not refer to whether a relative hierarchy exists between animals, and it even leaves open the chance that animals who stand on two legs could disrupt this binary.

Thus the phrase showcases how the original commandments of Animalism become diluted, and how they are perverted in the process.

"Comrades!" he cried. "You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?

Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples."

Related Characters: Squealer (speaker)

Related Themes:

Page Number: 35-36

Explanation and Analysis

Squealer gives this speech to defend the way the pigs have hoarded milk and apples away from the other animals. He claims that they need the nutrients from the foodstuffs to properly run the farm and thus best serve the needs of others.

This speech represents a critical turning point in the text: whereas previously the pigs’ subterfuge had remained secretive and unacknowledged, here they publicly admit to withholding resources from the other animals. Their explanation is that such unequal distributions actually will have overall positive effects on the animal society. In this way, they take advantage of an ambiguity in the idea of equality: if it is defined defined based on social well-being, the thinking goes, then redistributing resources to the

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intelligent pigs could create more equality by bettering the lives of all.

Squealer’s flowery language also harnesses uncertainty and vagueness as a propaganda strategy. He uses the rhetorical question “You do not imagine” to ridicule any potential criticism; he summons the abstract idea of “Science” as an objective standard without offering any specific data; and he claims that the pigs’ supposedly selfish behavior is

actually entirely selfless. In these ways, he becomes a parody of governmental speeches that justify the unfair distribution of resources to those in power.

Chapter 4 Quotes

I have no wish to take life, not even human life,' repeated

Boxer, and his eyes were full of tears.

Related Characters: Boxer (speaker)

Related Themes:

Page Number: 43

Explanation and Analysis

During the “Battle of the Cowshed,” Boxer believes that he has killed a stable boy. After the animals finish the battle, Boxer mourns the fact that he has unintentionally become a murderer.

Boxer’s sadness is indicative of both a striking moral compass and a naive relationship to his strength. He feels an intense ethical burden to have killed the stable boy, and the fact that his reaction is motivated by emotion indicates that this wish to preserve all life is somehow innate to his identity. Orwell contrasts this quality with the more artificial Animalism system, which is based on harsh principles rather than emotional sensitivity to specific events.

Boxer’s perspective also notably separates him from other interpretations of Animalism, which would require that animals kill humans. But while Boxer’s ethical beliefs bring him into conflict with the commandments, he remains unable to fully articulate the disparity. His role continues to be that of a powerful worker, committed to toiling ever more and to representing society. This laudable single-mindedness also leaves him blind to the way the pigs have taken advantage of his strength—not only to cultivate the farm, but also to go against Boxer’s own moral wishes.

Chapter 5 Quotes

At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine

enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws.

Related Characters: Snowball, The Dogs

Related Themes:

Related Symbols:

Page Number: 52-53

Explanation and Analysis

After the animals agree to pursue Snowball’s plan for the Windmill, Napoleon unleashes his dog minions. They successfully oust Snowball and allow Napoleon to implement a tyrannical regime over the other animals.

The dogs, here, represent the use of military force by political leaders to dispose of each other. Napoleon has reared the dogs (i.e. built up a secret military) in case such an instance arrives, but he delays unleashing them until the population of animals moves against his own wishes. Orwell then points out how military force is harnessed in direct opposition to democratic or socialist principles of equality. It becomes a way for leaders with more military power but less social appeal to impose their whims on the world. The specific historical parallel, here, is how in the USSR Stalin (represented by Napoleon) used force to overcome Trotsky (Snowball) after the two disagreed on the future of the country. Orwell stresses the irony of this action by showing just how clearly Napoleon’s actions—attacking another animal—violate the rules of Animalism.

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?

Related Characters: Squealer (speaker), Napoleon

Related Themes:

Page Number: 55

Explanation and Analysis

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Squealer offers these comments to shore up Napoleon’s recent tyrannical actions against Snowball. He claims that power should be concentrated in the hands of fewer animals because others will inevitably make wrong decisions.

Once more, Squealer uses clever rhetorical tactics to convince the other less intelligent animals to give up their freedoms and rights. He first reiterates the central tenet of Animalism—“that all animals are equal”—which makes it seem that the later comments will not violate the principle, even if that is precisely what they do. His further comments rest on this idea that democratically-chosen decisions may not, indeed, be preferable for the other animals and that they should therefore cede their rights to the supposedly smarter animals. The phrase “be only too happy” casts Napoleon as falsely willing to acquiesce, while the taunting rhetorical question “where should we be?” goads the audience. Orwell thus emphasizes the essential role of propaganda in maintaining control of a populace.

Napoleon is always right.

Related Characters: Boxer (speaker), Napoleon

Related Themes:

Page Number: 56

Explanation and Analysis

Boxer makes this characteristically terse comment after listening to Squealer’s defense of Napoleon. Instead of responding to the specific terms, however, he offers his universal adherence to the leader.

This line reiterates Boxer’s role as a committed adherent to the political regime on the Animal Farm. He continues to deal in the absolute of “always right” even after evidence has been presented that would contradict that firm belief.

Unable to take into account how Napoleon’s military tactics conflict with his own anti-violent system of ethics, Boxer blindly reaffirms his belief in the leader of-the-moment. He thus symbolizes the unquestioning supporter of a totalitarian governmental system, one who is persuaded by propaganda and will believe in the system despite indications that it is no longer effective.

Chapter 6 Quotes

Comrades, do you know who is responsible for this? Do

you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!

Related Characters: Napoleon (speaker), Snowball

Related Themes:

Related Symbols:

Page Number: 69-70

Explanation and Analysis

After the half-finished windmill is destroyed by a storm, Napoleon investigates the rubble. He suddenly concludes, here, that Snowball destroyed it in an act of political subterfuge.

By blaming Snowball, Napoleon is able to protect his own reputation and motivate the animals to work ever-harder at rebuilding the windmill. Whereas his authority could have potentially been challenged for having recommended bad practices, attributing the destruction to Snowball renders himself both immune to criticism and necessary for the future defense of his followers. Napoleon can use the shadowy figure of "Snowball" to effectively instill fear into the animal populace.

This tactic notably parallels the way the animals motivated their revolution in the first place: by blaming a single enemy, the humans, for all their hardships. Orwell thus points out how any given political regime will gather support by selecting such an adversary—whether it be false or accurate—and organizing popular support against that foe.

Developing a culture of fear around an unseen enemy allows a group to justify its tactics and explain away any negative events as the result of those enemies’ actions.

Chapter 7 Quotes

If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up,

someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it, and when the key of the store-shed was lost, the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. Curiously enough, they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of meal.

Related Characters: Snowball

Related Themes:

Page Number: 78

Explanation and Analysis

As the conditions on Animal Farm continue to worsen, rumors spread through Squealer that Snowball is

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conducting an extensive campaign against the farm. Here, all negative events are attributed to him, even in the face of direct evidence to the contrary.

Snowball here becomes less an actual agent and more of a social tool to unify the animals. That “someone was certain” to blame him indicates that the animals are not rationally responding to each negative event, but rather are immediately using Snowball as a stock response to the issue. This reaction indicates that Squealer’s propaganda campaign has successfully reordered the way the animals think about the events on the farm. They have come to see these moments as the result of neither poor leadership nor chance occurrence, but rather due to a paranoid belief in foreign espionage.

They believe this theory even in the face of direct counter-evidence, for instance when the location of the “mislaid key” clearly indicates that Snowball has not disposed of it in a well. Orwell thus makes a mockery of how willing citizens are to accept the fear-tactics of despotic regimes, such as that of the USSR. Once a single enemy has been decided upon by the leadership, the populace is apt to reinterpret all events as the result of transgressions by that enemy.

If she herself had had any picture of the future, it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip,

all equal, each working according to his capacity, the strong protecting the weak... Instead - she did not know why - they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes.

Related Characters: Clover, The Dogs

Related Themes:

Page Number: 86-87

Explanation and Analysis

This passage describes Clover’s disheartened response to the current state of animal farm. She observes that its present conditions are directly opposed to what she had envisioned during the earlier revolution.

Clover’s observations reflect the disenchantment that many felt as the Soviet Union grew poorer and increasingly despotic. She points out the distance between the original image—“set free” and “all equal”—with the current reality of repression and violence. Unlike some of the other animals,

who remain unable to compare these two things, Clover’s memory allows her to reflect on the difference between ideal goal and pragmatic implementation. Yet the subtle addition “she did not know why” stresses how she still cannot locate the exact causes of the current state of terror.

She may notice that conditions are bad, but she cannot tie that observation to Napoleon’s behavior. Thus Clover represents an ultimately passive citizen, one who can note the occurrence of bad events but cannot make sense of why those events are indeed taking place.

Animal Farm, Animal Farm, Never through me shalt thou come to harm!

Related Characters: Minimus (speaker)

Related Themes:

Page Number: 88

Explanation and Analysis

The pig Minimus composes this new song to replace the now-banned “Beasts of England.” This choice represents the increasing crack down on animal behavior and the turn away from the revolutionary ideas that were spoken in the original song.

It is revealing, here, to consider exactly why the pigs would want to ban “Beast of England.” Recall that the song represented the triumphs of the animals against the despotic human and promised, through that revolution, equality for all. Now that the pigs have taken on more and more human characteristics—and gathered increasing stores of power—they have actually become the hierarchical establishment that “Beasts of England” challenges. As a result, they fear the very revolutionary ideology that created Animal Farm to begin with, and take it upon themselves to censor the information that the other animals receive.

Minimus’s new song swaps out the idea of universal Animalism in order to doubly reaffirm the role of the state: “Animal Farm, Animal Farm.” Ironically, it is through the state that the animals are supposed to be protected from harm—when in fact the government is the main instrument of terror. Orwell points out the irony in much socialist propaganda, in which the promises of protection were

actually used to create a state that violated the rights of the people. The fact that “Minimus" means "smallest" in Latin also speaks to the relative triviality of this song. Whereas “Beasts of England” aggrandized the feats of the animals,

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the new text downplays their relative merits, instead stressing how they should remain passive with respect to the state.

Chapter 8 Quotes

At the foot of the end wall of the big barn, where the Seven

Commandments were written, there lay a ladder broken in two pieces. Squealer, temporarily stunned, was sprawling beside it, and near at hand there lay a lantern, a paint-brush, and an overturned pot of white paint. None of the animals could form any idea as to what this meant, except old Benjamin, who nodded his muzzle with a knowing air, and seemed to understand, but would say nothing.

Related Characters: Squealer, Benjamin

Related Themes:

Page Number: 108

Explanation and Analysis

After the pigs begin to consume alcohol, Squealer is discovered modifying the Commandments to sanction their behavior. Though most of the animals are unable to make sense of the event, the skeptic Benjamin is unsurprised by what he sees.

The novel has previously implied that the pigs were modifying the commandments, but here their actions become fully conspicuous: not only does Squealer reinterpret the laws with clever propaganda, but also he literally re-writes them to suit the whims of the pigs. What is more surprising about this passage, however, is how the animals are unable to make sense of the event. Orwell points out how, even when confronted with clear evidence of political malpractice, a populace will not necessarily be able to make sense of it or agree to do anything about it.

Due, perhaps, to exhaustion, a lack of education, or simply fear, the animals are still unable to challenge the leaders.

Benjamin’s character might seem to offer a source of insight, for, from the beginning, he has been skeptical and observant of the pigs’ actions. Yet his passivity and unwillingness to share his opinions renders him fundamentally ineffective, thus pointing out that knowledge of corruption does not necessarily lead to changing it.

Chapter 9 Quotes

"Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they

were free, and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not fail to point out."

Related Characters: Squealer

Related Themes:

Page Number: 113

Explanation and Analysis

As the conditions deteriorate on Animal Farm, the pigs organize a series of celebrations. They aggrandize the supposed freedom of the animals from their previous human overlords.

This ironic sentence epitomizes the false story the pigs have told about the Animal Farm society. Their belief that things today are preferable to the past relies solely on the abstract idea of being “slaves” versus “free,” rather than the actual conditions experienced by the animals. That this supposed distinction “made all the difference” implies that the animals are not considering other significant differences that may make their current lives equivalent to or worse than they were under the rule of Mr. Jones. And the addition of the clause “as Squealer did not fail to point out” reiterates how this belief is more a trick of rhetoric than an actual indication of content. The passage thus corroborates Orwell’s presentation of the animals as unable to gain an objective viewpoint on their situation. Blinded by the pigs’ rhetoric and crippled by weak memories, they continue to believe in the improvement of their society.

Chapter 10 Quotes

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.

Related Characters: Napoleon, Squealer, Minimus, The Dogs

Related Themes:

Page Number: 129

Explanation and Analysis

The text has now jumped several years into the future, and the narrator observes how the relative wealth of the farm is spread unevenly among the animals.

Introducing the phrase with the term “somehow” speaks to the incredulity and naïveté of the animals. Despite having witnessed the pigs’ actions for many years, they remain unable to see exactly why wealth is being unfairly sequestered in their hands. Yet the “of course” stresses how

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this process is logical considering the story thus far, and how it is at least understood on some level by the animals.

Orwell thus points out how the populace in such a fascist regime oscillates between recognition of and blindness to what is taking place. In particular, as time has gone by and few of the animals can recall a different form of society, the current political regime becomes normalized, and inequality fades into the “of course” of a natural order.

Four legs good, two legs better!

Related Characters: The Sheep (speaker)

Related Themes:

Page Number: 134

Explanation and Analysis

When the pigs begin walking on two legs, the sheep change their earlier stock phrase. Having been trained by Squealer, they replace “two legs bad” with “two legs better.”

The extent and ease of the change to the phrase is remarkable. Whereas earlier acts of propaganda or commandment-revision simply altered phrases slightly, here the text has been entirely rewritten. Yet Squealer has maintained the sonic and rhythmic flow of the phrase, swapping in “better,” which begins with the same “b” sound as “bad.” His action reiterates how the Animal Farm society is founded less on principles and more on a set of empty terms that can be manipulated at will. Unable to actually make sense of what they are saying, the sheep rapidly swap out the new phrase for the old one—and the other animals seem unable to resist the strategy. Orwell has now transformed the pigs into complete human-analogs, showing how after a revolution, the new leaders have a natural tendency to mimic old ones—and then to adjust their principles to slowly revert to the old power structure.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

Related Themes:

Page Number: 134

Explanation and Analysis

When Benjamin recounts the Seven Commandments, he sees only this single statement. The pigs have evidently replaced the other principles with this one.

This law is a mockery of the term “equal,” and it epitomizes perfectly how the pigs have manipulated the word throughout the text. Presumably, if all the animals are indeed equal, there would be no ability to form a hierarchy between different "types" of equalities. Yet the pigs’ actions have relied on just this idea, for instance when they claimed that they needed more and better food in order to best help the other animals. The phrase makes explicit what they have been doing all along—manipulating language and ideology to suit their own ends.

Yet, once again, the strategy is effective instead of incriminating. Reducing a set of seven principles to just a single one also shows how simplification can be an instrument of these despotic regimes. Distilling a more complex set of ideas into a single, highly-ambiguous formulation gives the pigs great freedom to interpret the laws as they wish. They can both maintain the supposed ideology of the revolution—“All animals are equal”—and allow for corruption and preferential position—“more equal than others.” Orwell thus stresses how simplified phrases and positions are critical instruments of despotic regimes—and how any equal society has a natural tendency to reorganize itself such that some become “more equal” than others.

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."

Related Characters: Napoleon, Squealer, Minimus, Mr.

Pilkington

Related Themes:

Page Number: 141

Explanation and Analysis

In the text’s closing passage, the pigs are seen playing cards with men. When they squabble over cheating, the narrator reflects how the two are essentially indistinguishable.

These lines confirm the way the pigs have slowly come to mimic the oppressors they overthrew in the beginning of the book. Whereas before, the animals seemed unaware of this parallel, here they finally see it manifested before them.

That the pigs and men are playing poker is no symbolic accident: it stresses their selfish behavior and the way they

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play fast and loose with resources in a way that harms normal citizens and animals. They become, thus, representations of world leaders casually throwing around wealth and lives stolen from others. It is notable, too, that this reflection is caused by the pigs and humans fighting over cheating: what makes the pigs finally akin to humans is

not their liaisons or trade deals, nor the way they consume alcohol or sleep in beds, but rather the way they persist in deceiving each other even when they have no need. Orwell implies that the fundamental character of leader-regimes like that of the USSR is a pervasive and unending greed, even once one has acquired a position of wealth and power.

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The color-coded icons under each analysis entry make it easy to track where the themes occur most prominently throughout the work. Each icon corresponds to one of the themes explained in the Themes section of this LitChart.

CHAPTER 1

On the Manor Farm in England, Mr. Jones, drunk as usual, goes to sleep without properly securing the animals.

Mr. Jones's drunkenness symbolizes the Russian Tsar's decadence.

Word had spread among the animals during the day that Old Major, an old and respected prize boar, had a strange dream and wants to speak to them.

As their leader weakens, the privileged citizens see the chance for revolution.

The animals gather in the barn to hear what Old Major has to say: the dogs arrive first; then the pigs, who sit in front of Old Major's speaking platform. Next come the hens, pigeons, sheep, and cows; two cart horses, the enormous Boxer, and the motherly Clover who lets some orphaned ducklings shelter between her legs; Muriel the goat and Benjamin the donkey; Mollie, a white horse showing off the red ribbons in her hair; and finally, the cat. Only Moses, the tame raven, fails to come.

Notice the solidarity and sense of mutual concern among the animals. Yet the seating position of the pigs and dogs hints at the existence of class divisions among the animals, despite their united stance against Mr. Jones.

Old Major addresses the animals, calling them "comrades." He says he won't live much longer, then describes all the hardships the animals face on the Farm—long hours, little food, and death in the slaughterhouse when they've ceased to be useful. He asks: What's the cause of all these problems? He answers his own question: Men, who produce nothing, but take whatever they want from the animals.

Old Major's ideas mirror the main tenets of socialism: equality and freedom from exploitation. Old Major's words are revolutionary: they are the first time the animals understand that they're slaves to men, but don't have to be.

All animals, Old Major concludes, are comrades. Just then, the dogs notice some rats listening to Old Major's speech and leap at them. The rats barely escape. Old Major calls for a vote: are wild animals friends of farm animals or enemies? The animals vote unanimously: friends.

It's ironic that the dogs attack the rats just as Old Major calls all animals comrades. Old Major smooths over the conflict now, but he won't always be around.

Old Major says that whatever goes on four legs or has wings is a friend, that no animal should ever kill another animal, that no animal should ever act like a man, and that the ultimate goal for animals, whether in this lifetime or the future, must be the overthrow of humans. Old Major describes his dream of a future without men, in which the words and melody came to him of a song called "Beasts of England." All the animals learn the words and sing.

Not all the animals understand Old Major's ideas. With "Beasts of England" Old Major gives the animals something they can feel. All the animals rally around the song, even though some don't understand exactly what they're fighting for.

SUMMARY AND ANAL

SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS

YSIS

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The sound wakes Mr. Jones, who fires his gun into the wall of the barn. The animals scatter to their sleeping-places.

Jones asserts his authority, but he's unaware of the mounting revolution.

CHAPTER 2

Old Major dies three nights later, but his message takes hold.

The pigs are the smartest of the animals, and over the next three months two pigs in particular emerge as leaders: the lively Snowball and the powerful Napoleon. A third pig, Squealer, gives eloquent speeches that can convince anyone of anything. These three pigs turn Old Major's ideas into a philosophy called Animalism.

Like Karl Marx, Old Major dies before the revolution that his ideas inspired takes place. Like Lenin, his leadership is inherited by two underlings. At this point, the pigs believe in Old Major's ideas completely.

The pigs teach Animalism to the animals, overcoming the worry, apathy, and selfishness of the others. For instance, Mollie worries that after the revolution she won't get any more sugar or be able to wear ribbons in her hair. Snowball tells her she shouldn't want sugar and ribbons, since these are signs of her slavery.

Differences already divide the animals. The pigs understand Animalism, while the less intelligent animals don't. Mollie's ridiculous concerns reflect the middle-class's selfishness materialism.

The pigs also have to contend with Moses the raven, who spreads tales of a wonderful place called Sugarcandy Mountain where animals go when they die. Most of the animals dislike Moses because he never does any work, but many also believe in Sugarcandy Mountain.

The pigs fear belief in the afterlife might make the animals less revolutionary. Moses symbolizes the Russian Orthodox Church, which the Tsars used to control the lower classes.

Boxer and Clover show the most devotion to Animalism.

Neither is very smart, but their belief in animal equality never wavers, and they never miss a secret meeting.

Though unsophisticated, Boxer and Clover value the essence of Animalism: equality among animals.

The revolution happens much earlier and more easily than the animals expect. In June, on Midsummer's Eve, Mr. Jones gets so drunk in town that he forgets to feed the animals, and his lazy workers ditch their farm work to go hunting. The hungry animals break into the feed shed, which wakes up the sleeping Mr. Jones. He and his men start whipping the animals, who grow furious and attack, driving the men and Mr. Jones from the farm. Moses the raven flies after them.

Like the Russian Revolution, the animals' revolution results from their rage at what they perceive, correctly, as mistreatment. Later on, when the pigs seize power, they take special care to make sure that the animals don't perceive their mistreatment.

The joyful animals destroy Mr. Jones's whips, reins, and halters.

They sing "Beasts of England," treat themselves to double rations, and go to sleep happy. The next morning the animals run around the farm surveying their territory. They break down the farmhouse door, tour it, and decide it should be preserved as a museum. Finally, the pigs, who had secretly taught themselves to read and write in the previous three months, repaint the sign at the gate of the farm to read: Animal Farm.

Old Major's utopian dream seems to have come true. Orwell describes the animals as a single group, indicating their equality. The tools Jones used to enslave them are destroyed. The renaming of the farm symbolizes their self-mastery, and mirrors the change from Russia to the Soviet Union.

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Back in the barn, the pigs paint the Seven Commandments of Animalism on the wall:

1. Whatever has two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever has four legs or wings is a friend.

3. No animal shall wear clothes.

4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.

5. No animal shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

7. All animals are equal.

The Seven Commandments are the animals' version of a constitution. The public posting of the Commandments seems to ensure that the animals' rights will never be violated again and that corrupt human behavior will be permanently outlawed.

Snowball cries out that it's time to go to the hayfield, where the animals should aim to finish the harvest more quickly than Jones and his men ever did. But just then the cows begin to moo because they haven't been milked in a day. After a little work the pigs figure out how to milk the cows, and produce five pails of milk. Napoleon then shouts that they must get to the harvest, that Comrade Snowball will lead them to the fields and that he, Napoleon, will follow a little later. When the animals return from the fields that night the milk is gone.

Now that Jones is gone, Napoleon's self-interest separates him from the other animals: he wants the milk for himself. And Napoleon, who clearly cares more about himself than about Animalism, realizes he can manipulate the animals' revolutionary spirit to get what he wants. A minute after the Commandments are posted, Napoleon has started to undermine them.

CHAPTER 3

The animals work hard but happily at the harvest. The pigs, the smartest animals, soon start directing the other animals' work.

The pigs' cleverness and Boxer's immense strength and work ethic help solve all the problems the animals encounter in their work. Boxer even adopts the motto "I will work harder" in response to every problem. The harvest is the biggest the farm has ever seen.

The early days are idyllic. Animalism results in a successful harvest and happy animals. Yet already signs of class difference between the pigs and other animals have arisen based on their intellectual differences.

Everyone pitches in, each according to his or her own abilities.

The animals have more food and leisure, and they enjoy being their own masters. Though Mollie does tend to disappear when there's work to be done, and Benjamin the donkey remains cynical, refusing to voice an opinion about the revolution.

Though most animals are happy, Mollie, the symbol of the materialistic middle class, isn't thrilled with the revolution.

Benjamin, a skeptic, refuses to believe the good times will last.

On Sundays the animals don't work. Instead, they raise and salute their flag (a hoof and horn on a field of green) and hold a meeting to plan the next week. At the meeting, everyone is allowed to put forward resolutions and vote, but only the pigs ever come up with resolutions. Snowball and Napoleon are the most active debaters, but they almost never agree.

The meetings show Animalist equality, but the non-pigs don't use their equal rights. Instead, they let the pigs dominate. So it's not just that the pigs seize power, it's that the other animals let them.

Snowball soon starts setting up committees such as the Whiter Wool Committee to improve life on the farm. But only the reading and writing classes generate any interest. Soon Muriel and Benjamin can read as well as the pigs and dogs.

Snowball's committees show his commitment to Animalism, but also his political naiveté. Trotsky set up similar committees in the Soviet Union.

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The sheep can't read or memorize the Seven Commandments.

To help them, Snowball summarizes all of Animalism with the single phrase "Four legs good, two legs bad." Soon the sheep start bleating this phrase whenever they feel like it.

Snowball's slogan creates a breakdown in language—four legs are good and two legs are bad only if four legs follow Animalism and two legs don't.

Napoleon sees little value in Snowball's committees, but he says he believes in the importance of educating the young.

When two dogs give birth, Napoleon trains their nine puppies in a secret place.

Animalism's followers trust each other because they're all animals.

Napoleon exploits the animals' blind idealism in his rise to power.

The mystery of the missing milk is solved when the pigs declare that only they can use all apples and milk on the farm. The other animals grumble, but Squealer explains that the pigs are crucial to the running of the farm and need the milk and apples to stay healthy. If the pigs fail, Squealer says, Mr. Jones will return. The animals agree that the pigs should get the milk and apples.

The pigs begin to define themselves as a separate class deserving of special privileges, and use fear tactics and confusing language to convince the other animals the privileges are in the common interest. Even Snowball is willing to sacrifice Animalism for his own self-interest.

CHAPTER 4

It's late summer and news of the revolution at Animal Farm spreads. Snowball and Napoleon send out flights of pigeons to teach "Beasts of England" to the animals of nearby farms.

Soviet Communists also spread propaganda, hoping to make Communism global.

Mr. Jones spends his time getting drunk and complaining about his fate. The owners of the farms neighboring Animal Farm, the gentleman farmer Mr. Pilkington of Foxwood and the shrewd Mr. Frederick of Pinchfield, are concerned that the revolution might spread to their own farms. But they dislike each other so much that they can't even agree on defending themselves.

Instead, the Frederick and Pilkington spread rumors about the misery of life on Animal Farm. No animals anywhere believe them. "Beasts of England" spreads across England with incredible speed.

Pilkington and Frederick symbolize the capitalist Allies and Fascist Germany. These nations feared the rise of Communism because it threatened their own countries: what if their own working classes, inspired by Communism, revolted? But these nations hated and feared each other too much to band together against the Soviet Union.

One day in October, pigeons fly into Animal Farm with news that Jones, along with men from Pilkington and Frederick, are headed to attack the farm. Snowball has a defense planned out: he draws the men into an ambush, then leads the charge against the men. Jones scars Snowball with a blast from his shotgun, but Snowball still manages to knock Jones down.

Boxer's strength, meanwhile, terrifies the other men. The animals rout the men with just a single casualty: a sheep that Jones shot dead.

In 1918, anti-Communist forces (Jones), helped by Western nations (Frederick and Pilkington), attacked the Russian Communists (the animals). After two years of Civil War, in which Trotsky (Snowball) showed great bravery, the Communists defeated the anti-Communists.

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Boxer is dismayed to learn that one of his kicks seems to have killed a stable boy. To console him, Snowball responds that the only good man is a dead man. Just then the animals realize that Mollie is missing: she hid in the stable throughout the fighting.

When they return, it turns out the stable boy was only stunned, and has run off.

Unlike Boxer, Snowball thinks the enemies of Animalism deserve death. Napoleon will later kill animals for "opposing" Animalism. It's a small step from Snowball's position to Napoleon's.

As the animals bury the sheep, Snowball emphasizes that animals must be willing to die to defend Animal Farm. Snowball and Boxer receive the award of Animal Hero, First Class. They name the battle the "Battle of the Cowshed," and agree that twice each year they'll fire Mr. Jones's gun, which they found lying in the mud, to celebrate both this battle and the anniversary of the revolution.

Snowball's position seems noble: the animals should be willing to die for Animal Farm, right? But the implication is that whatever Animal Farm does must always be right, even if it results in the killing of animals..

CHAPTER 5

One day, Clover spots Mollie at the boundary of Foxwood letting one of Mr. Pilkington's men stroke her nose. On a hunch, Clover searches Mollie's stall and finds sugar cubes. Mollie denies all of it, but three days later she disappears. Weeks after that, a pigeon spots Mollie pulling a man's cart, with ribbons in her hair. No one on Animal Farm ever mentions Mollie again.

Mollie, like the Russian middle-class, chooses comfortable slavery over less comfortable freedom, which makes all the other animals hate her. But later in this same chapter the other animals also choose comfortable slavery over less comfortable freedom.

The pigs plan for the next year throughout the winter. All the animals now accept that the pigs will decide all farm policy, subject only to a farm-wide majority vote.

Class differences continue to take hold. The animals allow the pigs to take nearly absolute power.

In the Sunday meetings, Snowball and Napoleon now argue about everything. The most intense point of disagreement between the two is Snowball's plan to build a windmill. He says the windmill will produce electric power to warm stalls and run electrical tools that will make everyone's life easier. Napoleon, though, argues that the farm should focus on more pressing needs like food production.

These disputes mirror Trotsky and Stalin's main disagreement: Trotsky favored modernizing the USSR while Stalin emphasized more immediate concerns. Note that the disagreements intensify only after the human threat is gone.

The animals take sides: some support Snowball's windmill, while others favor Napoleon and food production. Only Benjamin refuses to join sides, observing that no matter who wins, life will go on as it always has—badly.

Benjamin believes that in the relationship between individual and state, the individual always ends up oppressed.

Snowball finally finishes his plans for the windmill. The next Sunday the animals gather to vote. Snowball speaks passionately about the paradise the windmill will create, while Napoleon just says the windmill is nonsense. Snowball's eloquence prevails.

The rules of Animal Farm and Animalism state that if Snowball convinces the majority, he wins.

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Just as Snowball finishes speaking, Napoleon makes an odd whimpering sound. Suddenly nine vicious dogs, the dogs Napoleon had reared from pups, bound into the barn. The dogs jump at Snowball, who runs. The dogs chase Snowball, who flees through a hole in a hedge that leads out of Animal Farm.

Once Snowball is gone, the dogs surround Napoleon like a guard. Napoleon announces to the terrified and silent farm animals that the Sunday meetings are over. A special committee of pigs will now decide all Animal Farm policy and give weekly orders on Sunday morning when the animals gather to salute the flag and sing "Beasts of England."

But Napoleon isn't playing by Animalist rules. By seizing power and denying the non-pigs' right to vote, Napoleon counters the fundamental idea of Animalism: animal equality. If the animals let Napoleon get away with this act, Animal Farm will no longer be Animalist and the animals' freedom will vanish. In the USSR, Stalin defeated Trotsky in a power struggle and exiled him.

Napoleon's announcement disturbs the animals, but few can muster any counterarguments. Four young pigs protest, but the dogs growl and silence the pigs. The sheep burst into an extended bleating repetition of "Four legs good, two legs bad."

Fear stops the animals from opposing Napoleon. Like Mollie, they choose comfort over freedom.

Later, Squealer comes around and explains that Napoleon took on the "burden" of leadership and eliminated voting only because he feared that the animals might make the wrong decisions. Squealer also says it was recently discovered that Snowball was a criminal. When the animals say Snowball fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed, Squealer says he thinks Snowball's actions at the battle may have been exaggerated. He adds that bravery is not nearly as important as discipline and obedience. Without those, Jones might return.

Squealer manipulates language in citing secret documents and using fear tactics to make it seem like Napoleon is defending freedom when really he's undermining it. Tricky language effectively misleads a poorly educated, frightened, and idealistic population.

None of the animals wants Jones back, and Boxer, after heavy thinking, says, "If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right."

Boxer thinks that because Animalism is good, Animal Farm must be good.

Three weeks later, Napoleon announces that they'll build the windmill after all. Squealer explains: Napoleon opposed the windmill just to get rid of Snowball, who was a bad influence on everyone. The animals accept this explanation, especially since Squealer has the attack dogs with him.

After exiling Trotsky, Stalin took many of his ideas. By making Napoleon appear always consistent, Squealers makes him seem all-powerful. Lies backed up by force are hard to resist.

CHAPTER 6

To build the windmill and keep the farm running at the same time, the animals have to work like slaves, enduring long hours.

The animals make the sacrifice happily, since it's for their own benefit rather than for a human master. Boxer works the longest and hardest. Despite all the effort, the time spent working on the windmill makes the harvest slightly worse than it was the previous year.

The pigs' deception has worked. The animals still believe they are free even though they have no freedom at all. The pigs use Animalism to get the animals to sacrifice for the pigs' benefit.

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The farm suffers shortages of items it can't produce itself, like nails and iron. Napoleon announces Animal Farm will start trading hay, wheat, and possibly even eggs with its neighbors, not for commercial uses, but for the benefit of the windmill. The animals are uneasy because they had agreed never to use money. Napoleon hires a man named Mr. Whymper to represent the farm, while Squealer convinces everyone that no rule ever banned the use of money.

To be fair, it's not clear how Animal Farm would get necessary supplies without resorting to trade. But the pigs don't explain the issue and then slightly modify Animalism. Instead, they lie, and use the threat of force to get the other animals to accept the lie.

Though the humans outside Animal Farm still hate and fear it, they also develop a grudging respect for the farm's efficiency.

Humans start accepting the farm as the pigs act more like humans.

Squealer begins to refer to Napoleon as "The Leader" and the pigs move into the farmhouse and begin sleeping in beds.

Though Boxer dismisses the change by saying "Napoleon is always right," Clover is certain that the Commandments ban beds. She gets Muriel to read her the Fourth Commandment, but they discover that they seem to have misremembered it. It says: "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets."

Note the pigs' manipulation of language to increase their power and luxury. They take more privileges for themselves and justify those privileges by secretly rewriting the Commandments of Animalism.

By October the animals grow tired. Since the farm had to sell some food for money, the winter promises to be bad. The windmill is now half-finished, which pleases everyone (except Benjamin).

By manipulating Animalism rather than overthrowing it, the pigs exploit the animals without angering them.

One night in November, a terrible storm knocks down the windmill. The animals are horrified. Napoleon sniffs around the rubble. He looks worried and his tail wiggles as if he's thinking fast. Suddenly Napoleon shouts "SNOWBALL!" He announces that Snowball destroyed the windmill. The animals are shocked and furious that Snowball could do such a thing. Napoleon vows they will start rebuilding the windmill that very day.

The destruction of the windmill shocks Napoleon: he fears the animals might question his authority now. To save himself, he cleverly shifts the blame to Snowball. Stalin demonized the exiled Trotsky in a similar way.

CHAPTER 7

Despite the hard, bitter winter, the animals work to rebuild the windmill, which the humans claim fell because of its thin walls.

Though the pigs say the humans' claim is a lie, they make the new windmill's walls three feet thick.

The animals trust the pigs' lies rather than the obvious truth because they still believe blindly that "Four legs good, two legs bad!"

In January, the farm's food supply runs out. Even though it seems possible the animals could starve, the pigs hide the food trouble from the humans, escorting Mr. Whymper through a storehouse made to appear full of food.

Under Stalin's catastrophic Five Year Plan, the USSR suffered famines that killed millions. Stalin covered up the tragedy.

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Napoleon now issues almost all orders through Squealer, who one day announces that the hens must give up four hundred eggs a week to pay for grain and feed. The hens angrily refuse.

Napoleon responds by cutting the hens' rations. He also declares that any animal that feeds the hens will be killed. After five days, during which nine hens starve to death, the hens give in.

By tricking the animals into thinking Animalism and Animal Farm are the same, the pigs can kill or punish anyone who disagrees with their orders and claim they're defending Animalism. It's slavery disguised as freedom.

At about the same time, Napoleon enters negotiations to sell some wood to either Pilkington or Frederick. Whenever he's close to a deal with Pilkington, rumors circulate that Snowball is hiding at Frederick's farm, and vice versa.

Before WW II, the USSR negotiated possible treaties with both the Allies and the Germans, playing the two sides against each other.

In addition, Squealer soon announces that Snowball has been sneaking onto Animal Farm at night: Napoleon can smell him.

Squealer tells the animals that Snowball was Jones's "secret agent" from the beginning. He reminds them how Snowball tried to betray them at the Battle of the Cowshed and Napoleon saved the day.

The pigs aim to rewrite Animalism and all of Animal Farm history. If they can get the animals to fear Snowball, they can use Snowball to justify their own rule, as they once used Jones.

Boxer disagrees. He says he thinks Snowball was loyal at the beginning, even if he later turned traitor. When Squealer responds that Napoleon himself has stated that Snowball was a traitor from the beginning, Boxer changes his mind and says then it must be true. Still, Squealer gives Boxer a dark look and warns the animals to be on the lookout for Snowball's secret agents.

Boxer believes so much in Animalism that he believes Napoleon's statement about what happened even over his own memories. But just the fact that he voices his memories at all makes Squealer see him as a threat.

Four days later, Napoleon calls for an assembly in the yard.

When the animals gather, Napoleon whimpers and his dogs attack Boxer and the four pigs that had questioned Snowball's removal. The pigs are bloodied, but Boxer repels the attack and pins one of the dogs to the ground. Boxer glances at the stunned Napoleon to ask what he should do. Napoleon orders him to let the dog go and then commands the pigs to confess.

They confess, and the dogs kill them as traitors to Animal Farm.

A series of other animals also confess: all are killed.

Stalin "purged" the Soviet government by torturing those he considered enemies until they admitted to crimes they hadn't committed. Then he had them killed. Napoleon considers Boxer an enemy because Boxer remembers the past correctly. And Boxer can't comprehend that Napoleon just attacked him.

In the aftermath of the assembly, the animals are miserable, having witnessed the first killings on the farm since Mr. Jones was defeated. Boxer thinks he must work harder to make things better. Clover leads the animals in a sad rendition of "Beasts of England." Squealer soon announces that "Beasts of England" has been forbidden: it was a song of revolution, and the revolution has ended. A pig named Minimus has composed a new song: "Animal Farm, Animal Farm, Never through me shalt thou come to harm."

After the purge, Napoleon and his pigs officially kill the revolution by banning the song "Beasts of England." As the new masters of the farm, the pigs fear the ideas in that utopian and idealistic song, and replace it with a propaganda song that defines the state as more important than the individual.

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CHAPTER 8

Clover and some other animals remember that the Sixth Commandment forbade killing. But when they get Muriel to read it for them, it says: "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause."

The pigs continue to rewrite and corrupt the tenets of Animalism for their own benefit.

The animals work harder than ever to rebuild the windmill with walls twice as thick. Sometimes they feel like they're working harder and getting less food than back when Jones was master.

But each Sunday Squealer reads off figures proving the animals are happier and better off than ever.

Now the pigs begin to manipulate facts. The uneducated animals now have no reality they can trust. They trust the pigs just because it's too tiring not too.

Napoleon almost never appears in public anymore, and when he does only with great ceremony. Minimus composes poems that honor Napoleon, Napoleon's birthday becomes a holiday, and all animals are encouraged to praise Napoleon for every good thing that happens.

Napoleon inflates his image through propaganda, making himself bigger than life and all-powerful. Stalin used propaganda similarly to increase his power.

Meanwhile, Napoleon's negotiations with Frederick and Pilkington for the wood intensify. Napoleon wavers back and forth between selling the wood to one or the other. Whichever farm falls out of favor in the negotiations is the subject of nasty, and temporary, rumors around Animal Farm. Napoleon at last seems ready to come to a deal with Pilkington, and his mantra of "Death to Humans" is changed to "Death to Frederick!"

As WW II approached, the USSR's negotiations with the Allies and Fascists intensified. When the Soviets leaned toward a treaty with the Allies, the Soviet propaganda machine spouted anti-German rhetoric, and vice versa.

The animals joyfully finish the windmill in autumn. But Animal Farm still lacks the machinery to produce electricity, and two days later Napoleon announces a deal to sell the wood to Frederick. (His mantra is changed to "Death to Pilkington!").

The sudden reversal shocks the animals. The pigs explain that Napoleon planned all along to play Pilkington and Frederick against each other to raise the price of the wood.

Similarly, at the last minute the Soviet's signed a Non-aggression Pact with the Germans, rather than the Allies. All the propaganda in the USSR changed immediately to favor the Germans over the Allies.

Three days later, Whymper rushes into the farmhouse. The animals hear Napoleon let out a roar of anger. As it turned out, Frederick paid for the timber with fake bills! Napoleon promises Frederick will be killed and warns the animals to brace for the worst.

The Germans signed the Non-aggression Pact as a fake-out, a move intended to mislead the USSR. The Germans then invaded the USSR almost immediately.

The next morning, Frederick and his men attack. All the men have guns and push the animals back into the barn. The animals watch as the men blow up the windmill. The sight drives the animals into a rage, and they attack. Many animals die, and most, including Boxer, suffer injuries. But they manage to drive Frederick and his men from Animal Farm.

About 25-30 million Soviets died while pushing back the Germans.

The war annihilated Soviet infrastructure, symbolized in Animal Farm by the destruction of the windmill.

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Though the animals are tired and bloody, the pigs lead two days of patriotic celebrations of their victory over the men. The animals' spirits rise and the memory of the forged bank notes fades.

The pigs honor their citizens' sacrifices to increase the power of the state—the state that forced them to sacrifice in the first place.

A few days later, the pigs discover whiskey in the cellar of the farmhouse. There are shouts and revelry that night in the farmhouse. But the next morning the house is silent. When Squealer eventually appears he has awful news: Comrade Napoleon is dying! By evening Napoleon has recovered, and the pigs soon purchase machinery to build a still to produce alcohol.

The pigs make a mockery of the animals' sacrifice by indulging in alcohol. They reveal their inexperience (in comparison to the capitalist humans) by failing to distinguish Napoleon's hangover from imminent death.

Soon after, a crash in the middle of the night wakes the animals.

They see Squealer unconscious on the ground next to a fallen ladder and a bucket of white paint beneath the commandments written on the barn. Benjamin seems to understand what's happened, but refuses to say. Muriel later discovers that she's misremembered the Fifth Commandment. It now reads "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess."

The pigs immediately resume rewriting Animalism for their own benefit. The animals are too beaten down and uneducated to realize the pigs' deception even when the evidence makes it obvious. The pigs take power, but the animals let them.

CHAPTER 9

Boxer still works harder than everyone else, but his strength begins to wane. He comforts himself with thoughts of retirement. In the first days of Animal Farm, it was decided that a horse could retire at age twelve and receive a pension.

A steadfast idealist, Boxer continues to believe in Animalism even though most of its rules and laws have been broken or rewritten by the pigs.

Food during the winter is even scarcer than in the previous year, and the animals' rations the animals are reduced. In contrast, the rations for pigs and dogs remain at their normal levels. Squealer continues to claim that they're all better off than ever, and explains that a rigid equality in rations would be against Animalism.

The pigs control over information ensures that animals can't properly evaluate their situations. They must trust the pigs, even if it's obvious the pigs are lying.

Soon, four sows give birth to over thirty young pigs. From the piglet's markings, it's clear they're Napoleon's children. He discourages the piglets from playing with the other young animals, and teaches them himself until a schoolhouse can be built for them.

Napoleon makes official the class distinctions between pigs and the other animals: the pigs get special privileges and don't interact with the other animals.

Festive processions and weekly Spontaneous Demonstrations celebrating the triumphs of Animal Farm now dominate life on the farm. The celebrations remind the animals that they are working as their own masters, which alleviates their hunger somewhat.

The ceremonies here are obviously not spontaneous: they're designed by the pigs to manipulate the animals' feelings.

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In April, the farm is declared a Republic, and an election takes place. Napoleon, the only candidate, wins unanimously. On the same day, it's announced that Snowball fought openly against the animals at the Battle of the Cowshed.

With this crucial bit of misinformation about Snowball, the pigs have now completely rewritten Animal Farm's history.

Moses the raven suddenly reappears, talking of Sugarcandy Mountain. The pigs say it's all nonsense, but give him an allowance of beer.

The pigs use religion just as Jones once did: to make the animals forget their misery.

One day, while working on the new windmill, Boxer's lung fails and he falls, no longer able to work. Squealer announces that Napoleon has decided to send Boxer to a human veterinary doctor. The idea of a human examining Boxer disturbs the animals, but Squealer says a vet can do more for Boxer than they can. Boxer stays in his stall until a van comes to pick him up. The animals yell their goodbyes, but Benjamin shouts that side of the van reads, "Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler." The animals cry out. Boxer tries to break down the door of the van with his hoofs. But he's now too weak to escape.

Boxer gave up his freedom without knowing it by trusting the pigs' words instead of analyzing their actions: he allowed them to take power but never held them accountable. By the time he realizes he's been betrayed, Boxer is too weak to do anything about it. In a tragic irony, his strength has been sacrificed to the regime that now sacrifices his life for its own benefit.

Three days later, Squealer announces that Boxer died in the hospital, and that his last words were "Napoleon is always right." In response to the "dark rumors" the animals had heard about the van, Squealer explains that the vet had just bought the van from the glue boiler and had not yet repainted it. A few days later the pigs buy a new crate of whiskey.

The pigs' willingness to sell Boxer to a glue producer proves that they view the other animals merely as means to their own profit and luxurious indulgences, such as alcohol. Mr. Jones viewed the animals the same way.

CHAPTER 10

Years go by. Only Clover, Benjamin, Moses the raven, and some of the pigs remember the revolution. Animal Farm is more prosperous than ever. The windmill is finished, though instead of producing electricity it's used to mill flour, and brings in a hefty profit. Although the farm is richer, only the pigs and dogs seem better off. Still, the animals can't remember any other way of life, and even those that don't remember the revolution are proud to be free.

The pigs rule Animal Farm as masters, just as Mr. Jones once did.

However, they control language and thought on their farm so completely that their animals still consider themselves free citizens.

One day Squealer brings the sheep out to a distant field with him and keeps them there for a week. Just after the sheep return, Clover lets out a terrified neigh: Squealer is walking on two legs! All the pigs then walk out of the farmhouse on two legs. Napoleon appears last, carrying a whip.

The pigs' power is so complete that they now feel free to act exactly like humans. Napoleon's whip is a symbol of oppression.

The animals are silent and seem poised to protest. Just then the sheep begin to bleat "Four legs good, two legs better!" over and over, and the prospect of protest passes.

Once again the animals don't take their chance to rebel. The pig's propaganda overpowers them.

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Clover asks Benjamin to read the Seven Commandments to her. But the wall now only reads, "All Animals Are Equal. But Some Are More Equal Than Others."

Animalism has been entirely rewritten to benefit the pigs. It now reads like nonsense.

The next day, all the pigs start carrying whips and wearing clothes. A week later, they invite humans from nearby farms to look around and stay for dinner at Animal Farm. That night, the animals, led by Clover, sneak up and watch the pigs and humans through the window. Pilkington and Napoleon toast each other.

Pilkington says he's pleased to have their history of mistrust behind them. He expresses admiration that the pigs can feed their animals so little yet get so much work out of them. He adds that pigs and men have similar problems: pigs have lower animals to deal with, while men have lower classes.

The pigs, who once wanted to kill all humans, now seek friendly relations with nearby farmers. Animal Farm suggests that all totalitarian governments are fundamentally the same because their leaders share one goal: to maintain their own power by oppressing and exploiting individuals in particular and the lower classes in general.

Napoleon agrees wholeheartedly with Pilkington, and announces plans to eliminate all signs of Animal Farm's revolutionary past, including its name. From now on it will be called by its original and proper name: Manor Farm.

The similarity of all totalitarian governments is represented by the changing of the farm's name back to its original name.

The men and pigs return to a game of poker and the farm animals turn to leave, but a shout from within stops them.

Napoleon and Pilkington have discovered each other cheating at cards. A fight has broken out. In the chaos, the animals can't tell the pigs from the humans.

In their petty greed, the Animalist and Capitalist leaders are indistinguishable. The animals are back where they started: enslaved by oppressive leaders.

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To cite this LitChart:

MLA MLA

Florman, Ben. "Animal Farm." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 22 Jul 2013.

Web. 27 Jun 2017.

CHICA

CHICAGO MANU

GO MANUAL AL

Florman, Ben. "Animal Farm." LitCharts LLC, July 22, 2013.

Retrieved June 27, 2017. http://www.litcharts.com/lit/animal-farm.

To cite any of the quotes from Animal Farm covered in the Quotes section of this LitChart:

MLA MLA

Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Signet Classics. 1996.

CHICA

CHICAGO MANU

GO MANUAL AL

Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: Signet Classics. 1996.

HOW T

HOW TO CITE

O CITE

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