ANIMAL FARM

NOVEL SUMMARY

The book starts in the barnyard of Mr. Jones' "Manor Farm". The animals meet at a meeting led by the white boar, Major. Major shows them that no animal in England is free. He also explains that the stuff that they produce is taken by man and the animals do not benefit. The only thing that man gives is food to survive but they think that more money can be made by the animals.

Majors lets them know that man is the source of all problems and should be eliminated. He proposes that all of the animals should avoid man's habits. Above all Major says to the animals that they cannot kill one another, that they are all equal.

A few days later Major dies, but his message remains in the hearts and minds of the animals. Under the leadership of the pigs, who are clearly the more intelligent of the animals, they begin a strike against the human.

After the rebellion, under the direction of Napoleon and Snowball, the animals continue to work on the farm with success.

The animals now come up with a set of rules to run their society. They are labeled "the Seven Commandments of Animalism" and are posted on the barn wall.

These commandments are:

The animals succeed at running the farm for a little while. They finish all of their work with efficiency and every week hold ceremonies to celebrate the rebellion and to plan work. Meanwhile, the pigs as leaders are taking bigger food rations for themselves justifying their behavior as something necessary for the "brains" of their animal society. They explain that it is necessary or else the farmers might come back and take the farm another time.

The farmers try to reclaim their his power on the farm but the animals fight against them in a battle which they call "The Battle of the Cowshed". The conflict between Napoleon and Snowball is increasing day after day. At every meeting they can never agree about which decissions are the best. Napoleon and Snowball fight about to build or not to build a windmill . Snowball has proposed this idea and Napoleon is, of course, against it. After the battle, Napoleon drives Snowball off the farm telling everyone that Snowball was on Mr. Jones' side. Napoleon is seen as a great leader by the animals because he has remove the traitor. Slowly, Napoleon gets a stronger and stronger hold over the other animals, dominating their every action.

The situation at "Animal Farm", the new name for "Manor Farm", really starts to change now. Napoleon moves into Mr. Jones' house, sleeps in his bed, and even wears his clothes. These things were, of course, against the seven commandments but Napoleon found a way to interpret them as legal.

Napoleon meets Mr. Pilkington, the human owner of a nearly farm. Napoleon maintained the control over all animals.

In fact, almost every commandment is violated and then changed. After winning a battle against Mr. Frederick and his men, the pigs have a drinking party and change the commandment to " shall not drink to excess." The pigs are using all of the resources and giving none to the other animals. The other animals are working very hard to build the schoolhouse and the windmill while the pigs wear clothes, eat and drink in excess.

While working hardly, Boxer (the horse) falls sick and Napoleon announces that he will be taken to the hospital. But when the truck arrives the animals realize that he is going to a horse slaughter house. But it's too late.

A few years pass and the difference between men and pigs is not clear to the other animals.

The book ends with the pigs walking around on to legs with clothes and talking with men. The only thing that still remains of the Seven Commandments is " All animals are equal. But some are more equal than others"

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

NAPOLEON

Napoleon is Orwell's chief villain in Animal Farm. 

Napoleon, the pig, is really the central character on the farm and he is an aggressive pig who, along with Snowball, becomes the early leader of Animal Farm. After he successfully eliminates Snowball. He gradually increases his personal power and privileges, and takes the control over the other animals.

Firstable he has genuine purposes, but in the end nothing has been changed because the new leader ( Napoleon) imitates Mr Jones, or maybe it´s worse than him.

Comrade Napoleon represents the human frailties of any revolution, although Napoleon seems at first to be a good leader, he soon becomes power-hungry.