M.A.
Programme (Philosophy)
Semester-I
Book Review-I
*** Title of the book ***
ANIMAL FARM
*** Author of the Book ***
GEORGE ORWELL
**Presented By**
Vaidya Ronak
Department of Philosophy
School of Psychology, Education & Philosophy
Gujarat University
Ahmedabad-380009
INDEX
CHAPTER 1 : Beasts Of England
CHAPTER 2 : Animal Farm
CHAPTER 3 : “Four legs good, two legs bad
CHAPTER 4 : Battle of the Cowshed
CHAPTER 5 : Napolean takes charge
CHAPTER 6 : Windmill
CHAPTER 7 : No more Beasts of England
CHAPTER 8 : Commandments
CHAPTER 9 : Boxer dies
CHAPTER 10 : All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others
Introduction
The Animal Farm, an ironic parable-novel of the Soviets communism system, is the most remarkable satire by
George Orwell. The book was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels, and won a
Retrospective Hugo Award in 1996. The author adopted a form of parable to dig at human’s politics. The story, which
is based on a series of revolutions by the animals, criticizes the totalitarianism during the Stalin administration before
World War II. It also intents to disclose the facts of the Soviets communism’s scathing autarchy. In the meanwhile, it
satirizes England, France and other countries, which have diplomatic relations with Soviets.
After reading the Animal Farm, readers might think it is a general and funny story. However, having further analyzed
the author’s writing motive, we realize how ingeniously the author put the Communism into this fairytale-like novel.
With the author’s deliberate arrangement, this novel not only presents a complete society under the Communism, but
also directs readers to explore the implied meanings while they enjoy the fun of the interesting plots.
CHAPTER I
Twelve-year-old Major, Manor Farm’s prize-winning boar, calls a meeting of all of the animals to talk about the
difficulty of their lives under man’s rule. He reveals his dream and prophesies a future rebellion of animals against
man, teaching the animals a song called “Beasts of England.”
CHAPTER II
Major dies, but the other animals, led by two young boars named Snowball and Napoleon, keep the idea of a future
rebellion against man alive. On Midsummer’s Eve, Mr. Jones becomes too drunk to feed or care for the animals, and
the hired hands forget them as well. The animals break into the grain bins. When Mr. Jones and the hired hands
appear, the animals attack and drive them off the farm. The animals are now in control of Manor Farm. They change
its name to Animal Farm and establish their own rules for behavior which are painted on the wall of the barn.
CHAPTER III
The farm animals, supervised by the pigs, harvest the crops with better results than ever before. Sundays are
established as days of rest, for meetings, and for singing “Beasts of England.” Having already taught themselves to
read and write, the pigs attempt to teach these skills to other animals. Committees such as the Clean Tails League
for the cows are set up, but none are successful. Since most of the animals cannot learn to read or to memorize the
seven commandments, the commandments are reduced to one simple maxim: “Four legs good, two legs bad.”
Napoleon takes nine puppies for private instruction, and the pigs are now the only ones allowed to eat the apples and
drink the milk produced on the farm. The pigs force the other animals to accept this by reminding them of the threat of
Mr. Jones’s return.
CHAPTER IV
The song “Beasts of England” is now being hummed and sung over half of the county, although no other farms have
joined the Rebellion. Armed with a shotgun, Mr. Jones and several men from town attempt to recapture the farm, but
Snowball leads the animals in successfully defending it. Medals for bravery are awarded to Snowball, Boxer, and the
one sheep killed in the battle. Mr. Jones’s gun is set up at the foot of the flagpole, and it will be fired on the
anniversaries of the Rebellion and the newly renamed Battle of the Cowshed.
CHAPTER V
Mollie, the horse, is seen consorting with humans who have petted her and given her sugar and ribbons. When
Clover the drafthorse confronts her, Mollie abandons Animal Farm and the Rebellion. Meanwhile, Snowball wants the
animals to build a windmill that will provide electricity, heat and running water in each stall, but Napoleon disagrees
with the idea and urinates on Snowball’s diagrams. When Snowball tries to present his idea to the animals at their
weekly meeting, Napoleon reveals the nine dogs he has trained as guard/attack dogs, and the dogs drive Snowball
from the farm. When some animals protest, the sheep drown them out by bleating, “Four legs good, two legs bad,”
and the dogs growl menacingly. Napoleon soon tells the animals they are going to build the windmill and that it has
always been his idea. With the aid of three growling dogs, Squealer convinces the animals to believe this.
CHAPTER VI
Although they are working a sixty-hour week including Sunday Afternoons, the animals are happy during the next
year. They believe they are working for themselves, despite being threatened with half rations if they do not work on
Sunday. Because of construction on the windmill, some crops are not planted on time, and the harvest is not nearly
as good as last year’s. The animals devise a way to break up the stone they need for the windmill. Boxer gets up
earlier to work harder. The need for seeds and other supplies causes the pigs to begin trading with other farms, first
selling a load of hay, but warning the hens that their eggs may have to be sold as well. Mr. Whymper, a solicitor living
in Willingdon, serves as intermediary. Squealer assures animals that no resolution had ever been made forbidding
trade with humans. The pigs move into the farmhouse and begin sleeping in the beds. The fourth commandment now
says, “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.” With the dogs’ aid and the threat of Jones’s return, Squealer
convinces the animals that the rule had always referred to sheets. When the half-built windmill blows down during a
storm, Napoleon accuses Snowball of destroying it and orders the animals to begin rebuilding it.
CHAPTER VII
Always cold and usually hungry, the animals labor to rebuild the windmill over the long, hard winter. Napoleon rarely
leaves the farmhouse. Squealer makes all his announcements and informs the hens they must produce eggs to sell
so that grain can be bought for the animals to eat. The rebellious hens, led by three pullets, go on strike, laying their
eggs from the rafters to smash on the floor. Napoleon starves them into submission, and nine hens die before the
rebellion is over. Anything that goes wrong on the farm is blamed on Snowball. Squealer again counts on the
growling dogs and Boxer’s belief that whatever Napoleon says is right to persuade the animals that Snowball had
always been in league with Jones and was a traitor at the Battle of the Cowshed. He warns them that there may be
other animal traitors in their ranks. A few days later Napoleon calls a meeting in which the dogs attack the four pigs
who had earlier protested Snowball’s guilt. Under pressure they confess to spying for Snowball, and the dogs quickly
tear out their throats. The hen ringleaders of the strike confess, as do several other animals, and all are promptly
killed. When the shocked animals gather together for comfort and sing “Beasts of England,” Squealer silences them
and states that the song has been abolished; it is unnecessary now that the Rebellion has been achieved. When
some attempt to protest, the sheep’s bleats drown them out until discussion time has passed.
CHAPTER VIII
When some of the animals think to check the commandments, they find that the sixth now reads, “No animal shall kill
any other animal without cause.” They accept the deaths as perfectly reasonable in light of the rule. Though the
animals are working harder than ever, they wonder if they are any better off than they were under Mr. Jones, yet
Squealer quotes figures that seemingly support his statements that production has increased. Now when Napoleon
appears, he is attended by the dogs and a black cockerel who marches in front and crows before Napoleon speaks.
Napoleon has his own apartment, eats from the best china, has two dogs to wait on him, and orders that the gun be
fired on his birthday.
The windmill is finally finished. Napoleon sells a stack of lumber to Frederick and insists on being paid in five-pound
notes. After the lumber is carted away the pigs discover the money is counterfeit. Frederick and his men then attack
Animal Farm. Armed with rifles, the men force the animals to flee. Only Benjamin realizes they are going to blow up
the windmill. When it is destroyed the animals throw caution to the wind and attack Frederick’s men, who kill several
of the animals and wound the others. After the animals chase the men off the farm, Napoleon orders that Jones’s rifle
be fired in a victory celebration. The injured Boxer questions the victory, but Squealer assures him they have won
back their farm and will rebuild the windmill. In celebration the animals are given extra food. The pigs discover a case
of whiskey and get very drunk. The next day a hungover Squealer announces that Napoleon is dying. When
Napoleon recovers, he sends for books on brewing and distilling, and orders the field originally designated as the
grazing plot for retired animals to be plowed up and planted with barley. The fifth commandment now reads “No
animals shall drink alcohol to excess.”
CHAPTER IX
Although Boxer was injured in the battle, he still works as hard as ever on rebuilding the windmill. The animals are
colder and hungrier than last winter, but Squealer again recites statistics to assure them that even with a
“readjustment” of rations, they are still much better off than when Jones ran the farm. Since most of the animals
cannot remember what life under Jones was like, they believe him.
Thirty-one baby pigs now wear green ribbons on their tails on Sundays and are taught by Napoleon, who has plans to
build a school house. The pigs, fatter than ever, have learned to brew beer and receive a daily ration of it. Once a
week the animals participate in a Spontaneous Demonstration to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of Animal
Farm, which helps them forget their hunger and misery. The farm is declared a Republic and Napoleon (the only
candidate) is elected President. Moses, the raven, returns with his tales of Sugarcandy Mountain and is allowed to
stay. Hard-working Boxer finally collapses. He believes he and Benjamin now will be allowed to retire; however, the
wagon that comes to take him to the hospital actually belongs to the horse slaughterer. When Benjamin convinces
the others of Boxer’s danger, it is too late: Boxer is too feeble to break out of the wagon on his own. Several days
later Squealer announces that Boxer has died in the hospital and has been buried in town. He reassures then
animals he was there right at the end and that Boxer died saying, “Napoleon is always right.” He explains away the
wagon and assures the animals a memorial banquet will be held for Boxer. On the day of the celebration, a case of
whiskey is delivered to the pigs, who have somehow found money to pay for it.
CHAPTER X
Over the years most of the animals who took part in the Rebellion have died, leaving only Clover, Benjamin, Moses,
and several of the pigs. None of the animals have ever been allowed to retire. Many animals have been born who
have little knowledge of the Rebellion, and those bought by the Farm have never heard of it at all. The farm
flourishes. The windmill is used to grind corn, and another is being built. The animals have been told they don’t need
the hot and cold water and electric lights they thought they would have once the windmill was built. Napoleon tells
them “the truest happiness... lay in working hard and living frugally.” There are many more pigs and dogs, and even
though they do not produce food, their appetites are hearty. The overworked animals often suffer from hunger and
cold; however, they never lose sight of the truth that they are members of Animal Farm, the only farm owned and run
by animals. They still hope and believe in Major’s Republic of the Animals when all of England will be free of
mankind. Squealer takes the sheep away and teachers them a new slogan. To the horror of the other animals, the
pigs begin to walk on two legs, and the sheep drown out their protests with their newly learned slogan, “Four legs
good, two legs better.”
There is only one commandment now: “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.” The
pigs dress in the Jones’s clothing, and nearby farmers come for a tour of the farm. The farmers comment favorably
on the fact that the animals work longer hours and are fed less than their own animals. Napoleon announces that he
is abolishing several practices at the farm such as the use of the “Comrade,” Sunday marches, and the horn and hoof
symbols on the flag. The farm will resume its original name-The Manor Farm. As the animals peep in the farmhouse
windows, to their amazement they can no longer tell who are the pigs and who are the humans.
Conclusion
The author satirizes humans' endless desire through the leading of the pigs. After fighting, animals would rather
returning back to the formal life. In this story, it demonstrates that human are chasing after fame and wealth, the
political sarcasm is greatly seen in the story. The writer once said: “The crowd is unreliable but we still have to count
on them in the end.”The condition of nowadays society is the same, such as good men aren’t identified easily, elites
would rather go to other nations to make their aspirations come true, or against it passively. As intellectuals, we
should contemplate how to keep self-esteem and the hope in the future without giving in to vicious power. Above all,
we should build up our knowledge and learn to judge rationally.
