Detailed Study Guide to Animal Farm by George Orwell
Introduction and Old Major's Vision
Initial Setting: Mr. Jones, proprietor of Manor Farm, is depicted as an irresponsible and drunken master who forgets to shut the popholes of the hen-houses. Mrs. Jones is already asleep when he retires after a final glass of beer.
Old Major (Willingdon Beauty): A twelve-year-old prize Middle White boar of majestic and benevolent appearance. Despite never having his tushes cut, he is highly regarded by all animals.
The Assembly: Following Old Major's strange dream, the animals meet in the big barn.
Dogs: Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher.
Pigs: Settle in the straw immediately in front of the platform.
Horses: Boxer ( hands high, strong as any two ordinary horses, characterized by a white stripe down his nose and great steadiness) and Clover (a motherly mare in middle life).
Others: Muriel (the white goat), Benjamin (the oldest, worst-tempered, and cynical donkey), Mollie (the pretty, foolish white mare), the cat, and the pigeons and hens.
The Nature of Animal Life: Major describes the life of an animal in England as "misery and slavery." They are born, given the bare minimum of food to survive, and slaughtered the moment their usefulness ends.
The Enemy Defined: Major identifies "Man" as the only real enemy. Man is the only creature that consumes without producing; he does not give milk or lay eggs, yet he is the lord of all animals.
The Message of Rebellion: Major calls for the overthrow of the human race. He emphasizes perfect unity and comradeship: "All men are enemies. All animals are comrades."
The Vote on Rats: After the dogs chase four lurking rats, a vote is taken to determine if wild creatures are friends. It is decided by an overwhelming majority (with only the three dogs and the cat – who voted on both sides – dissenting) that rats are comrades.
The Vices of Man: Major warns that animals must not adopt human vices: they must not live in houses, sleep in beds, wear clothes, drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, touch money, or engage in trade.
"Beasts of England": Major teaches the animals a song from his dream, described as a cross between "Clementine" and "La Cucaracha." It serves as a stirring anthem of liberation and a future without "Tyrant Man."
The Principles of Animalism and the Outbreak of Rebellion
Major’s Death: Old Major dies peacefully in his sleep three nights after his speech and is buried at the foot of the orchard.
Leadership of the Pigs: As the cleverest animals, the pigs take charge of organizing the Rebellion. Pre-eminent are:
Napoleon: A large, fierce-looking Berkshire boar, not a talker but known for getting his own way.
Snowball: More vivacious, quicker in speech, and inventive, though less deep in character than Napoleon.
Squealer: A small, fat pig with a shrill voice and twinkling eyes, capable of "turning black into white."
Animalism: The pigs elaborate Major’s teachings into a formal system of thought. They face initial apathy and questions about loyalty to "Master" (Mr. Jones) and the afterlife (specifically Moses the raven's talk of "Sugarcandy Mountain").
The Rebellion: Occurs earlier than expected. Mr. Jones, disheartened by a lawsuit, becomes a drunkard. On Midsummer's Eve, he gets drunk at the Red Lion and neglects to feed the animals. A cow breaks into the store-shed, and when Jones and his men attack with whips, the animals fight back and chase them off the farm.
The Aftermath: The animals destroy all traces of Jones's reign (bits, nose-rings, whips, and Mollie’s ribbons). Napoleon serves double rations of corn. They resolve to preserve the farmhouse as a museum and agree that no animal should ever live there.
The Seven Commandments: The pigs reveal they have taught themselves to read. Snowball paints out "MANOR FARM" and replaces it with "ANIMAL FARM." The principles are reduced to seven unalterable laws:
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.
Post-Rebellion Governance and Social Stratification
The Harvest: The first harvest is a major success, finished in two days' less time than Jones took. The pigs do not work but direct and supervise. Boxer emerges as the hardest worker, adopting the motto "I will work harder!"
Sunday Rituals: Every Sunday begins with the hoisting of a green flag (representing the fields of England) featuring a white hoof and horn (representing the Republic of the Animals). This is followed by "The Meeting" in the barn, where the pigs propose resolutions and the animals vote.
Committee System: Snowball organizes various committees (Egg Production, Clean Tails League, etc.), which are mostly failures, though the literacy classes succeed to varying degrees.
Literacy Levels: Pigs read perfectly; dogs read only the Commandments; Muriel reads newspapers; Benjamin reads well but refuses; Boxer only learns the letters A, B, C, and D.
Maximum Simplification: For the benefit of the stupider animals, Snowball reduces the Commandments to a single maxim: "Four legs good, two legs bad."
Resource Allocation: The mystery of the missing milk and windfall apples is solved; they are reserved for the pigs. Squealer justifies this using "Science," claiming it is necessary for the pigs' "brainwork" to prevent the return of Mr. Jones.
Neighboring Farms and the Battle of the Cowshed
Neighboring Farms:
Foxwood: Large, neglected, and old-fashioned; owned by Mr. Pilkington (an easy-going gentleman).
Pinchfield: Smaller and better kept; owned by Mr. Frederick (a tough, shrewd man).
The Spread of "Beasts of England": Pigeons are sent out to spread the story of the Rebellion. Stories of cannibalism and torture on Animal Farm are circulated by farmers, yet the song spreads everywhere.
The Battle of the Cowshed: In early October, Jones and his men (plus help from Foxwood and Pinchfield) attempt to recapture the farm. Snowball, having studied Julius Caesar's campaigns, leads the defense.
The Ambush: After initial skirmishes with geese and sheep, Snowball lead the animals in a tactical retreat into the yard, where they ambush the humans. Boxer accidentally strikes a stable-lad unconscious (believed dead).
Commemoration: The animals create military decorations: "Animal Hero, First Class" (awarded to Snowball and Boxer) and "Animal Hero, Second Class" (posthumously to a dead sheep). Jones's abandoned gun is set up to be fired twice a year.
Internal Schisms and the Expulsion of Snowball
Mollie’s Defection: Mollie is caught accepting sugar and ribbons from a human on the Foxwood border; she soon disappears to work for a publican in Willingdon.
The Windmill Controversy: Snowball proposes a windmill to provide electricity and reduce the workweek to three days. Napoleon opposes it, arguing that the priority should be food production. At one point, Napoleon urinates on Snowball's chalk plans.
The Expulsion: At the final vote on the windmill, just as Snowball's eloquence wins over the animals, Napoleon lets out a high-pitched whimper. Nine enormous dogs (the puppies Napoleon had reared in secret) burst in and chase Snowball off the farm.
The Coup: Napoleon announces an end to Sunday-morning Meetings. Decisions will now be made by a committee of pigs in private. The dogs provide a menacing guard. Squealer explains that leadership is a "heavy responsibility" and that Snowball was a criminal.
Revisionism: Three weeks later, Napoleon announces the windmill will be built after all. Squealer explains that Napoleon had never really been against it; he merely pretended to oppose it to get rid of Snowball, calling the move "tactics."
The Reign of Napoleon and Incremental Corruption
Hard Labor: The animals work a sixty-hour week. Sunday work is "voluntary" but results in half-rations if skipped. The windmill construction involves dragging huge boulders to the top of a quarry and dropping them to shatter.
Economic Shifts: Napoleon initiates trade with humans through Mr. Whymper, a solicitor. This violates earlier resolutions, which Squealer claims never existed and were lies of Snowball.
Farmhouse Occupation: The pigs move into the farmhouse. Commandment 4 is discovered to have changed to: "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets." Squealer argues that a bed is just a place to sleep, and the prohibition was only against human invention (sheets).
The Windmill Collapse: In November, a storm destroys the half-finished windmill. Napoleon immediately blames Snowball, pronouncing a death sentence upon him and offering a reward for his capture.
The Starvation Threat: In January, food runs short. Napoleon hides this from the outside world by filling grain bins with sand to deceive Mr. Whymper.
The Hens' Rebellion: When Napoleon contracts to sell eggs a week, the hens rebel by smashing their eggs. Napoleon cuts their rations and decrees that anyone feeding them will be executed. Nine hens die before the rebellion ends.
The Show Trials and Cultural Control
Demonization of Snowball: Squealer claims Snowball was Jones's secret agent from the beginning and that his wounds at the Battle of the Cowshed were part of a plot to lure the animals to defeat.
Executions: Napoleon holds a meeting where four pigs, the rebellious hens, and several other animals confess to crimes and associations with Snowball. They are all slaughtered by the dogs on the spot. This is the first time an animal has killed another animal since the Rebellion.
Abolition of "Beasts of England": Following the executions, Clover and the animals sing the anthem mournfully. Squealer announces the song is now forbidden because the Rebellion is over; it is replaced by a song by Minimus: "Animal Farm, Animal Farm, / Never through me shalt thou come to harm!"
Commandment Revision: The Sixth Commandment is found to read: "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause."
The Battle of the Windmill and the Forgery
Cult of Personality: Napoleon is now referred to as "our Leader, Comrade Napoleon" and given elaborate titles (e.g., Father of All Animals). Minimus composes a poem, "Comrade Napoleon," which is inscribed on the barn wall.
Negotiations: Napoleon plays Pilkington and Frederick against each other over a pile of timber. He eventually sells it to Frederick for notes, discovering later they are forgeries.
The Attack: Frederick and armed men attack the farm in the Battle of the Windmill. They drill a hole in the base of the windmill and blow it up with blasting powder.
The Bitter Victory: Enraged, the animals drive the humans off, but many are killed and Boxer is wounded. Squealer claims a great victory. The battle is named the Battle of the Windmill. Napoleon creates a new decoration: the Order of the Green Banner.
The Whisky Incident: The pigs find whisky in the cellar. Napoleon initially appears to be "dying" (a hangover), and the Fifth Commandment is changed to: "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess."
The Fate of Boxer
Boxer's Deterioration: Despite a split hoof and aging lungs, Boxer continues to work toward the windmill's completion before his retirement (set at age for horses).
Social Hierarchy: Rations are reduced for everyone except pigs and dogs. Pigs are granted the right to wear green ribbons on their tails on Sundays. All barley is reserved for the pigs' beer.
The Republic of Animal Farm: The farm is proclaimed a Republic; Napoleon is elected President unanimously. Moses the raven returns with his tales of Sugarcandy Mountain.
Boxer's Fall: Boxer collapses while dragging stone for the windmill. Squealer claims he will be sent to the hospital in Willingdon.
The Betrayal: As the van arrives, Benjamin reads the sign: "Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler." The animals try to warn Boxer, but he is too weak to kick his way out. He is never seen again.
Squealer's Lie: Squealer claims Boxer died in the hospital and his last words were "Napoleon is always right." He explains the van belonged to a knacker but had been bought by the vet, who hadn't yet painted out the old name.
Totalitarian Closure: The Human Face
Years Later: Most who remembered the Rebellion are dead. The farm is more prosperous but the wealth is concentrated. The windmill is used for milling corn (money) rather than electricity (leisure). Napoleon denounces the idea of a three-day week as contrary to Animalism.
The Final Transformation: The pigs begin walking on their hind legs. The sheep are trained to chant "Four legs good, two legs better!"
The Ultimate Amendment: The barn wall now contains only one Commandment: "ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS."
Reconciliation with Humanity: Pigs carry whips, smoke pipes, and wear Jones's clothes. They host a dinner for neighboring farmers. Mr. Pilkington praises the animals' low rations and long hours. Napoleon changes the name back to "The Manor Farm."
The Ending Scene: A quarrel breaks out when Napoleon and Pilkington both play an ace of spades simultaneously. The animals looking through the window realize they can no longer distinguish between the pigs and the humans.