Animal Farm Book Summary Quick overview
First published in 1945 under the title Animal Farm: A Fairy Story, George Orwell’s political
allegory tells the story of a rebellious gang of farm animals. Their original incentive
for staging a coup quickly descends from a free and equal society to a dictatorship,
leaving the animals in a much worse state than before. One of the novel’s main themes is the
corruption that arises from absolute power. If you do not want to waste your time,
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Long mistreated under the cruel and neglectful Mr. Jones, the animals of Manor Farm are
sick of being overworked and underfed. Old Major, a noble and respected and noble pig,
derides man for his laziness, saying that man is the only creature that consumes without producing.
One night, Old Major calls a meeting to incite rebellion.
He presents the other animals
with a song called Beasts of England, which is to become their uprising anthem.
Upon Old Major’s death a few days later, two younger pigs, Napoleon and Snowball,
call another meeting to realize Old Major’s plans. They run Mr. and Mrs. Jones off the land and
change the name from Manor Farm to Animal Farm.Old Major’s skull is kept as a symbol of reverence.
While the animals profess to be disgusted by the ways of man, Snowball and Napoleon
can already read. They teach the other animals to read too, and create commandments of “unalterable
law”, which they paint in large letters on a barn wall. The commandments become
‘Animalism,’ a complete ‘system of thought.’ 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.
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Ok, let’s continue our video The animals begin calling each
other “comrade,” genuinely at first, but later in a more condescending way to silence the less
intelligent animals when they question changes to Animalism. All animals also agree to never engage
in trade with humans, or allow to be fooled into thinking that man is anything other than an enemy.
All is well, initially. Everyone has plenty food and milk, and each animal performs their tasks
as required. Regular meetings always conclude with an enthusiastic performance of Beasts of England.
Gradually though, Napoleon and Snowball segregate themselves and begin hoarding supplies,
which they justify as a necessity to remain good and clever leaders.
Meanwhile, Mr. Jones attempts to regain ownership of the farm but is defeated
during the “Battle of the Cowshed.” The animals put up a brave fight, and many of them earn
awards for bravery (except from Napoleon, whose support is never mentioned).
Snowball is injured and receives the highest award.
Shortly afterward, Snowball announces his plans to improve the farm by building a windmill. Napoleon
does not like anyone else having ideas of their own, however, and forces Snowball off the farm,
telling the other animals that Snowball was a traitor.
With Snowball gone, Napoleon becomes the sole leader
and through his subordinate and sycophant second-in-command, Squealer, informs
the animals that the windmill was his idea, and that Snowball stole it to gain respect and trust.
The animals work hard to build the windmill, which is later damaged by a storm.
Napoleon uses this fortuitous event to further smear Snowball’s name, claiming that Snowball
had destroyed the windmill, and was even in league with Mr. Jones to reclaim the farm.
Having successfully turned the animals against Snowball, Napoleon replaces
the anthem with a self-serving dirge titled “Comrade Napoleon”. Meetings are abolished,
replaced by a committee of pigs to run the farm and rule over the other animals. Some of the
animals question these changes to the “unalterable law”, but Napoleon insists that things are much
better now than they ever were under Mr. Jones. Wary of dissent, Napoleon orders a culling of
the animals under the guise of punishment for anyone guilty of treason for assisting Snowball.
Many animals are purged, and those that remain are sternly reminded that “Napoleon is always right”.
A second attack, this time by a neighboring farmer, Mr. Frederick,
heavily damages the windmill but the animals emerge victorious once again. Many are injured,
including Boxer, a 12-year-old horse who stuck by the original commandments and his personal mantra
“I will work harder”. Boxer collapses while attempting to repair the windmill and is taken
away in a van owned by a glue merchant. When questioned about the van and Boxer’s fate,
Squealer reassures the animals that the van was in fact owned by a vet who had not yet repainted it
and that Boxer passed away peacefully.
In truth, Napoleon, whose behavior now resembles man’s
(he sleeps in a bed, drinks alcohol, etc.), had sold Boxer to buy more alcohol.
As the years pass, there are fewer animals left who remember the old ways before Napoleon’s rise to power.
The windmill is repaired and turns a profit, but Napoleon considers that other animals
need only simple pleasures to live. He and the other pigs live in the farmhouse, sleeping on
beds (without sheets), while wearing clothes and assuming more and more human mannerisms.
The other animals still live in squalor, worse than under Mr. Jones. The commandments have been replaced by
“Four legs good, two legs better” now that the pigs walk upright, because it is now
the case that “Some animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”.
As time passes, more changes are made to the original commandments.
The other animals accept that it is how the commandments must have always been. In reality,
the former commandments have become propaganda: No animal shall sleep in a bed - with sheets
No animal shall drink alcohol - to excess
No animal shall kill any other animal - without cause
Napoleon trades with neighboring farms and reinstates the name Manor Farm
(since dissent has been quashed), and buries the skull of Old Major. Napoleon
and the farmers drink and cheat each other at cards and argue loudly, as the other animals
look, from man to pig, and back to man again, no longer able to distinguish which is which.
Conclusion As an allegory of the events
of the Russian Revolution, Animal Farm shows Orwell’s keen aptitude for satire. The revolution
started by Old Major (Lenin) is gradually dragged into disarray by Napoleon (Stalin). Any animals
speaking out face the same fate as those who were dealt with in Russia by way of ‘The Great Purge’.
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