Animal farm summary
George Orwell wrote Animal Farm and had the book
published in 1944. The book is basically an allegory for the Russian Revolution
of 1917, and a reflection of how the overthrown capitalist government was
replaced by a different hierarchy in the process. The imagined world of Animal
Farm is a dystopia, were the events and setting are far worse than the reality
of real life.
Synopsis
Inspired by the ideas of animalism and the
philosophy of a recently deceased pig named Old Major, the animals on the Manor
farm form an uprising against Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones, the owner of the farm, and
his men are chased from the farm by the animals. This rebellion is led by
Napoleon and Snowball, who become prominent figure of the uprising. The seven
commandments of the animals are also painted on the barn.
The pigs on the farm prove themselves to be the
most intelligent and take control of supervising the animals. Napoleon becomes
power hungry, which is shown when he steals apples and the cows milk to feed
the pigs. Another pig, Squealer convinces the other animals on the farm that
the pigs are correct in their moral decisions. Later comes The Battle of the
Cowshed, in which Jones and his men try to reclaim the farm but are defeated
due to the tactics of Snowball. In the fall, Napoleon opposes the proposed
plans of Snowball, to build a windmill, which will provide the animals with
electricity and therefore more leisure time. When the decision is due to be
held to vote among the animals, Napoleon makes a pack of dogs chase Snowball
off the farm forever. At this point Napoleon takes full control, telling the
animals that there will no longer be debates on decisions.
Napoleon then later claims the idea to build the
windmill was his own and that plans to build it will go ahead. For the next
year, the windmill is under construction with Boxer the horse proving to be one
of the most useful animals for the task. Meanwhile, Jones decides to move to
another part of the country. Napoleon hires a solicitor to begin trading with neighboring
farms, which goes against the principles of animalism. Snowball is blamed for
the toppled windmill, which is destroyed in a storm. The animals are then
ordered to start rebuilding the windmill.
Napoleon is later seen as a dictator on the farm as
he starts to force "confessions" from the animals. The animals are
then fed to the dogs in front of the other animals as a show of force and
power. The pigs move into the farmer's house, sleeping in the beds and eating
the majority of the food available to the animals. Once the windmill is
completed, Napoleon sells timber to Jones. Fredrick, who pays for the timber in
forged bank notes, then attacks the windmill with his men but is defeated after
it is exploded.
The seven commandments of animalism are then
revisited, with some rules being altered as the pigs disobey these
commandments. After a few years the farm expands when Napoleon purchases two
fields from neighboring farm, owned by Pilkington. Life on the farm has also
worsened for all the animals, except for the pigs that are in control. The pigs
then continue to take the form of their human oppressors, by walking on their
hind legs. The seven commandments of the farm are reduced to just one:
"All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others".
The book ends with Napoleon, the pigs and
Pilkington playing cards in Jones' house. Both characters argue when they try
to play the ace of spades. As the other animals watch from the window, they
cannot tell the difference between the pigs and the human.
Key points
• The
book reflects the Russian Revolution of 1917, but also the personal views of
George Orwell. He believed that the problem of poverty lay in socialism.
• George
Orwell believed that people could only share the rewards of production and
distribution if the state controlled them. This theory is reflected throughout
the book.
• The
animals in the book, particularly the pigs, show human characteristics in their
actions.
• The
time period in which the author grew up and when the book was written would
have been during a time of conflict in the world. It was also a time when many
dictatorships were around, which is reflective in the book.
• Animalism
is reflective of capitalism in real life.
• The
story centres on power, uprisings, betrayal, greed and hypocrisy.
• The
main animals in the story are the pigs, which are most representative of greed
in capitalism.
• Squealer,
the pig could be seen as a representation of propaganda and false information
provided to the general population. This is similar to how governments lie to
their people in order to remain in power.
Commandments
• 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.
References to explore
• Capitalism
- Typography used in 1917 Russia
• Communism
- Russian typography/design
• Propaganda
• Farm
animals
• 1917
design/1944 design
• Design
used during the war
• The
windmill in the book
• Napoleon
• Hierarchy
• Commandments
• Previous
covers of the book.
• The
Marber grid system
No comments:
Post a Comment