Animal Farm A FAIRY STORY GEORGE ORWELL 1945

Animal Farm A FAIRY STORY GEORGE ORWELL 1945

Plot Summary Ø Old Major, a respected pig on Manor Farm stirs up animals with his revolutionary ideas of rebellion against the tyrant Man. Ø The ineffective farmer, Mr Jones, is overthrown and expelled from the farm. The animals adopt the name Animal Farm.

Animals draw up: These are principles to guide their lives.

Snowball and Napoleon The pigs soon emerge as leaders and start to assume minor privileges over the other animals. The two leading pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, quarrel and Napoleon eventually drives his rival off the farm by force.

The Windmill Despite hardships, the farm makes progress, and the animals embark on the construction of a windmill which will supposedly ease their lives. Unfortunately, the windmill is destroyed and the animals must start again. Boxer, the cart-horse, is a tower of strength.

Napoleon’s power grows Napoleon governs by fear and terror. Opponents are killed. Pigs now enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, far different from the hardships of the other animals.

Napoleon cheated by Frederick Neighbouring farmer Frederick, cheats Napoleon over the sale of some timber. Frederick attacks and destroys the windmill a second time.

Boxer falls ill Boxer is over-worked He is treacherously shipped off to the knacker’s (glue boiler) by Napoleon

Pig benefit at other animals’ expense The Commandments are changed, corrupted and perverted.

Napoleon and his pigs join ‘Man’ At the end of the novel, Napoleon and his pigs are playing cards and drinking with Pilkington and other men. Napoleon toasts the farm by its old name ‘Manor Farm’. The animals can’t tell the difference between pigs and the humans who had previously ruled over them and exploited them.

Absolute power has corrupted the pigs absolutely!