Animal Farm Summary

Animal Farm is a satirical fable set on Manor Farm, a typical English farm. Orwell employs a third-person
narrator, who reports events without commenting on them directly. The narrator describes things as the
animals perceive them.

Old Major calls a meeting of all the animals in the big barn. He announces that he may die soon and
relates to them the insights he has gathered in his life. Old Major tells the animals that human beings
are the sole reason that “No animal in England is free” and that “The life of an animal is misery and
slavery.” Therefore the animals must take charge of their destiny by overthrowing Man in a great
Rebellion. He relates his dream of rebellion.

Old Major dies soon after the meeting and the other animals prepare for the Rebellion under Snowball,
Napoleon, and Squealer’s leadership. One night, Mr. Jones passes out drunk, creating the perfect
opportunity for the animals to rebel. They are so hungry that they break into the store-shed. When
Jones and his men try to whip them into submission, the animals run them off the farm. The animals
burn all reminders of their former bondage but agree to preserve the farmhouse “as a museum.”
Snowball changes the name of the farm to “Animal Farm” and comes up with Seven Commandments,
which are to form the basis of Animalism. They are:

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 animals shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

7. All animals are equal.

The pigs milk the cows, and then the animals go out to begin the harvest. When they return, the milk
has disappeared mysteriously. The first harvest is a great success. The animals adhere to the tenets of
Animalism happily, and with good result. Each animal works according to his ability and gets a fair share
of food.

Every Sunday, Snowball and Napoleon lead a meeting of all the animals in the big barn. The pigs are the
most intelligent animals, so they think up resolutions for the other animals to debate. Soon after, the
pigs set up a study-center for themselves in the harness-room. Snowball embarks on various campaigns
for social and economic improvement. Napoleon opposes whatever Snowball does. Because most of the
animals lack the intelligence to memorize the Seven Commandments, Snowball reduces them to the
single maxim, “Four legs good, two legs bad.” The sheep take to chanting this at meetings.

As time goes by, the pigs increase their control over the animals and award themselves increasing
privileges. They quell the animals’ questions and protests by threatening Mr. Jones’s return. During this
time, Napoleon also confiscates nine newborn puppies and secludes them in a loft in order to “educate”
them.

By late summer, Snowball’s and Napoleon’s pigeon-messengers have spread news of the Rebellion
across half of England. Animals on other farms have begun lashing out against their human masters and
singing the revolutionary song “Beasts of England.” Jones and other farmers try to recapture Animal
Farm but fail. The animals celebrate their victory in what they call “The Battle of the Cowshed.”

The animals agree to let the pigs make all the resolutions. Snowball and Napoleon continue to be at
odds and eventually clash over the windmill. Snowball wants to build a windmill in order to shorten the
work week and provide the farm electricity, but Napoleon opposes it. Napoleon summons nine fierce
dogs (the puppies he trained) to run Snowball off the farm. Napoleon announces that Sunday meetings
will cease and that the pigs will make all the decisions in the animals’ best interest. At this point, Boxer
takes on his own personal maxims, “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right.” In the spring,
Napoleon announces plans to build the windmill, claiming that it was his idea all along—rewriting
history.

Building the windmill forces the animals to work harder and on Sundays. Shortages begin to occur, so
Napoleon opens up trade with the human world. Through Squealer, he lies that no resolutions against
interaction with humans or the use of money had ever been passed. Napoleon enlists Whymper to be
his intermediary, and the pigs move into the farmhouse. Squealer assures the animals that there is no
resolution against this, but Clover and Muriel discovers that one of the resolutions has been changed to:
“No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.” Squealer convinces her that there was never a resolution
against beds at all.

One night, strong winds shake the farm and the animals awake to discover the windmill destroyed.
Napoleon blames Snowball and sentences the expelled pig to death.

In the winter, as conditions become worse on Animal Farm, Napoleon deceives the human world into
thinking Animal Farm is prospering. He signs a contract for a quota of four hundred eggs per week,
inciting a hen rebellion that results in several deaths. Around the same time, Napoleon begins
negotiating with Frederick and Pilkington to sell Animal Farm’s store of timber. He also spreads
propaganda against Snowball, claiming that Snowball was always a spy and a collaborator while
Napoleon was the true hero of the Battle of the Cowshed, and Squealer warns against Snowball’s secret
agents.

Four days later, Napoleon holds an assembly in which he makes several animals confess to treachery
and then has the dogs execute them. The dogs try to get Boxer to confess but leave him alone when
they cannot overpower him. Afterwards, Clover and some other animals huddle together on a hill
overlooking the farm. They reminisce about Animalism’s ideals and consider how much they differ from
the violence and terror of Napoleon’s reign. They sing “Beasts of England,” but Squealer informs them
that the song is useless now that the Rebellion is completed and that it is now forbidden. The new
anthem begins with the lyrics: “Animal Farm, Animal Farm, / Never through me shalt thou come to
harm!”

Another commandment is changed to read: “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.” Clover
and Muriel convince themselves that the commandment has always been this way. Squealer begins
reading the animals statistics regularly to convince them that production is increasing. Napoleon seldom
appears in public. The animals now call him “our Leader, Comrade Napoleon.” They attribute all
misfortunes to Snowball and all success and luck to Napoleon.

Napoleon continues to negotiate with the farmers and eventually decides to sell the timber to Mr.
Pilkington. At last, the windmill is finished and named “Napoleon Mill.” Soon after, Napoleon announces
that he will sell the timber to Frederick, quickly changing his allegiance and disavowing his earlier
vilification of Frederick. Napoleon says that Pilkington and Snowball have been collaborating. Frederick
pays for the timber in fake cash, and the next morning, Frederick and his men invade the farm and blow
up the windmill. The animals manage to chase the humans off, though many die or are injured in what
they call “The Battle of the Windmill.”

After the battle, the pigs discover a case of whisky in the farmhouse. They drink to excess and soon,
Squealer reports that Napoleon is dying and, as his last action, has made the consumption of alcohol
punishable by death. But Napoleon recovers quickly and then sends Whymper to procure manuals on
brewing alcohol. Squealer changes another commandment to “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.”

Napoleon plans to build a schoolhouse for the thirty-one young pigs he has parented. Towards the end
of the winter, Napoleon begins increasing propaganda to distract the animals from inequality and
hardship. He creates special “Spontaneous Demonstrations” in which the animals march around and
celebrate their triumphs.

In April, Napoleon declares the farm a Republic and is elected unanimously as President. The animals
continue to work feverishly, most of all Boxer. One day, Boxer collapses while overexerting himself.
Napoleon promises to send him to the veterinarian in Willingdon. A few days later, a horse-slaughterer
takes Boxer away in his van. The animals are none the wiser until Benjamin reads the lettering on the
side of the van. A few days later, Squealer reports that Boxer died in the hospital despite receiving the
best possible care. He claims that Boxer’s last words glorified Animal Farm and Napoleon. He also claims
that the van belongs to the veterinarian, who recently bought it from the horse slaughterer and had not
yet managed to paint over the lettering. Napoleon promises to honor Boxer with a special banquet. But
the pigs use the money from his slaughter to buy a case of whisky, which they drink on the day
appointed for the banquet.

Years go by, and though Animal Farm’s population has increased, only a few animals that remember the
Rebellion remain. Conditions are still harsh despite technological improvements. The pigs and dogs
continue to do no manual labor, instead devoting themselves to organizational work. One day, Squealer
takes the sheep out to a deserted pasture where, he says, he is teaching them a song. On the day the
sheep return, the pigs walk around the yard on their hind legs as the sheep chant, “Four legs good, two
legs better.” The other animals are horrified. Clover consults the barn wall again. This time Benjamin
reads to her. The Seven Commandments have been replaced with a single maxim: “All animals are equal
/ But some animals are more equal than others.”

The pigs continue the longstanding pattern of awarding themselves more and more privileges. They buy
a telephone and subscribe to magazines. They even wear Jones’s clothing. One night, Napoleon holds a
conciliatory banquet for the farmers. Pilkington makes a speech in which he says he wants to emulate
Animal Farm’s long work hours and low rations. Napoleon announces that the farm will be called
“Manor Farm” again, the animals will call each other “Comrade” no longer, and they no longer will
march ceremoniously past Old Major’s skull (a practice he denies understanding). He also declares that
the farm’s flag will be plain green, devoid of the symbols of the Rebellion. As the animals peer through
the windows to watch the humans and pigs play poker, they cannot distinguish between them.

Benjamin
The donkey. He is the oldest animal on the farm and stereotypically
stubborn and crotchety. He is also intelligent, being the only animal
(aside from the pigs) that can read fluently. He never laughs,
preferring to make cynical comments, especially the cryptic line,
“donkeys live a long time.” Despite Benjamin’s unfriendly nature, he
has a special affinity for Boxer. The Rebellion does not change
Benjamin’s personality, although he eventually helps the animals read
the lettering on the side of the van and the maxim that replaces the
Seven Commandments. Benjamin represents the human (and also
stereotypically Russian) tendency towards apathy; he holds fast to the
idea that life is inherently hard and that efforts for change are futile.
Benjamin bears a similarity to Orwell himself. Over the course of his
career, Orwell became politically pessimistic and predicted the
overtake of the West by totalitarian governments.
Benjamin
The donkey. He is the oldest animal on the farm and stereotypically
stubborn and crotchety. He is also intelligent, being the only animal
(aside from the pigs) that can read fluently. He never laughs,
preferring to make cynical comments, especially the cryptic line,
“donkeys live a long time.” Despite Benjamin’s unfriendly nature, he
has a special affinity for Boxer. The Rebellion does not change
Benjamin’s personality, although he eventually helps the animals read
the lettering on the side of the van and the maxim that replaces the
Seven Commandments. Benjamin represents the human (and also
stereotypically Russian) tendency towards apathy; he holds fast to the
idea that life is inherently hard and that efforts for change are futile.
Benjamin bears a similarity to Orwell himself. Over the course of his
career, Orwell became politically pessimistic and predicted the
overtake of the West by totalitarian governments.

Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher

Boxer
The male of the two horses on the farm. He is “an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high,
and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. A white stripe down his nose gave him a
somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence, but he was
universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work” (26).
Boxer has a special affinity for Benjamin. With his determination to be a good public servant and
his penchant for hard work, Boxer becomes Napoleon’s greatest supporter. He works tirelessly
for the cause of Animal Farm, operating under his personal maxims, “I will work harder” and
“Napoleon is always right.” The only time Boxer doubts propaganda is when Squealer tries to
rewrite the story of Snowball’s valor at the Battle of the Cowshed, a “treachery” for which he is
nearly executed. But Boxer recants his doubts when he learns that the altered story of the battle is
directly from Napoleon. After Boxer is injured while defending the farm in the Battle of the
Windmill, Napoleon sends him to be slaughtered for profit. The pigs use the money from the
slaughter to buy themselves a case of whisky. Boxer is not pugnacious despite his name, but he
is as strong as his name implies. In this way, Boxer is a painfully ironic character. He is strong
enough to kill another animal, even a human, with a single blow from his hoof, and the dogs
cannot manage to overpower him in Chapter VII. Still, Boxer lacks the intelligence and the nerve
to sense that he is being used. Boxer represents the peasant or working class, a faction of
humanity with a great combined strength--enough to overthrow a manipulative government--but
which is uneducated enough to take propaganda to heart and believe unconditionally in the
government’s cause.
the Cat
The only cat on Manor Farm. She is lazy and indifferent, but she does participate in the Battle of
the Cowshed.
Clover
The female of the two horses on the farm. She is “a stout motherly mare approaching middle life,
who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal.” Clover is Boxer’s faithful
companion as well as a motherly figure to the other animals. Like Boxer, Clover is not intelligent
enough to read, so she enlists Muriel to read the altered Seven Commandments to her. She sees
the incongruities in the government’s policies and actions, but she is not smart or defiant enough
to fight for the restoration of justice. Clover represents those people who remember a time before
the Revolution and therefore half-realize that the government is lying about its success and
adherence to its principles, but are helpless to change anything.
the Dogs
Nine puppies, which Napoleon confiscates and secludes in a loft. Napoleon rears them into
fierce, elitist dogs that act as his security guards. The dogs are the only animals other than the
pigs that are given special privileges. They also act as executioners, tearing out the throats of
animals that confess to treachery. The dogs represent the NKVD and more specifically the KGB,
agencies Joseph Stalin fostered and used to terrorize and commit atrocities upon the Soviet
Union’s populace.
Frederick
The owner of Pinchfield, the small farm adjacent to Manor Farm. He is a hard-nosed individual
who is known for his frequent legal troubles and demanding business style. He cheats the
animals out of their timber by paying for it with fake banknotes. Frederick represents Adolf
Hitler. Rumors of the exotic and cruel animal tortures Frederick enacts on his farm are meant to
echo the horror stories emerging from Nazi Germany. Frederick’s agreement to buy the timber
represents the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression treaty, and his subsequent betrayal of the pact and
invasion of Animal Farm represents the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
Jones
The owner of Manor Farm and a drunkard. His animals overthrow him in the Rebellion. When
he tries to recapture his property, they defeat him, steal his gun, and drive him off again. Mr.
Jones dies in a home for alcoholics in another part of the country. He represents the kind of
corrupt and fatally flawed government that results in discontent and revolution among the
populace. More specifically, Jones represents the latter days of imperial Russia and its last
leader, the wealthy but ineffective Czar Nicholas II.
Minimus
A pig with “a remarkable gift for composing songs and poems.” Under Napoleon’s rule,
Minimus sits with him and Squealer on the barn platform during meetings. Minimus composes
propaganda songs and poems under Napoleon’s rule. Though we never hear Minimus complain
about his duties as propaganda writer, he represents the Soviet Union’s artists, who were forced
to use their talents to glorify communism rather than express their personal feelings or beliefs.
Mollie
The white mare that draws Mr. Jones’s trap. Her personality is superficial and adolescent. For
example, when she arrives at the big meeting in Chapter 1, Orwell writes, “Mollie … Came
mincing daintily in, chewing a lump of sugar. She took a place near the front and began flirting
her white mane, hoping to draw attention to the red ribbons it was plaited with” (27). Mollie is
the only animal not to fight in the Battle of the Cowshed, instead hiding in her stall. She
eventually flees the farm and is last seen, bedecked in ribbons, eating sugar and letting her new
owner stroke her nose. Mollie represents the class of nobles who, unwilling to conform to the
new regime, fled Russia after the Revolution.
Moses
A tame raven that is Mr. Jones’s “especial pet.” He is a spy, a gossip, and a “clever talker” (37).
He is also the only animal not present for Old Major’s meeting. Moses gets in the way of the
pigs’ efforts to spread Animalism by inventing a story about an animal heaven called Sugarcandy
Mountain. Moses disappears for several years during Napoleon’s rule. When he returns, he still
insists on the existence of Sugarcandy Mountain. Moses represents religion, which gives people
hope of a better life in heaven. His name connects him to the Judeo-Christian religions
specifically, but he can be said to represent the spiritual alternative in general. The pigs dislike
Moses’s stories of Sugarcandy Mountain, just as the Soviet government opposed religion, not
wanting its people to subscribe to a system of belief outside of communism. Though the Soviet
government suppressed religion aggressively, the pigs on Animal Farm let Moses come and go
as he pleases and even give him a ration of beer when he returns from his long absence.
Muriel
The white goat. Muriel can read fairly well and helps Clover decipher the alterations to the
Seven Commandments. Muriel is not opinionated, but she represents a subtle, revelatory
influence because of her willingness to help bring things to light (as opposed to Benjamin).
Napoleon
One of the leaders among the pigs, Napoleon is a “large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar”
that is up for sale. He is the only Berkshire boar on the farm. He is “not much of a talker” and
has “a reputation for getting his own way” (35). Napoleon expels Snowball from the farm and
takes over. He modifies his opinions and policies and rewrites history continually to benefit the
pigs. Napoleon awards special privileges to the pigs and especially to himself. For example, he
dines on Mr. Jones’s fine china, wears Mr. Jones’s dress clothes, and smokes a pipe. As time
goes on, Napoleon becomes a figure in the shadows, increasingly secluding himself and making
few public appearances. Eventually, Napoleon holds a conciliatory meeting with the neighboring
human farmers and effectively takes over Mr. Jones’s position as dictator. Napoleon represents
the type of dictator or tyrant who shirks the common good, instead seeking more and more
power in order to create his own regime. Orwell reflects Napoleon’s greed for power with a
name that invokes Napoleon Bonaparte, the very successful French leader who became
“Emperor” and brashly invaded Russia before being defeated by Russia. But Napoleon the pig
more directly represents Stalin in his constantly changing policies and actions, his secret
activities, his intentional deception and manipulation of the populace, and his use of fear tactics
and atrocities.
Old Major
A prize Middle White boar that the Joneses exhibited under the name “Willingdon Beauty.” He
is, “stout … But still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance” (26). In
addition to his laurels in the exhibition world, Major is highly respected among his fellow farm
animals. His age is twelve years, which makes him a senior among them, and he also claims to
have had over four hundred children. He is the one who calls the meeting in the first chapter to
discuss his strange dream. Major claims to “understand the nature of life on this earth as well as
any animal now living” (28). Months after his death, the pigs disinter his skull and place it at the
base of the flagpole beside the gun. Major symbolizes two historical figures. First, he represents
Karl Marx, the father of Marxism. Marx’s political hypotheses about working-class
consciousness and division of labor worked infinitely better in theory than in practice, especially
when corrupt leaders twisted them for their personal gain. Second, Major represents Vladimir
Lenin, the foremost of the three authors of the Russian Revolution and the formation of the
Soviet Union. Lenin died during the Soviet Union’s early years, leaving Trotsky (Snowball) and
Stalin (Napoleon) to vie for his leadership position.
Pilkington
The owner of Foxwood, the large, unkempt farm adjacent to Manor Farm. He is an easy-going
man who prefers pursuing his hobbies to maintaining his land. At the book’s end, Mr. Pilkington
offers a toast to the future cooperation between human farms and Animal Farm. He also says he
plans to emulate Animal Farm’s low rations and long work hours. Pilkington can be seen to
represent the Allies. Allied countries explored the possibility of trade with the Soviet Union in
the years leading up to World War II but kept a watchful distance. Ominously, as Friedrich
Hayek points out in The Road to Serfdom (1944), communist principles had strong
proponents among many Allied nations as well. Pilkington’s unwillingness to save Animal Farm
from Frederick and his men parodies the Allies’ initial hesitance to enter the War. Napoleon’s
and Pilkington’s poker game at the end of the book suggests the beginnings of a power struggle
that would later become the Cold War.
Pinkeye
A pig that Napoleon enlists as his taster, lest someone try to poison him.
the Sheep
The sheep are loyal to the tenets of Animal Farm, often breaking into a chorus of “Four legs
good, two legs bad” and later, “Four legs good, two legs better!” The Sheep--true to the typical
symbolic meaning of “sheep”--represent those people who have little understanding of their
situation and thus are willing to follow their government blindly.
Snowball
One of the leaders among the pigs, Snowball is a young pig that is up for sale. He is more
intelligent than Napoleon but lacks Napoleon’s depth of character. He is also a brilliant orator.
Snowball, who represents Leon Trotsky, is a progressive politician and aims to improve Animal
Farm with a windmill and other technological advances, but Napoleon expels him before he can
do so. In his absence, Snowball comes to represent an abstract idea of evil. The animals blame
misfortunes on him, including the windmill’s destruction, and entertain the idea that he is lurking
on one of the neighboring farms, plotting revenge. Napoleon uses the animals’ fear of Snowball
to create new propaganda and changes history to make it seem as though Snowball was always a
spy and a traitor. Snowball’s name is symbolic in this way. Napoleon encourages the animals’
fear of him to grow or snowball so that it becomes so great it is almost palpable. Snowball’s
name may also refer to Trotsky’s call (following Marx) to encourage a revolution outside the
Soviet Union that would “snowball” into an international proletariat revolution. Snowball can
more generally be said to represent systems of belief outside of communism, which the
government demonizes in order to lionize its own system.
Squealer
The best known of the porker pigs, Squealer has “very round cheeks, twinkling eyes, nimble
movements, and a shrill voice.” He is also “a brilliant talker” who is talented in the art of
argument. The other pigs say Squealer “could turn black into white” (35). Under Napoleon’s
rule, Squealer acts as the liaison to the other animals. He lies to them, rewriting history and
reading them encouraging, but false, statistics. Squealer is especially good at playing on the
animals’ ignorance and gullibility. He represents the propaganda machine of a totalitarian
government.
Whymper
A solicitor in Willingdon who acts as Animal Farm’s intermediary to the human world. He is “a
sly-looking little man with side whiskers.” He visits the farm every Monday to get his orders and
is paid in commissions. Mr. Whymper’s business-minded attitude towards Animal Farm, which
allows him to ignore the injustices and atrocities committed there, make him a parody of nations
that conducted business with the Soviet Union while turning a blind eye to its internal affairs.