Animal Farm (1945) (edit title/settings)

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Summary edit see section history

Characters edit see section history

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• Napoleon: One of the two pigs responsible for the eventual revolution in the farm, Napoleon becomes the leader, and becomes more corrupt as he does so. He is the main antagonist in the story and is the story's equivalent of Josef Stalin by ordering purges and other actions which replicate those of the Soviet leader.
• Snowball: The second pig responsible for the revolution on the Manor Farm. He is more helpful and 'down-to-earth' than his compatriot, Napoleon. Snowball is best compared to Leon Trotsky. Snowball truly wants to help improve the farm through the changes made.
• Boxer: Boxer is a horse on the Manor Farm, and is devoted to the work he does. Boxer is simple-minded though the strongest animal on the farm, which causes many others look up to him.
• Benjamin: An old donkey, Boxer's friend, and one of the few animals (other than the pigs) who can read. He constantly speaks as if he has seen all of the events of the novel before, and acts as if nothing surprises him.
• Squealer: Squealer is a small, fat pig who acts as Napoleon's mouthpiece. He is symbolic of Vyacheslav Molotov, and is shown to the most quickly and easily corrupted of the pigs.
• Old Major: Old Major is an old boar on the farm, with similarities to Karl Marx, since he lays down the foundations for the leadership, much like The Communist Manifesto did in the real world. Major shares the revolutionary song "Beasts of England" with the farm and they begin to use it as their anthem. he also represents Lenin, as he dies before the revolution is completed fully.
• Pilkington: Neighboring farmer Very easygoing and does not take much care of his animals or farm. He has a rivalry with Frederick, and vies with him for the attention of Napoleon. Like Frederick, he has rumors spread about him. The relationship of Frederick and Pilkington and the Animal Farm could be compared to the relationship of the three world powers in Orwell's later book 1984, Eurasia, Eastasia and Oceania.
• Mr. Jones: Mr. Jones is the owner of the Manor Farm, and is a heavy drinker. He could be best compared to the Tsarist regime that existed in Russia before the Revolution, and he frequently neglects the animals in his drunken stupors.
• Moses the Raven: Moses is an old raven at the farm, and he brings news to the farm as well as spreading the belief in a 'Heaven' for the animals, which he calls Sugarcandy Mountain. This Heaven that he describes leaves Moses the characterization of the Russian Orthodox Church. Due to the nature of his abilities to share Sugarcandy Mountain and other stories, his appearance in the story leads to the farm appearing during the more religiously tolerant years of the USSR, when godlessness was not such a significant policy.
• Whymper: Human agent for Animal Farm
• Mollie: Mollie is a minor character, and a vain white mare. She relies on the humans to pamper her more than the other animals to live with her, and she wears ribbons in her mane as a symbol of the love and affection she receives before she is told to cease from doing so. Mollie's character is not symbolic of anything other than the people who were slow to adapt to the new rule of the system.
• Frederick: Frederick is the owner of the neighbouring Pinchfield farm. He is a tough worker, but maintains his farm well. Frederick could be considered both an antagonist and an ally to the more positive causes. His farm is noted to be smaller than the Manor Farm that the animals control, but also to be more efficiently run. Stories exist of Frederick mistreating his animals.
• Clover: Motherly horse. One of the few animals who does not automatically accept everything that Napoleon says. She is devoted to Boxer and looks forward to spending retirement with him
• Boxer: A physically strong horse, who leverages his strength to contribute to the farm's goals. Himself not corrupt, Boxer is simple-minded though and demonstrates full submissiveness to leadership, believing things as they are. He represents the Russian working class.
• The Sheep: The Sheep are symbolic of the collected masses which blindly supported not only the Tsarists and Stalin. This is best shown by their chant of " Four legs good,two legs bad", and later "Four legs good, two legs better", which they use to silence any sdissenters to Napoleon's regime
• The cat: The cat never chooses either side in the veritable war between Snowball and Napoleon. She is symbolic of the people who didn't choose a side in the Russian revolution.

Quotes edit see section history

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• “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

• “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself.”

• “All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.”

• “THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal.”

• “Four legs good, two legs bad.”

  Sheep

• “We pigs are brainworkers”

  Squealer

• “Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings?”

  Old Major

• “The distinguishing mark of Man is the hand, the instrument with which he does all his mischief.”

  Snowball

• “Man serves the interests of no creature except himself.”

  Old Major

• “حیوانات از خوک به آدم، از آدم به خوک و بعد از خوک به آدم نگاه میکردند اما دیگر ممکن نبود که بگوی کدام، کدام است.”

• “Napoleon is always right”

  Boxer

• “Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey.”

  Benjamin

• “"You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health.”

  Squealer

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• Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever.

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• No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.

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• ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.

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• Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.

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• These three had elaborated old Major's teachings into a complete system of thought, to which they gave the name of Animalism.

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• But everyone worked according to his capacity.

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• Napoleon took them away from their mothers, saying that he would make himself responsible for their education.

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• When asked whether he was not happier now that Jones was gone, he would say only 'Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey,' and the others had to be content with this cryptic answer.

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• 'Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours?

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• Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which was which.

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Sugarcandy Mountain: Sugarcandy Mountain is the 'Heaven' for the animals, if they work hard. Its existence is claimed by Moses the Raven, and is one of the early motivators for the animals to succeed in their work, since it is said to be a place of beauty and relaxation for life after death.
• Pinchwood: Pinchwood is a smaller, efficiently operated farm owned by Frederick. It is said that he mistreats his livestock though, and he is shown to be antagonistic. The pigs portray Pinchwood as an enemy of animal rights.
• Foxwood: Foxwood is another large farm, operated in the local area by Mr. Pilkington. It is said to be much larger than Pinchwood and less efficiently run, as it is overgrown with weeds and otherwise suggests poor maintenance.

Organizations edit see section history

• Communism: They try to make a communist utopia, but in the end, all fails because of greed.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Communism: Communism is a governmental ideology that has its foundations in Germany, but is most famous from the Soviet Union. The core concept of Communism came from The Communist Manifesto, which was first drafted by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Manifesto has since been published in many other languages, and the ideals of Communism have changed in all of the countries that have tried it. The USSR is the most well-known 'Communist' nation, though like all of the others, it does not fully follow with the tenets laid down in the original Manifesto. As of December 2011 the only 'Communist' state left is North Korea, in the wake of the death of Kim Jong-il.
• Corruption: Corruption is the concept of something changing for the worse. It is also seen as deviating from an ideal, of religious or moral significance. There are many types of corruption, and in Animal Farm, it is based on the real-world corruption of Communism.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by My Sister's Keeper, and followed by Eat, Pray, Love.

Preceded by Ulysses, and followed by Lord of the Flies.

Preceded by Brideshead Revisited, and followed by Cannery Row.

Preceded by Behemoth: The Structure and Practice of National Socialism, 1933-1944, and followed by 1984.

Preceded by Life of Pi, and followed by My Sister's Keeper.

Preceded by Winnie-the-Pooh, and followed by The Da Vinci Code.

Preceded by Catch-22, and followed by Ulysses.

Preceded by Linden Hills, and followed by The Golden Compass.

Preceded by Brideshead Revisited, and followed by A Christmas Carol.

Preceded by The Catcher in the Rye, and followed by Gravity's Rainbow.

Preceded by Slaughterhouse-Five, and followed by Lord of the Flies.

Preceded by Light in August, and followed by A Passage to India.

Preceded by Water for Elephants, and followed by Life of Pi.

Preceded by Hatchet, and followed by Beyond Good and Evil.

Preceded by The Eye of the World, and followed by Neuromancer.

Preceded by Catching Fire, and followed by Life of Pi.

Followed by The Golden Bowl.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. George Orwell (Author) - George Orwell wrote Animal Farm, which was published in English in 1945.

Other Contributors:

1. Tasso Bruno (Translator) - Tasso Bruno was responsible for the translation of Animal Farm from English into Italian.
2. Boris Grabnar (Translator)
3. Vida Brest (Translator)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Hugo (Finalist, 1946: Best Novella, #1)
• BBC's Big Read (April 2003, #46)
• Prometheus Hall of Fame Award (2011)
• 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (Featured)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PR6029.R8 1946
• Dewey: 823.912

Notes for Parents edit see section history

This book is a good read for young adults because younger children would not understand the symbolism it contains.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Authors, A-Z › ( O ) › Orwell, George
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Classics
• Books › Literature & Fiction › World Literature › British › 20th Century
• Books › Entertainment › Humor › Satire
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Literature Guide for teaching Animal Farm: Common Core and NCTE/IRA Standards-Aligned teaching materials for Animal Farm by George Orwell. Complete Literature Guide as well as individual lesson plans, resources, activities, handouts, worksheets, quizzes, tests, study guide questions and more for teaching Animal Farm in grades 9-11.

Movie Connections edit see section history

• Animal Farm (IMDb): 1954
• Animal Farm (IMDb): John Stephenson, 1999

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