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Animal Farm
Animal Farm is a
dystopian allegorical novella by George Orwell.
Published in England
on 17 August 1945,
the book reflects events leading up to and during
the Stalin era
before World War II.
Orwell, a democratic socialist, was a critic of
Joseph Stalin and
hostile to Moscow-
directed Stalinism, especially after his
experiences with the NKVD,
and
what
he
saw
of
the
results
of
the
influence
of
Communist
policy
(
ceaseless
arrests, censorsed newspapers, prowling
hordes of armed police
-
now
a
counter-revolutionary
force
during
the
Spanish
Civil
War.
In
a
letter
to
Yvonne
Davet, Orwell described Animal Farm as his novel
The original title was
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story, but the subtitle was
dropped by the
US
publishers
for
its
1946
publication
and
subsequently
all
but
one
of
the
translations during
Orwell's lifetime omitted the addition. Other
variations in the title
include:
A
Satire
and
A
Contemporary
Satire.
Orwell
suggested
for
the
French
translation the title
Union des républiques socialistes animales,
recalling the French
name of the Soviet
Union, Union des républiques socialistes
soviétiques, and which
abbreviates
URSA, which means
The novel
addresses not only the corruption of the
revolution by its leaders but also
how
wickedness, indifference, ignorance, greed and
myopia destroy any possibility of
a
Utopia. While this novel portrays corrupt
leadership as the flaw in revolution (and
not
the
act
of
revolution
itself),
it
also
shows
how
potential
ignorance
and
indifference to problems
within a revolution could allow horrors to happen
if smooth
transition to a people's
government isn't satisfied.
Plot summary
Old
Major,
the
old
boar
on
the
Manor
Farm,
calls
the
animals
on
the
farm
for
a
meeting,
where
he
compares
the
humans
to
parasites
and
teaches
the
animals
a
revolutionary song,
When Major dies three days later, two
young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume
command
and
turn
his
dream
into
a
philosophy.
The
animals
revolt
and
drive
the
drunken and irresponsible Mr. Jones
from the farm, renaming it
The Seven Commandments of Animalism are
written on the wall of a barn. The most
important
is
the
seventh,
animals
are
equal.
All
the
animals
work,
but
the
workhorse,
Boxer,
does
more
than
others
and
adopts
the
maxim
—
will
work
harder.
Snowball
attempts
to
teach
the
animals
reading
and
writing;
food
is
plentiful;
and
the farm runs smoothly. The pigs
elevate themselves to positions of leadership and
set aside special food items ostensibly
for their personal health. Napoleon takes the
pups from the farm dogs and trains them
privately. When Mr. Jones tries retaking the
1
farm,
the
animals
defeat
him
at
what
they
call
the
of
the
Cowshed.
Napoleon and
Snowball struggle for leadership. When Snowball
announces his idea
for
a
windmill,
Napoleon
opposes
it.
Snowball
makes
a
speech
in
favour
of
the
windmill,
whereupon
Napoleon
has
his
dogs
chase
Snowball
away.
In
Snowball's
absence,
Napoleon
declares
himself
leader
and
makes
changes.
Meetings
will
no
longer be
held and instead a committee of pigs will run the
farm.
Using
a
young
pig
named
Squealer
as
a
mouthpiece,
Napoleon
announces
that
Snowball stole the idea for the
windmill from him. The animals work harder with
the
promise of easier lives with the
windmill. After a violent storm, the animals find
the
windmill
annihilated.
Napoleon
and
Squealer
convince
the
animals
that
Snowball
destroyed the
windmill, although the scorn of the neighbouring
farmers suggests the
windmill's
walls
were
too
thin.
Once
Snowball
becomes
a
scapegoat,
Napoleon
begins
purging
the
farm,
killing
animals
he
accuses
of
consorting
with
Snowball.
Meanwhile, Boxer
takes up a second maxim:
Napoleon
abuses
his
powers,
making
life
harder
for
the
animals;
the
pigs
impose
more
control
while
reserving
privileges
for
themselves.
The
pigs
rewrite
history,
villainizing
Snowball
and
glorifying
Napoleon.
Squealer
justifies
every
statement
Napoleon
makes,
even
the
pigs'
alteration
of
the
Seven
Commandments
of
Animalism.
beds
with
sheets
when
the
pigs
are
discovered
to
have
been
sleeping
in
the
old
farmhouse.
animal
shall
drink
alcohol
is
changed
to
animal
shall
drink
alcohol to
excess
banned
as
inappropriate,
as
according
to
Napoleon the
dream
of
Animal
Farm
has
been realized. It is replaced by an
anthem glorifying Napoleon, who appears to be
adopting the lifestyle of a man. The
animals, though cold, starving, and overworked,
remain
convinced
through
psychological
conditioning
that
they
are
better
off
than
they
were
when
ruled
by
Mr.
Jones.
Squealer
abuses
the
animals'
poor
memories
and invents numbers
to show their improvement.
Mr.
Frederick,
one
of
the
neighbouring
farmers,
swindles
Napoleon
by
buying
old
wood with forged money, and then
attacks the farm, using blasting powder to blow
up the restored windmill. Though the
animals win the battle, they do so at great cost,
as many, including Boxer, are wounded.
Boxer continues working harder and harder,
until he collapses while working on the
windmill. Napoleon sends for a van to take
Boxer to the veterinarian, explaining
that better care can be given there. Benjamin
the donkey, who
Simmonds,
Horse
Slaughterer
and
Glue
Boiler
and
attempts
to
mount
a
rescue;
but
the
animals'
attempts
are
futile.
Squealer
reports
that
the
van
was
purchased
by
the
hospital
and
the
writing
from
the
previous
owner
had
not
been
repainted. He recounts
a tale of Boxer's death in the hands of the best
medical care.
Shortly after Boxer's
death, it is revealed that the pigs have purchased
more whisky.
2
Years
pass,
and
the
pigs
learn
to
walk
upright,
carry
whips,
and
wear
clothes.
The
Seven
Commandments
are
reduced
to
a
single
phrase:
animals
are
equal,
but
some
animals
are
more
equal
than
others.
Napoleon
holds
a
dinner
party for
the
pigs
and
the
humans
of
the
area,
who
congratulate
Napoleon
on
having
the
hardest-working
animals
in
the
country
on
the
least
feed.
Napoleon
announces
an
alliance
with
the
humans,
against
the
labouring
classes
of
both
He
abolishes
practices and traditions related to the
Revolution, and reverts the name of
the
farm to
The
animals,
overhearing
the
conversation,
notice
that
the
faces
of
the
pigs
have
begun
changing. During a poker match, an argument breaks
out between Napoleon
and Mr. Pilkington
when they both play the Ace of Spades, and the
animals realize
that
the
faces
of
the
pigs
look
like
the
faces
of
humans
and
no
one
can
tell
the
difference between them.
Animalism
Animalism
is
an
allegorical
mirror
of
the
Soviet
Union,
particularly
between
the
1910s
and
the
1940s,
as
well
as
the
evolution
of
the
view
of
the
Russian
revolutionaries
and
government
of
how
to
practice
it.[clarification
needed]
It
is
invented
by
the
highly
respected
pig
Old
Major.
The
pigs
Snowball,
Napoleon,
and
Squealer
adapt
Old
Major's
ideas
into
an
actual
philosophy,
which
they
formally
name Animalism.
Soon after, Napoleon and Squealer indulge in the
vices of humans
(drinking alcohol,
sleeping in beds, trading). Squealer is employed
to alter the Seven
Commandments
to
account
for
his
humanization,
which
represents
the
Soviet
government's
tweaking
of
communist
theory
to
make
it
more
a
reformation
of
capitalism than a replacement.
The Seven Commandments are
laws that were supposed to keep order and ensure
elementary
Animalism
within
Animal
Farm.
The
Seven
Commandments
were
designed to unite the animals together
against the humans and prevent animals from
following the humans' evil habits.
Since not all of the animals can remember them,
they are boiled down into one basic
statement:
wings counting as legs for
this purpose, Snowball arguing that wings count as
legs as
they are objects of propulsion
rather than manipulation), which the sheep
constantly
repeat, distracting the
crowd from the lies of the pigs. The original
commandments
were:
Whatever goes upon two legs is an
enemy.
Whatever goes upon
four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a
bed.
No animal shall drink
alcohol.
No animal shall
kill any other animal.
All
animals are equal.
3
Later, Napoleon and his
pigs are corrupted by the absolute power they hold
over the
farm.
To
maintain
their popularity
with
the
other
animals,
Squealer
secretly
paints
additions
to
some
commandments
to
benefit
the
pigs
while
keeping
them
free
of
accusations of breaking the laws (such
as
excess
to it). Eventually
the laws are replaced with
are
more
equal
than
others
and
legs
good,
two
legs
better!
as
the
pigs
become more human.
Characters
Pigs
Old Major
An
aged
prize
Middle
White
boar
is
the
inspiration
that
fuels
the
Rebellion
in
the
book. He is an allegory of Karl Marx
and Lenin, the founders of Communism, in that
he
draws
up
the
principles
of
the revolution.
His
skull
being
put
on
revered public
display also
resembles Lenin, whose embalmed body was put on
display.
Napoleon
large,
rather
fierce-looking
Berkshire
boar,
the
only
Berkshire
on
the
farm,
not
much
of
a
talker,
but
with
a
reputation
for
getting
his
own
way
An
allegory
of
Joseph
Stalin,
Napoleon
is
the
main
villain
of
Animal
Farm.
He
begins
to
gradually
build
up
his
power,
using
puppies
he
took
from
their
parents,
the
dogs
Jessie
and
Bluebell,
and
which
he
raises
to
be
vicious
dogs,
as
his
secret
police.
After
driving
Snowball
off
the
farm,
Napoleon
usurps
full
power,
using
false
propaganda
from
Squealer
and
threats
and
intimidation
from
the
dogs
to
keep
the
other
animals
in
line.
Among other things, he gradually changes the
Commandments for his benefit.
By the
end of the book, Napoleon and his fellow pigs have
learned to walk upright
and started to
behave similarly to the humans against whom they
originally revolted.
In the
first French version of Animal Farm, Napoleon is
called César, the French form
of
Caesar, although another translation has him as
Napoléon.
Snowball
Napoleon's rival and
original head of the farm after Jones' overthrow.
He is mainly
based
on
Trotsky,[6]
but
also
combines
elements
from
Lenin.
He
wins
over
most
animals
and gains their trust by leading a very successful
first harvest, but is driven
out of the
farm by Napoleon. Snowball genuinely works for the
good of the farm and
the
animals
and
devises
plans
to
help
the
animals
achieve
their
vision
of
an
egalitarian
utopia,
but
Napoleon
and
his
dogs
chase
him
from
the
farm,
and
Napoleon
spreads
rumours
to
make
him
seem
evil
and
corrupt
and
that
he
had
secretly sabotaged the animals' efforts
to improve the farm.
Squealer
A
small
white
fat
porker
who
serves
as
Napoleon's
right
hand
pig
and
minister
of
propaganda, holding a position similar
to that of Molotov. Squealer manipulates the
language to excuse, justify, and extol
all of Napoleon's actions. Squealer limits debate
by complicating it and he confuses and
disorients, making claims that the pigs need
the extra luxury they are taking in
order to function properly, for example. However,
4