Orwell's Animal Farm Plot Overview, Analysis of Major Characters, Themes, Motifs & Symbols

1. Animal Farm
By George
Orwell
“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
Allegory - Satire - Fable
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2. Animal Farm In Brief
 It was written in 1940's. It's an allegory of the Russian
revolution, on how communism doesn't work. In the story,
a bunch of farm animals overthrow the farmer who treated
them badly. They set up an ideal society in which all the
animals are equal, and all work for the benefit of each
other (basically a communist society). The pigs take a
leadership position, even though technically all the animals
are equal. One pig, Napoleon, who is power hungry, kicks
out his co-leader, Snowball, and then becomes a tyrant.
He mistreats the other animals in a similar way as the
farmer mistreated them. The animals are back to square
one, and no improvement has been made.

3. Why Animals?
In explaining how he came to write Animal Farm,
Orwell says he once saw a little boy whipping a
horse and later he wrote,…
“It struck me that if only such animals became aware of their
strength we should have no power over them, and that men
exploit (use) animals in much the same way as the rich exploit
the [worker].”

4. What is Animal Farm?
 A masterpiece of political satire, Animal Farm is a
tale of oppressed individuals who long for
freedom but ultimately are corrupted by
assuming(arrogant) the very power that had
originally oppressed(tyrannized) them.
 The story traces(sketches, describes) the
deplorable(miserable) conditions of mistreated
animals who can speak and who exhibit(present)
many human characteristics(features). After
extreme negligence(carelessness) by their owner,
the animals revolt and expel(drive out) Mr. Jones
and his wife from the farm.
 The tale of the society the animals form into a
totalitarian(tyranny) regime is generally viewed as
Orwell's critique(critic review) of the communist
system in the former Soviet Union.
Interesting Fact: Orwell initially struggled
to find a publisher for Animal Farm.

5. Significance(importance) Today
 But why – now that Soviet Communism has
fallen and the Cold War is over –does Animal
Farm deserve our attention? The answer lies
in the power of allegory. Allegorical fables,
because they require us to make comparisons
and connections, can be meaningful to any
reader in any historical period. The story of
Animal Farm will always have lessons to
teach us about the ways that people abuse
power and manipulate others.
 Orwell's chilling(bitter) story of the betrayal of
idealism(utopian) through tyranny and
corruption is as fresh and relevant today as
when it was first published in 1945.

6. When History and Literature Merge
 Critics often consider Animal Farm to be an
allegory of the Russian Revolution. In the
early 1900s, Russia’s Czar Nicholas II faced an
increasingly discontented populace(offended
people). Freed from feudal serfdom(slavery) in
1861, many Russian peasants(farmers) were
struggling to survive under an
oppressive(unfair, tyrannical) government. By
1917, amidst(among) the tremendous(terrible)
suffering of World War I, a revolution began.
In two major battles, the Czar’s government
was overthrown and replaced by the Bolshevik
leadership of Vladimir Lenin. When Lenin died
in 1924, his former colleagues Leon Trotsky,
hero of the early Revolution, and Joseph
Stalin, head of the Communist Party, struggled
for power. Stalin won the battle, and he
deported(banished) Trotsky into permanent
exile(banishment).
Czar Nicholas II
Vladimir Lenin
Joseph Stalin Leon Trotsky

7. Animalism = Communism
 Animalism
 Taught by Old Major
 No rich, but no poor
 Better life for workers
 All animals are equal
 Everyone owns the farm
 Communism
 Invented by Karl Marx
 All people are equal
 Government owns
everything
 People own the
government

8. Animal Farm Revolution = Russian Revolution
 Animal Farm Revolution
 Was supposed to make life
better for all, but . . .
 Life was worse at the end.
 The leaders became the
same as, or worse than the
other farmers (humans) they
rebelled against.
 Russian Revolution
 Was supposed to fix the
problems created by the
Czar, but . . .
 Life was even worse after
the revolution.
 Stalin made the Czar look
like a nice guy.

9. George Orwell
British Author & Journalist
 1903-1950
 Born in India
 At that time India was a part of the British Empire, and Blair's
father, Richard, held a post as an agent in the Opium(kind of
drugs) Department of the Indian Civil Service.
 The Blair family was not very wealthy - Orwell later described
them ironically as "lower-upper-middle class". They owned no
property, had no extensive investments; they were like many
middle-class English families of the time, totally dependent on
the British Empire for their livelihood(living) and prospects.
 Noted as a novelist and critic, as well as a political and cultural
commentator
 One of the most widely admired English-language essayists of the
20th century
 Best known for two novels critical of totalitarianism in general, and
Stalinism in particular:
 Animal Farm
 Nineteen Eighty-Four
“Liberty is telling people what they do not want to hear.”

10. 1984
 The novel, published in
1949, takes place in 1984
and presents an imaginary
future where a totalitarian
state controls every aspect
of life, even people's
thoughts. The state is
called Oceania and is ruled
by a group known as the
Party; its leader and
dictator is Big Brother.

11. George Orwell and His Beliefs
 Orwell was a person who had a reputation for standing apart and even
making a virtue of his detachment(independence in opinion).
 This “outsider” position often led him to oppose the crowd(people whom
work with).
 Orwell’s beliefs about politics were affected by his experiences fighting in
the Spanish Civil War.
 He viewed socialists, communists, and fascists as repressive and self-
serving.
 He was skeptical(doubt) of governments and their willingness to
forsake(leave) ideas in favor of power.
Interesting Fact:
George Orwell’s real name was Eric Blair.

12. George Orwell in India
 He was born in India and
spent his early years there
since his father held a post
there.
He was a lonely boy who liked to
make up stories and talk with
imaginary companions.
 As an adult, he worked for
the Imperial Police in British
occupied India.

13. War
 When the Spanish Civil war began, Orwell
volunteered to fight for the republicans
against the uprising. He was injured after
being shot in the neck by a sniper's bullet;
following this he and his new wife, Eileen
O’Shaughnessy, left Spain to return to
England.
 Death
 Orwell became seriously ill around this time,
suffering with tuberculosis. Orwell had been
courting Sonia Brownell and married her while
in hospital in October 1949. By Christmas
Orwell was very weak and in January of 1950,
aged 46, he died. In accordance with his
wishes, Orwell was buried. He lies in All
Saint’s Churchyard in Oxford, as it was
impossible for him to be buried in London.

14. Characters
 Old Major
 An old boar whose speech about
the evils perpetrated(have done)
by humans rouses(awakes)the
animals into rebelling.
 His philosophy concerning the
tyranny of Man is named
Animalism.
 He teaches the animals the song
“Beasts of England”
 Dies before revolution
 Karl Marx
 The inventor of communism
 Wants to unite the working
class to overthrow the
government.
 Dies before the Russian
Revolution

15. Who is Karl Marx?
 Many of the ideals behind the Soviet
revolution were based on the writings
and teachings of Karl Marx. A German
intellectual who lived in the mid-1800s,
Marx believed that societies are divided
into two segments, a working class and
an owner class. The working class
creates all the products, while the
owner class enjoys all the benefits
of these products. This class division
leads to inequality and oppression
(tyranny , injustice) of the working
class. Marx’s objective was to create a
classless society in which the work is
shared by all for the benefit of all, and
he believed revolution was the way to
achieve this goal.

16. Napoleon = Joseph Stalin
 Napoleon
 Boar who leads the rebellion
against Farmer Jones
 After the rebellion’s success, he
systematically begins to control
all aspects of the farm until he
is an undisputed(no one stand
against him) tyrant.
 Joseph Stain
 The communist dictator of the
Soviet Union from 1922-1953
who killed all who opposed
him.
 He loved power and used the
KGB (secret police) to enforce
his ruthless(unmerciful),
corrupt antics.

17. Joseph Stalin
 Once in power, Stalin began, with
despotic(tyranny) urgency and
exalted(glorified) nationalism, to move the
Soviet Union into the modern industrial age.
His government seized(captured) land in
order to create collective(group) farms.
Stalin’s Five Year Plan was an attempt(try,
effort) to modernize Soviet industry. Many
peasants(farmers) refused to give up their
land, so to counter resistance Stalin used
vicious(evil) military tactics. Rigged trials led
to executions of an estimated 20 million
government officials and ordinary citizens.
The government controlled the flow and
content of information to the people, and all
but outlawed churches.
Joseph Stalin

18. Snowball = Leon Trotsky
 Snowball
 Boar who becomes one of the
rebellion’s most valuable
leaders.
 After drawing complicated
plans for the construction of a
windmill, he is chased off of
the farm forever by
Napoleon’s dogs and
thereafter used as a
scapegoat for the animals’
troubles.
 Leon Trotsky
 A pure communist leader
who was influenced by the
teachings of Karl Marx.
 He wanted to improve life for
people in Russia, but was
driven away by Lenin’s KGB.

19. Farmer Jones = Czar Nicholas II
 Farmer Jones
 The irresponsible owner of
the farm
 Lets his animals starve(feel
hungry) and beats them
with a whip
 Sometimes shows random
kindness
 Czar Nicholas II
 Weak Russian leader
during the early 1900s
 Often cruel and
brutal(harsh) to his
subjects
 Displays
isolated(seperated)
kindness

20. Squealer & Boxer
 Squealer
 A big mouth pig who becomes Napoleon’s mouthpiece.
Throughout the novel, he displays his ability to
manipulate(treat in proficiency) the animals’ thoughts
through the use of hollow(tell lies), yet convincing rhetoric.
 Represents the propaganda department that worked to
support Stalin’s image; the members of the department
would use lies to convince the people to follow Stalin.
 Boxer
 A dedicated but dim-witted(stupid) horse who aids(assists)
in the building of the windmill but is sold to a glue-boiler
after collapsing(crash down) from exhaustion.
 Represents the dedicated, but tricked(cheated) communist
supporters of Stalin. Many stayed loyal even after it was
obvious(clear) Stalin was a tyrant. Eventually(finally) they
were betrayed, ignored, and even killed by him. Boxer
Squealer

21. Jessie & Moses
 Jessie
 The farm's sheepdog, she keeps tabs on the
pigs and is among the first to suspect that
something is wrong at Animal Farm.
 Moses
 A tame(domesticated) raven and sometimes-
pet of Jones who tells the animals stories
about a paradise called Sugar-candy
Mountain.
 Moses represents religion. Stalin used religious
principles to influence(affect on) people to
Jessie
Moses
Jessie, Bluebell, and Pincher Three dogs.
The nine puppies born between Jessie and
Bluebell are taken by Napoleon and raised
to be his guard dogs.

22. More Characters
Mr. Pilkington
Jones' neighbor, The easygoing gentleman farmer who runs Foxwood, a neighboring
farm. Mr. Frederick’s bitter enemy, Mr. Pilkington represents the capitalist
governments of England and the United States.
Mr. Frederick
The tough, shrewd operator of Pinchfield, a neighboring farm. Based on Adolf Hitler,
the ruler of Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, Mr. Frederick proves an
untrustworthy neighbor.

23. More Characters
Mollie
A vain horse who resists the animal rebellion because she doesn't want to give up
the petting and treats she receives from humans. Mollie represents vain, selfish
people in Russia and throughout the world who ignored the revolution and sought
residence in more inviting countries.
Benjamin
The most cynical (ironical) of all the animals, the farm's donkey doubts the
leadership of the pigs but is faithfully devoted to Boxer. Benjamin represents all the
skeptical people in Russia and elsewhere who weren’t sure revolution would change
anything.

24. More Characters
The Sheep
Not tremendously clever, the sheep remind themselves of the
principles of animalism by chanting "four legs good, two legs bad."
The Dogs
Napoleon’s private army that used fear to force the animals to work; they killed any
opponent of Napoleon. The dogs represent Stalin’s loyal KGB (secret police).
The KGB were not really police, but mercenaries used to force support for Stalin.

25. Plot Summary
 The story is set on the Manor Farm,
owned and operated by Mr. Jones.
 One night the prize (something deserves to
struggle for it) boar(male pig), Old Major, tells
all the other farm animals he has realized that
the misery of their daily lives is all due to the
tyranny of human beings, and that if they work
to overthrow(defeat) the humans their lives will
become easy and comfortable.

26. Plot Summary
 After Old Major dies, the pigs (led by the
two boars Snowball and Napoleon) start
teaching his ideas (which they develop
into a system of thought called
Animalism) to the other animals. A few
months later, Mr. Jones gets drunk and
forgets to feed the animals, who become
so hungry that they rebel and drive the
human beings off the farm. They rename
the farm 'Animal Farm' and write the
Seven Commandments of Animalism up
on the wall of the barn(fold, store for
animals food). Jones comes back with a
group of armed men and tries to
recapture the farm, but the animals, led
by Snowball, defeat the men.

27. Plot Summary
 Snowball and Napoleon argue constantly(never
stopping) over plans for the future of the farm,
never able to agree - especially over a windmill
which Snowball wants to build to provide the
farm with electric power, and which Napoleon
ridicules. Napoleon calls in nine dogs whom he
has specially trained and they chase Snowball
off the farm. Squealer, the very persuasive
pig(able to persuade other) who
relays(broadcasts) most of Napoleon's
decisions to the other animals, tells them that
Snowball was a traitor in league(union,
alliance) with Jones, and that the windmill was
really Napoleon's idea anyway and will go
ahead.

28. Plot Summary
 The animals work hard - work on the
windmill is slow and they
rely(depend) heavily on Boxer the
cart-horse(strong horse suitable for
heavy work), who is very strong and
hard-working. Napoleon begins
trading with nearby farms, and the
pigs move into the farmhouse(Mr.
Jones's house) and sleep in the beds
there - even though sleeping in beds
like humans was forbidden by the
original principles(rules) of Animalism.

29. Plot Summary
 The winter is difficult - the animals have
little food. Napoleon and Squealer blame
Snowball for everything that goes wrong
on the farm, from bad crops(harvest,
product) to blocked drains(consumes).
Then Napoleon's dogs attack four pigs,
who then confess to plotting(conspiracy)
with Snowball and start a series of
confessions of various 'crimes' from other
animals - all of those who confess are
slaughtered(was slaying) by the dogs,
leaving the survivors shaken(trembled)
and miserable(hopeless).

30. Plot Summary
 The windmill is finally completed and to get
money to buy the machinery for it, Napoleon
decides to sell a pile(pack, heap) of
timber(wood of trees) - after
wavering(hesitation) between the two
neighboring farmers Pilkington and Frederick,
he sells it to Frederick only to discover that he
has been paid with worthless(silly, valueless)
forged(fake) banknotes(currency). Frederick
and his men then come on to the farm and
blow(blast) the windmill to pieces with
explosives, although the animals manage to
drive them off the farm again after a bloody
battle. A few days later the pigs find a case of
whisky(alcohol) in the farmhouse
cellar(underground store) and get drunk.

31. Plot Summary
 Boxer is injured while working on repairs to the
windmill, and Benjamin notices that the van(the great
leader) Napoleon calls to send him to the
vet(veterinary doctor), has 'Horse Slaughterer' painted
on the side. After Boxer has 'died in hospital' under
care of the vet, the pigs mysteriously(secretly) find
money to buy another case of whiskey.
 After many years, life is just as hard as it ever was.
The pigs start walking on two legs. None of the old
Commandments(rules) are left on the barn wall. A
group of human farmers come to see the farm, they
quarrel(fight) with the pigs over a game of cards - and
the animals discover they can no longer tell which is
human and which is pig.

33. Themes
 Conflict and resolution:
 There are many conflicts in Animal Farm. The first is
in the beginning of the book – the rebellion. The
animals on the farm chase Mr. Jones away and after
they have done that, the problem is solved. The
second isn’t solved at all: In the end of the book the
animals see the pigs have a fight with the humans and
they can’t see any difference between them. A new
conflict has evolved and you, as the reader, must
guess what happens next….

34. Themes
 Utopia/Dystopia –
 Animal Farm was intended to be a Utopia
but it became a dystopia when the pigs changed
it into a communist society. Old Major's ideas
for the perfect society were well placed but
did not work. Not one animal was really equal
and most were not cared for as should be.

35. Themes
 False Allegiance(loyalty)
 A final noteworthy (and again, satiric) theme is the way in
which people proclaim their allegiance to each other, only to
betray their true intentions at a later time. Directly related to
the idea that the rulers of the rebellion (the pigs) eventually
betray the ideals for which they presumably fought, this theme
is dramatized in a number of relationships involving the novel's
human characters. Pilkington, Jones and Fredericks, for
example, only listen to Jones in the Red Lion because they
secretly hope to gain something from their neighbor's misery.
Similarly, Frederick's buying the firewood from Napoleon seems
to form an alliance that is shattered when the pig learns of
Frederick's forged banknotes.

36. Allegory (cont’d)
 Yet there is no reason that
allegory must be limited to
two levels. It is possible to
argue that Animal Farm
also has a third and more
general level of meaning. For
instance, the pigs need not
only represent specific
tyrannical soviet leaders.
They could also be symbols
for tyranny more broadly:
their qualities are therefore
not simply the historical
characteristics of a set of
actual men but are the
qualities of all leaders who
rely on repression and
manipulation.
Squealer, Snowball, & Napoleon

37. Propaganda
 The pigs began to spread
propaganda to the animals when
they told them that they
were doing well. The animals,
being naive, believed every word of
it. Propaganda was spread to other
farms, telling them about how
Animal Farm was more prosperous.
They were urged to rebel.
The animals also could be
indoctrinated using propaganda.
Ex: The sheep bleating.

38. Satire
 In a satire, the writer
attacks a serious issue by
presenting it in a ridiculous
light or otherwise poking fun
at it. Orwell uses satire to
expose what he saw as the
myth of Soviet socialism.
Thus, the novel tells a story
that people of all ages can
understand, but it also tells
us a second story— that of
the real-life revolution.
Soviet Coat of Arms

39. Irony
 Irony results when there is a disparity
between what an audience would
expect and what really happens. Orwell
uses a particular type of irony –
dramatic irony. He relies on the
difference between what the animals
understand and what we, the
audience, can conclude about the
situation at Animal Farm.
 We know just what the animals know,
but we can see so much more of its
significance than they can. The
conclusions we reach that the animals
never quite get to – that the pigs are
decadent, corrupt, and immoral – are
all the more powerful because we
arrive at them ourselves, without the
narrator pointing these things out
directly.
Napoleon overindulging himself.
Snowball below the commandments.

40. Irony (cont’d)
 Orwell uses dramatic irony to
create a particularly subtle
satire. Satire stages a
critique of an individual,
group, or idea by
exaggerating faults and
revealing hypocrisies. The
dramatic irony of Animal
Farm achieves this aim
indirectly. We see the
hypocrisy that the animals
don't and therefore
understand in this backward
fashion that the book is
deeply critical of the pigs.

41. Themes
 Religion and Tyranny
 Another theme of Orwell's novel that also strikes a satiric note is the idea of religion
being the "opium of the people" (as Karl Marx famously wrote). Moses the raven's
talk of Sugar-candy Mountain originally annoys many of the animals, since Moses,
known as a "teller of tales," seems an unreliable(untruthful) source. At this point, the
animals are still hopeful for a better future and therefore dismiss Moses' stories of a
paradise elsewhere. As their lives worsen, however, the animals begin to believe
him, because "Their lives now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious
(exhausting); Was it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere
else?" Here, Orwell mocks(ridicules) the futile(useless) dreaming of a better place
that clearly does not exist. The pigs allow Moses to stay on the farm — and even
encourage his presence by rewarding him with beer — because they know that his
stories of Sugar-candy Mountain will keep the animals docile(obedient). Thus Orwell
implies that religious devotion( — viewed by many as a noble character trait —
can actually distort the ways in which one thinks of his or her life on earth.

42. Some definitions
 Definition of allegory:
Extending a metaphor through an entire speech or
passage so that objects, persons, and actions in the
text are equated with meanings that lie outside the
text.