Animal Farm
George Orwell
Chapter 1
• All of Orwell’s writing focused on
destroying totalitarianism
• Published in 1945
• Animal Farm is a Fable:
– A story where the characters are less
important for individual characteristics and
more important for the characters/people
which they represent
– Many of the characters in Animal Farm
represent real figures from the Russian
Revolution
Chapter 1: Characterization
Orwell begins the novel with the third person
He does this to show Mr. Jones as a failed leader:
corrupt, flawed, complacent
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Jones is symbolically “drunk” on power.
He is a leader ripe for take-over
Indirectly, Orwell also uses personification to
foreshadow the different characters’ downfalls.
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Major: “wise, benevolent” He will not last (27)
Clover: “Motherly” and “loyal” (26)
Boxer: Focus on strength, not intelligence. Represents
lower class attitude (26)
Benjamin: cynical, doesn’t talk. Represents those who
won’t help or oppose (26)
Mollie: Looks are everything (27)
Chapter 1: Orwell’s Style
A. Uses plain language and cumbersome
paragraphs.
B. Satire:
– writing that ridicules a person, a group or an idea
C. Allegory:
– a narrative in which the characters and setting
stand for abstract ideas
Chapter 1: Theme
F. The concept of a Revolution
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Old Major says it is necessary
Old Major’s one sided facts
“Comrade” a direct link to R.R.
Major’s rules solidify the revolt and they are the reason
that it fails!
G. The Rules:
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No animal shall live in a house
No animal shall sleep in a bed
No animal shall wear clothes
No animal shall drink alcohol
No animal shall smoke
No animal shall engage in trade
No animal shall tyrannize another animal
Chapter 2
A. Old Major’s Death:
– Very important because it allows the younger
figures to take control
– He is an idealist and one would always wonder
how the revolution would have gone with him
there
B. The Hesitant Animals:
– These animals represent some of the peasants
in Russia (26)
– Don’t want to give up the security of their current
government for the unknown
Chapter 2
C. The Importance of Persuasion-Squealer:
– Squealer could “turn black into white”
– Squealer is persuasive and cunning
– Through Squealer, Orwell shows that charisma
and persuasive speakers are very important
– He tells animals what they want to hear.
– Where else does this happen in society?
Chapter 2
D. Shakespearean Influence:
– Power of three (major dies three nights
later, three pigs in control)
– Buried in the orchard
– Rebellion begins on a midsummer’s eve
Chapter 2
E.
The commandments:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
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2 legs bad
Four legs-wings good
No clothes
No bed
No alcohol
No killing
All animals equal
Mollie tries on ribbons. Why is this important?
If the leaders single items out and say “NO,” then the
animals (peasants) will want them more!
The pigs turn into hypocrites later because of these
commandments.
Lies and corruption have already begun because the milk is
gone (34)
Chapter 2
E. The commandments:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
2 legs bad
Four legs-wings good
No clothes
No bed
No alcohol
No killing
All animals equal
– These are written in parallel; begin and end with
commandments aimed at uniting the animals and
establishing basic beliefs
– Three-five are big mistakes based on psychology,
these items make the citizens what to do these
things more
Chapter 3
A. Moving Away from Old Major’s Vision:
A. Classless society?
B. Squealer destroys begins to destroy this
kind of society when he says that Jones
would come back without the pigs (42)
C. The pigs do no work (35)
D. A class system is beginning to emerge…
Chapter 3
A. The New Vision…
– Squealer always uses fear to solidify the
pig’s place and this fear is used to
persuade others into submission (41-43)
– The new system of manipulation is based
on fear and psychology
– Old Major would have opposed all of this
Chapter 3
B. Snowball vs.. Napoleon
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A great divide is forming
Snowball’s committees is a different way of
leading (39)
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Wants to establish ownership of Animalism among all
animals
Keep all animals busy and they won’t rebel
Whether any of the committees actually produce
good/useable ideas does not matter
Napoleon wants to do everything himself and
establish a tight control over the other animals
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Takes the puppies and raises them himself (41)
Chapter 3
C. Orwell’s Style:
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The book is narrated from the unquestioning point
of view of the animals
This perspective is used to create irony
Even though the narrator is not questioning, the
reader should be…Why?
Napoleon takes the puppies
The animals forget about them
The milk disappears
The apples preserved only for pigs
The pigs do no work
All of this should raise suspicion in the reader,
even if it doesn’t in the animals (35, 36, 43)
Chapter 3
• Evolution of Animalism:
– Ironic that the narrator calls the animals
“parasites” on page 36.
• What are the pigs, then?
• Aren’t they doing the same things that the
humans did?
Chapter 4
A. Napoleon:
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He is not mentioned in this chapter
This is the only post-revolution chapter
where he is not mentioned
This contrasts with Snowball’s bravery
Napoleon did not fight, is he dedicated to
the revolution?
Chapter 4
B. Snowball:
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Leads the charge
Planned defense and military strategies
Snowball studied Julius Caesar (47)
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An allusion that shows his scholarship and
intellect
Snowball earns a medal (49)
Huge gap now between Napoleon and
Snowball
The Townspeople
C. This chapter shows the first reactions to the
revolution:
• Apathy -> Disbelief -> Fear -> Self-interest
• This attitude represents the attitude of other
countries towards rebellion
• As the townspeople spread rumors of
cannibalism, infidelity, and torture, it shows
their feelings of being threatened
• This is a parody:
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The propaganda the farmers use in their
discussions is the same as the propaganda other
nations use as a weapon
Chapter 5: Napoleon vs.. Snowball
A. Snowball is pure - his name is symbolic
– He is an intellectual and an idealist and his political
ideas reflect this
• Napoleon is a tyrant and is named after
Napoleon Bonaparte (allusion)
• Napoleon is economically minded,
authoritarian, and a dictator
• The dogs are very allegorical:
– He takes the dogs (the resources of the farm) and
uses them against the farm animals (like a
totalitarian dictator would)
The Windmill
A. Napoleon disagrees with Snowball over the windmill
• Why does he disagree, then want to build it anyway?
• Pages 56-57 show the difference in oratory skills:
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Napoleon is very direct - rules through fear
Snowball is very eloquent and wants everyone to agree
and work together and believe in the windmill
The New Rules
• Snowball is eliminated
• Napoleon ironically stands where Old
Major once stood to deliver his speech
• Very authoritarian: “I’ll decide and tell
you”
– No debates, only private meetings
– Napoleon seized control through power and
will rule through fear, confusing ideas, etc…
The Characterization of Squealer
• Characterization:
– Has some of Snowball’s traits
– Persuasive and eloquent speaker
– Unlike Snowball, however, Squealer is shallow and a
propaganda machine of the government
– Squealer would never express his own opinions, even if he
had them
– He is exactly what Napoleon needs, but he is very
detrimental to Animal Farm as a whole
Squealer in Action
B1: Page 59:
– Everything Squealer says contradicts the truth
– No more meetings, but all animals are equal?
– Extra Labor - Napoleon makes all the decisions but
does not work
B2: Page 60:
– Completely discounts Snowball’s role in the battle
– Even though the animals saw Snowball fight, they
believe Squealer
B3: Pages 60 - 61:
– The pigs are guarded by the dogs
– Them vs.. Us mentality
Mollie Vs. Boxer
C1: Mollie (51, 52):
– symbolic of the rich, pampered class during a
revolution
– Just like Zaroff described in “Game” they leave
because they are interested only in luxury and
their way of life
C2: Boxer (60):
– symbolic of the blind and trusting followers who
follows the leader no matter what
Chapter 6
A. A Tyrant’s Trade
– Reintroduced by Napoleon and dissolves the
remaining parts of Old Major’s plan (66
– Mr. Whymper comes to Animal Farm and humans
reemerge (66, 67)
– After trade begins, the pigs move into the
farmhouse (69)
– Squealer reasons this out with the animals through
repetition (67, 69, 70)
– Double standards concerning work continue to
manifest but are dismissed right away (63, 65, 70)
The Rewording of the 4th Commandment
B. Napoleon’s Leadership:
• Napoleon loves to take very general ideas and
narrow them
• His changes are so slight that there appears to
be no change at all
• He changes:
– The commandment (69)
– Ideas on work (63)
– The interpretation of Snowball’s work (72)
The Windmill
C: Napoleon refuses to believe that the project is
difficult (63)
• Napoleon uses his intelligence after the windmill is
destroyed:
– Many psychologists say man needs something to love and
something to hate
– Educational psychology says that people who are kept very
busy are easily controlled
• Napoleon uses both of these ideas to rebuild the
windmill (71, 72)
• Snowball is blamed and this unites the comrades
against a common enemy (someone to hate)
• Ironically, the animals unite against the true leader of
the revolution
Chapter 7: Napoleon’s
Decisions:
A: Napoleon’s Leadership:
– When he lies to save face he is hurting his own
people (82)
– Orwell uses this to satirize the authoritarian
governments and how they never reach for
outside help because it would show weakness in
govt! (83)
– Put citizen’s welfare at risk to save face (75, 76)
• Where are some examples of Napoleon doing
this in chapter 7?
Squealer’s Propaganda
B: Napoleon desires to sever all remaining ties with the
original revolution- but not before he gets a medal (83)
• Snowball is the subject of most of the propagandaMost of this is ironic and really refers to Napoleon:
– He was a traitor from Day 1 (77, 78)
– He was never concerned with the welfare of the animals (75)
– Napoleon needs to discredit the early days of the revolution
(79)
• Napoleon wants to change their ideology so that they
will accept future changes
The Beasts of England
C: Napoleon’s final act of chapter 7 is simple,
yet difficult for the animals (86-87)
• The animals can accept laws, killings, food
rations, and lies but have trouble with the
song being abolished
• It is a low-level need, deeply rooted in their
psyche: It is a cultural tradition
• Why would Napoleon do this?
Chapter 8: The Poem
A. Full of ironic statements
– “Friend of fatherless,” “faithful”, etc…
• Napoleon lives in almost complete
seclusion, lies to the animals and kills
them
• He is neither a friend nor a help
Complete Success
B: Napoleon’s persona has been built up too
much, a common mistake in authoritarian govt.
• He can never be wrong, which is why:
– The gun is fired after the attack by Fredrick
– A new war decoration is created to hide the forged
notes Napoleon accepted from Fredrick
– Plinkington refuses to help and Napoleon chose the
wrong farmer to give the wood to
– Every time the pigs break a commandment,
Squealer goes out at night and alters it
– “Traitors” are murdered
The Effectiveness of Propaganda
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Shows effectiveness of propaganda
A theme of “Reliability of Memory” is emerging
Later, Orwell would continue to explore this in 1984
Muriel, through Orwell’s description of his
mannerisms, seems to know something that the
others do not
• “Remembering wrong” is what the animals call their
incorrect interpretations
• Orwell uses propaganda, humor, and comedy to
satirize how a nation’s collective memory can be
called into question
Chapter 9
A. The Republic?
– Social commentary
– Many totalitarian governments implement dummy
democracies
– Animal Farm does this and the citizens are so
brainwashed that they cannot see that one choice is
no choice!
– This is meant to be a chilling parallel to Old Major
and the days when everything was decided by
majority vote
Chapter 9
B. Squealer’s use of language:
– Very important because it plays a huge part
in his ability to successfully brainwash the
citizens
– Repetition in many of his speeches is
significant
• If one hears things over and over again, it will be
believed
• “A better life now” is contrasted with the narrator
saying and Orwell showing the opposite
• The sheep and Boxer are the best examples of
blind followers
Chapter 9
C. Boxer’s Final Days:
–Very ironic
–Several things become apparent:
• There has been foreshadowing of this:
–Dogs attack him, Clover warns him, injury
• Squealer and the narrator are in constant
competition and this comes out in
chapter 9
• Muriel finally reads
Chapter 9
D. Ignorance:
– Boxer’s death brings the ignorance of the animals
to the forefront
– Boxer was the hardest worker and was killed when
his usefulness ran out
– This should make it clear that no one will retire and
that Animalism is a farce
– This deductive reasoning hits Muriel, but no one
else
– Squealer’s lies about being at Boxer’s bedside and
Boxer’s last words accentuate this concept
Chapter 10
A. Theme: Reliability of memory
– Few animals remain who remember Old
Major, Jones, or Snowball
– Orwell is commenting on the effect of time
and brainwashing on memory
– If something is not remembered, does it
matter if it really happened?
• The elimination of the characters, flag, and
meetings makes it seem like none of this ever
happened
Chapter 10
B. Bureaucracy:
– Squealer invents important work for the
growing number of pigs to do
– The “files…” convince the animals, but the
audience knows that these ate lies!
– Totalitarian governments of ten do this
because they favor one class of citizens
over another
Chapter 10
• The Ending:
– The pigs have slowly been assimilating into
human culture:
• Hind legs, houses, beer, visits with humans
– Now it is too late:
• They realize that the revolution is a joke but it is
too late to do anything about it
– Basically, they have traded on totalitarian
government for another