Animal Farm Summary

Chapter 1

• The first chapter of the book opens on the Manor Farm, with Mr. Jones drunkenly locking in the farm. Word had gone around that day that Old Major had a dream he wished to communicate to his fellow animals, so they had agreed to meet in the old Barnhouse as soon as Mr. Jones was out of the way.
• Old Major was on a raised platform, and the animals progressively came in, all except Moses (the raven).
  
• Old Major first says that he thinks he will die soon, and wishes to pass to them the wisdom he has acquired. He tells them the reason they live in misery and slavery is man; he says men steal the produce they work for, and that if they didn’t this farm could support every animal in it and even more. He gives them a message of Rebellion and tells them they must overthrow the human race, so they could become rich and free. He says “All men are enemies, all animals are comrades; whatever goes on two legs is an enemy, whatever goes on four legs or wings is a friend”.
• Old Major proposes a vote to determine if wild animals (rats, rabbits…) are friends or enemies, and the overwhelming majority voted friends.
• Old Major also says no animal must ever live in a house, sleep in a bed, wear clothes, drink, smoke, touch money nor engage in trade; and that all animals are equal and no animal must ever kill another animal.
• After saying all this Old Major proceeds to tell his dream. He had dreamt about a man-free world, and in his dream a song he had heard when he was little came back to him; this song was Beasts of England (a stirring tune between Clementine and La Cucaracha). Old Major taught it to them and they sang it about five times until being interrupted by six gunshots that Mr. Jones fired to quiet the uproar that had awakened him. After this they all fled and went to sleep.

Chapter 2

• Three nights later Old Major died peacefully in his sleep and was buried in the foot of the orchard.
• Old Major’s death was early in March, during the next three months (April, May, and June) there was a lot of secret planning. Old Major’s speech had given the animals a new outlook on life; Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer elaborated Animalism, which was centered around Old Major’s views. Several nights a week they held secret meetings in the barn to explain it to other animals.
• In the farm the pigs were regarded as the cleverest animals, most pigs in the farm were porkers, like Squealer.
• A lot of animals asked questions and thought they should be loyal to Mr. Jones.
• Mollie was the one that asked the stupidest questions, like if there would still be sugar and if she could keep her ribbons on (to which the pigs said no since it was a sign of slavery).
• The pigs worked hard to persuade all the animals into Animalism and fought against the tales of Sugarcandy Mountain (a magnificent place where animals go where they die) told by Moses. Boxer and Clover were their most loyal disciples, they led the chanting of Beasts of England meetings always ended with.
• Mr. Jones lost money in a lawsuit and started drinking too much and not taking care of his farm, this opened the door for the animals’ Rebellion much sooner than they expected. His men were dishonest and the animals were being underfed.
• On Midsummer’s Eve (a Saturday in June) Mr. Jones went to the Red Lion to drink and didn’t come back until the next day (Sunday, Midsummer) midday. Jones’ men hadn’t fed the animals, and Jones was asleep. Suddenly one of the cows broke the door with her horn and all animals started escaping their bins, Mr. Jones woke up and his 4 men whipped the animals, but these rushed against them, causing them to flee along with Mrs. Jones and Moses.
• They realized they had just conducted the Rebellion, they destroyed all human traces by throwing them down the well or burning them.
• The next day they couldn’t believe they had done it. First, they scouted the house and unanimously decided to preserve it as a museum, and that no animal shall ever live there; they only got rid of some hams that were left in the kitchen and a barrel of beer.
• The pigs also revealed they had learnt to read and write from a spelling book that had been thrown in the rubbish heap. Napoleon got some white paint and Snowball (who was the one that wrote best) replaced Manor Farm with Animal Farm, because that was the name of their new farm.
• The pigs had narrowed the principles of Animalism into Seven Commandments, Snowball painted these on the barn wall. They were:
• 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.
• The Seven Commandments were very neatly written, except friend was written freind and one of the S’s was the wrong way around, everything else was correct.
• They had decided to start the wheat harvest this day, so after the writing of the commandments they went to the field and worked hard because they wanted to prove they could do the harvest faster than Jones’ men.
• Before going out to the harvest some cows started getting uneasy because they hadn’t been milked, the pigs milked them and got 4 buckets of milk, when the pigs got asked what was going to happen with it they responded to pay no attention to it, but when the animals came back that evening the milk was gone.

Chapter 3

• The animals worked hard and sweated to get the harvest in, but it was a bigger success than they had expected. Even though a lot of the tools required standing on two legs the clever pigs always thought of an alternative.
• Every animal had a function, and every single one of them worked hard.
• The pigs didn’t work though, they supervised; they naturally assumed leadership because they were the most clever.
• The horses knew every inch of the field, so they could mow and rake much better than Jones’ men.
• Boxer and Clover tramped round and round with the cutter or the horse-rake, followed by a pig that gave them orders.
• Even the little ducks and hens worked, carrying tiny wisps of hay in their beaks to and fro all day.
• They finished the harvest in two days, less than what Jones and his men took. It had been the biggest harvest ever, and no animal had stolen. Throughout summer the farm ran perfectly and the animals were happy.
• Everyone admired Boxer, he was the one that worked the hardest. He woke up half an hour earlier and put in work into whatever was needed. His motto was “I will work harder”, this was his response to every problem.
• There was no work on Sunday and breakfast was an hour later, they hoisted the flag every Sunday morning. After this they had a meeting in which they planned out the week’s work and discussed anything needed. The meeting always ended with Beasts of England. After the meeting the afternoon was given for recreation.
• The Animal Farm flag was made by Snowball. He made it with a green tablecloth he found that used to belong to Mrs. Jones’, he painted a hoof and a horn on it with white. Snowball said the green represented the fields of England, and the hoof and the horn signified the future Republic of Animals that was to be established when the human race was overthrown.
• In Sunday meetings Snowball and Napoleon were the most active while debating, but they never agreed. When it came to resolutions, only pigs were clever enough to present them, but all animals knew how to vote.
• The pigs had set the harness room as their headquarters, here they studied in the afternoons blacksmithing, carpentering, and other necessary arts from books they brought from the farmhouse.
• Snowball organised Animal Committees that were on the whole a failure, but he also instituted classes for other animals  to learn to read and write that were a great success.
• Benjamin learned to read but never did, Clover learned the alphabet, Boxer learned the letters A-B-C-D and Mollie refused to learn any other letter beside the six that spelled her name.
• The dumber animals like sheeps, hens, and ducks, could not learn the Seven Commandments, so Snowball reduced them to one principle “four legs good, two legs bad”.
• At first the birds objected, but Snowball argued wings counted as legs.
• Napoleon didn’t care for Snowball’s committees, as he thought educating the young was the priority.
• When Jessie and Bluebell had nine puppies, Napoleon took them away from them and said he’d raise and educate them. He kept them so secluded the rest of the farm forgot about them.
• The mystery of where the milk went was cleared up. It went into the pigs’ mash.
• When the ripe apples fell with the wind the pigs agreed they should all be for them, other animals were confused but Squealer was sent to explain that they needed the nutrients in milk and apples to continue managing the farm, and that if they didn’t do it correctly Jones would come back.

Chapter 4

• By the late summer half the country knew what had happened in Animal Farm.
• Jones spent most of his time drinking at the Red Lion in Willingdon. He told his story to everyone who’d listen, the other farmers sympathized but secretly wondered if they could turn his disadvantage into their advantage.
• Animal Farm sent pigeons daily to its neighboring farms (Foxwood and Pinchfield) to deliver the message of the Rebellion and to teach Beasts of England.
• Mr. Frederick and Mr. Pilkington (owners of Pinchfield and Foxwood) thought the Manor Farm (they wouldn’t call it Animal Farm) would perish without humans. When they saw it didn’t they became afraid.
• The men spread rumors about cannibalism, torture and starvation in the farm, but they were never fully believed. Rumors circulated that the farm was working wonderfully without animals.
• Beasts of England was sung by animals all across the country, it spread rapidly. Animals were turning on their masters all around the country.
• On October 12, Jones (with a gun) and all his men and others from Foxwood and Pinchfield (with sticks) tried to recapture the farm, the animals has expected this and were prepared. Snowball was in charge of defense, he had studied Julius Caesar's tactics from a book he found.
• On his signal the first wave of attack (pigeons and geese) was released, the men could shoo them with their sticks.
• Snowball signaled for the second wave, which was Muriel, Benjamin, the sheep, and himself. The men were too strong for them, so he squealed (signaling retreat).
• Snowball had planned everything, including the retreat.
• The men started celebrating, but suddenly Snowball signaled for charge. All the animals that were in the cowshed rushed behind them. Snowball went straight for Jones, Jones saw him coming and shot him, the bullet grazed Snowball’s back and killed a sheep behind him, but he did not stop. Snowball flung Jones into a pile of poop. Boxer was the most terrifying animal, he charged toward a young lad and knocked him out. The men were chased around by all the animals that had a thirst for vengeance until they panicked and fled, all except the one Boxer knocked out. Boxer thought he killed him and felt extremely sad, but after a while the man awakens (he was just unconscious) and flees.
• After the battle they couldn’t find Mollie, they thought the men harmed her, but she had just gone into her stable as soon as Jones shot his gun.
• After they won the battle the animals ran up the flag and sang Beasts of England  a number of times. They also held a funeral for the sheep that had died and planted a hawthorn bush on her grave. Snowball gave a speech on the importance of all animals to be prepared to die defending Animal Farm.
• The animals unanimously decided to create the “Animal Hero” military decoration (in first class and second class). “Animal Hero, First Class” was awarded to Boxer and Snowball, and “Animal Hero, Second Class” was awarded to the sheep that died.
• The animals decided to call the battle the Battle of the Cowshed, since that's where the ambush had been sprung from.
• Mr. Jones’ gun was found and they decided to shoot it twice a year. On October 12 (Battle of the Cowshed) and Midsummer Day (Rebellion Anniversary).

Chapter 5

• As winter begun Mollie became more and more troublesome, she was almost never seen except in meal times. Clover saw her with a man from Foxwood, he was talking to her and rubbing her nose. When Clover questioned her she said it wasn’t true, but couldn’t look at her face. Clover went to her stall and found ribbons and sugar. Three days later Mollie disappeared. Nothing was known about her for months until some pigeons reported seeing her wearing a scarlet ribbon outside a public house with a red-faced man; the pigeons said she seemed to be enjoying herself, and Mollie was never mentioned again.
• The weather in January was very hard, nothing could be done on the fields but many meetings were held. The pigs would decide all questions on farm policy, but they had to be approved by a majority vote. Napoleon and Snowball disagreed on everything, Snowball often got majority of the vote because of his talking skills, but Napoleon sometimes won. Napoleon was especially successful with the sheep.
• Snowball made a lot of schemes and plans for innovation in the farm, but Napoleon often objected them and bitter fights were formed. The worst one being the one regarding the windmill.
• Snowball had decided the highest point on the farm would become the place where the windmill that would produce electricity for the farm would be built, he spent hours every day in a shed drawing out his plans for the windmill, none of the animals understood, but they found them impressive. Snowball had obtained all his knowledge in electricity and building from 2 books. All the animals, except Napoleon, went look at his drawings at least once a day.
• Snowball planned for the windmill to light and warm the stalls, and was planning to include electric machines in the farm the animals had never heard of (since the farm only had primitive machinery), but when he showed them they were amazed.
• One day Napoleon decided to swing by to see the windmill plans, he just stood examining them, but he suddenly lifted his leg up, urinated on them, and left, without saying anything.
• Snowball argued that the windmill would be hard to build, but that it would only take a year, and that after that they would only need to work three days a week. Napoleon argued that their main priority was increasing food production, and that if they worked on a windmill they’d starve to death.
• The farm split into two factions “Vote for Snowball and the three-day week” and “Vote for Napoleon and the full manger”.
• Another topic often brought up was defense, Napoleon thought they should learn to use guns, but Snowball said they should focus on spreading the message of Rebellion to prevent another attack.
• When the day to vote on the windmill came Napoleon spoke barely thirty seconds and seemed to not care about the result, but Snowball spoke passionately. Everyone knew it was going to be approved, but suddenly Napoleon made a noise they hadn’t heard before, and in came 9 dogs.
• These were the puppies Napoleon had taken in since birth, this shows us he had this planned for a long time.
• The huge dogs went straight for Snowball and chased him out of the farm.
• After Napoleon’s dogs got rid of Snowball he rose to where Old Major had given his speech and declared there would be no more Sunday morning meetings, that all decisions would be made by a committee of pigs presided by him, and afterwards communicated to the rest of the animals.
• When some porkers tried to protest Napoleon called his dogs on them and they quietly listened.
• Squealer was sent around the farm to say that they should appreciate the extra work Napoleon is putting in, and that Snowball was nothing but a criminal.
• When animals question him he says if they didn’t suspend the Sunday morning meetings Jones would be back.
• Boxer thought some time, and decided to add another motto in his life beside “I will work harder” he now also said “Napoleon is always right”.
• By spring the animals went every Sunday at ten o’clock to the big barn to receive orders for the week from Napoleon, who gave orders in a military style. They sung Beasts of England a single time and then dispersed.
• The skull of Old Major had been dug out of his corpse that sat in the foot of the orchard, they had removed the flesh and put it on a stump at the foot of the flagstaff, beside the gun.
• They did not sit together anymore. Now Napoleon, Squealer, and another pig named Minimus stood on the raised platform with the nine dogs, with the other pigs sitting behind them and the rest of the animals on the barn floor.
• Three Sundays after Snowball’s expulsion Napoleon announces the windmill will be built and take 2 years, and that because of the hard work that would be put into this their rations would have to be reduced.
• Squealer then explained to the animals that Napoleon had never really been opposed to the windmill, that it was actually his idea, and that the plans that Snowball drew on the floor of the shed were stolen from Napoleon’s papers.
• When animals questioned why Napoleon spoke so strongly against the windmill he said these were tactics to get rid of Snowball.

Chapter 6

• The animals worked like slaves, but they did not complain because they knew it was for their own benefit. They worked a sixty hour week during spring and summer, and in August Napoleon announced they would work Sunday afternoons, even though the work was voluntary if you didn’t go your food rations would be reduced by half.
• They had difficulty breaking the stones for the windmill into a manageable size, but they figured out they could use gravity. They all carried the huge stones to the top of the quarry and then dropped them, and they broke into pieces. Boxer was the one that worked the hardest, he told the cockerel to wake him up 45 minutes early instead of half an hour so he could work more, and all his spare time he spent working.
• The animals were noticing a shortage of oil, dog biscuits, nails, tools, seeds, and other things that could not be produced at the farm, like the mechanism for the windmill. They did not know how they were going to get any of these.
• One morning Napoleon announced they would now engage in trade to obtain necessities, and that they would need to give some of their already smaller harvest to trade. He also said the hens might need to give eggs, but to give them as a contribution to the windmill.
• The animals vaguely remembered it being established in the first meeting they shall never conduct trade nor deal with money, but they also remembered how the porkers that complained were silences by the scary dogs, so they decided to keep their thoughts to themselves.
• Napoleon said there would be no need for the animals to make human contact, as he would take the “burden”.
• The trade would be conducted through an intermediary, Mr. Whymper.
• After Napoleon said “Long live Animal Farm!” and they sang Beasts of England they were dismissed.
• Squeakers did a round of the farm assuring the other animals such a resolution they imagined was pure imagination, or perhaps a lie spread by Snowball.
• Humans were starting to acknowledge the existence and efficiency of Animal Farm and had started calling it by its new name, even though they were still waiting for it to go bankrupt or fail sooner or later. Mr. Jones had gone to live in another part of the country and had lost his hope to get his farm back.
• There were constant rumors that Napoleon was going to do a definite partnership with Mr. Pilkington of Foxwood or Mr. Frederick of Pinchfield, but never did they both circulate at the same time.
• The pigs moved into the farmhouse. Again, the animals recalled a resolution passed against this in the early days, but Squealer convinces them it’s a product of their imagination, and that the Leader (what they had begun to call Napoleon) deserved to live in a quiet house with the pigs so they could think better.
• Boxer was satisfied with his motto, “Napoleon is always right”, but Clover wasn’t, and she became even more uneasy when she found out the pigs were sleeping in beds and cooking in the kitchen. She tried to read the Seven Commandments but could only make out individual letters, so she fetched Muriel and asked her to read the fourth commandment to her, Muriel read “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets”. Clover didn’t remember it mentioning sheets, but since it was written there it must’ve.
• In this moment Squealer is passing them and assured them the rule was against sheets, since a pile of straw is a bed. He says they removed the sheets and were sleeping between blankets, and that they need the beds for their brains to work properly, because if they didn’t Jones would come back (manipulation).
• It was announced shortly after pigs would wake up an hour later, no complaints were made.
• November came with raging south-west winds; they couldn’t build either, it was too wet.
• One night the winds were out of control, the buildings rocked on their foundations; when they woke up they found the flagstaff and an elm tree had been blown down, and that the windmill was in ruins. Snowball is quick to say to the animals, who were extremely disheartened that all their hard work was gone, that Snowball was responsible for all of this (including the windmill).
• Napoleon sets a death sentence for snowball, and says he will award “Animal Hero, Second Class” and half a bushel of apples to any animal who brings him to justice, and a full bushel if they captured him alive.
• Napoleon says they must know work every day, all through winter, no matter what, to show Snowball the strength of Animal Farm.

Chapter 7

• The winter was hard, but the animals were determined to finish on time.
• Even though the animals were convinced it was Snowball, humans said the windmill had fallen because its walls were too thin, so this time, out of spite, they build the walls 3 feet thick instead of 18 inches (2 ½ feet). This meant they needed a lot more stone.
• The animals were now almost always cold and hungry, and not as hopeful as they had been before. Only Boxer and Clover never lost heart.
• Food fell short in January, and the corn ration was reduced drastically, they were close to starvation, but they concealed this from the outside world.
• When Mr. Whymper came Napoleon placed sheep saying that the rations had been increased, and filled the food bins almost to the top with sand, and the top with the little food they had. They did this so Mr. Whymper would say there was no food shortage and everything was going well.
• They soon realized they were going to need more food, Napoleon rarely appeared now, and when he did he was escorted by 6 fierce dogs. He issued most of his orders through Squealer.
• Napoleon announced the hens would have to lay 400 eggs a week to trade for the food they required. This would go on until summer. The hens had been warned this might happen but they thought this was murder. Some hens flew to the roof and laid their eggs there so they would smash in the floor, this was the closest thing to rebellion that happened since Jones left. Napoleon acted quickly by not feeding the hens anything and condemning to death anyone who fed them. His dogs made sure his orders were executed. The hens held strong for 5 days, but then recapitulated. In the meantime, 9 hens had died of coccidiosis, but the eggs were delivered and Whymper did not hear about this.
• Napoleon was looking to sell a pile of timber that sat in the farm, and both neighboring farms were interested. While he was working out a deal with Foxwood, Snowball was said to be hiding in Pinchfield, and vice-versa.
• The pigs said in spring that Snowball was sneaking in at night, they told the animals he was stealing corn, breaking eggs, and doing all kinds of mischief. Whenever anything went wrong the pigs blamed Snowball.
• Soon, Squealers says to the animals Snowball has sold himself to Pinchfield and that he will attack them. He also says he’s been Jones’ secret agent from the start, all animals are puzzled and even Boxer says he remember Snowball fighting in the Battle of the Cowshed and receiving “Animal Hero, First Class”, but Squealer says this was their mistake and that the shot that grazed Snowball was all planned and written in secret documents. Squealer says what actually happened was that Napoleon bit Jones’ leg, Boxer still doesn’t believe him, but when Squealer says Napoleon said Snowball was a traitor, Boxer believes it, since “Napoleon is always right”, according to him.
• Four days later, in the late afternoon, Napoleon gathered the animals in the big barn. He came out wearing his medals for both “Animal Hero, First Class” and “Animal Hero, Second Class” that he had awarded to himself, surrounded by his 9 dogs. At Napoleon’s signal the dogs suddenly snatched 4 pigs by their ears and brought them to the front, the dogs tasted blood from the pig’s ears and seemed to go mad.
• Three dogs went for Boxer, but he raised his hoof and pinned one down and the other two fled. He looked at Napoleon as if waiting for him to tell him if he should let the dog go or crush it, Napoleon’s face changed sharply and instructed Boxer to let the dog go, so the wounded dog fled too.
• Napoleon ordered the 4 pigs to confess their crimes, they said they’d been in touch with Snowball and helped destroy the windmill. They also said Snowball confessed to them he had been with Mr. Jones from the start. The dogs tore their throats out
• After this Napoleon asks if anyone else has anything to confess (in a terrible voice). The three hens that had conducted the egg rebellion came forward and said that Snowball told them in a dream to disobey Napoleon, they were killed.
• After the hens a goose came forward, and confessed to stealing six ears of corn during last year’s harvest, then a sheep confessed to urinating in the drinking pool (the sheep said Snowball told her to do it), then two sheep confessed to murdering an old ram who was a devoted follower of Napoleon by chasing him around a bonfire when he had a cough. All these animals were killed right there.
• The tale of confessions and executions did not stop there, at the end there were piles of corpses. When it was over the animals leave, surprised at what they had just witnessed. This was the first time an animal had killed another in Animal Farm. Boxer said the solution was to work harder.
• The animals all went up and lied down, Clover especially thought this was not what she hoped for when she heard Old Major’s speech.
• Clover started singing Beasts of England and the other animals joined her, but they sang it in a way they never had sung it before, slowly and mournfully; they sung it 3 times but suddenly Squealer came to them and told them Napoleon had prohibited Beasts of England to be sung in Animal Farm. The animals questioned him, and he said that it was no longer needed because the rebellion was over and all enemies were defeated. Minimus had written a song to replace Beasts of England, Minimus’ song went: “Animal Farm, Animal Farm, ⎯ Never through me shalt thou come to harm!”. Singing these words did not give the animals the feeling they experienced when they sung Beasts of England.

Chapter 8

• The animals remembered the Sixth Commandment saying something about not killing animals, but when Clover asks Muriel to read it to her it read “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause”.
• The animals kept working hard throughout the year, all orders were now issued by Squealer, and Napoleon was rarely ever seen. He even lived in a separate apartment from the other pigs and ate alone.
• Napoleon was now referred to as “our Leader, Comrade Napoleon”. The pigs liked to come up with named for him, like Father of all Animals, Terror of Mankind, Ducklings’ Friend, etc.
• Everything good that happened was accredited to Napoleon, you could hear a hen say to another “Under the guidance of our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, I’ve laid 4 eggs in the last 5 days”.
• It had also been decided that the gun would also be fired on Napoleon’s birthday.
• Minimus had written a poem called “Comrade Napoleon” which preached Napoleon, it was approved by him and inscribed on the barn, on the opposite side of the Seven Commandments.
• In the middle of summer, three hens came forward saying they had entered into a plot to murder Napoleon led by Snowball. They were executed and security was increased for Napoleon’s safety. He slept with 4 dogs (one per corner) guarding him, and assigned a small pig named Pinkeye to taste his food before him, to prevent poisoning.
• Napoleon was working to sell the timber to Mr. Pilkington (Foxwood), the animals did not like him but preferred him over Frederick, who abused his animals.
• The wheat crop was full of weeds, they said Snowball had mixed seeds with seed corn during one of his night visits and caused this. A gander (male goose) pled guilty to participating and committed suicide by eating nightshade berries.
• The animals also learned Snowball never received “Animal Hero, First Class”, and that he actually showed cowardice in the Battle of the Cowshed.
• Some animals remembered differently, but Squealer convinced them.
• The windmill was finished in autumn, for the exact day they planned. Only the machinery was left to buy, and Mr. Whymper was already working out a deal to buy it. Napoleon decided the mill would be called Napoleon Mill.
• Two days later, the animals were called into a meeting where Napoleon announced the timber had been sold to Frederick (Pinchfield) and that the rumors of Pinchfield attacking them and Frederick’s cruelty were false and probably originated by some of Snowball’s agents. He also said Snowball wasn’t living in Pinchfield, but in Foxwood, and all ties with Foxwood had been cut.
• Three days later Mr. Whymper tells Napoleon that Frederick had paid him with forgeries (fake money). Napoleon called for an immediate meeting and pronounced death sentence on Frederick, saying he should be boiled alive. He said Frederick’s attack could happen any time, and that they hoped to reestablish their good relations with Foxwood.
• The next morning the attack came, there were fifteen men with half a dozen guns, the men defeated the animals and could enter the farm, but when they blew up the windmill the animals filled with rage and a thirst for vengeance. They charged and made the men flee.
• They won the attack but most animals had been injured and many died. Squealer fires the gun and Boxer questions why, he says the have won a battle thanks to Comrade Napoleon and must celebrate, but Boxer says they lost 2 years of labor. The windmill would be harder to build this time since they couldn’t reuse the rocks because they flew everywhere. After Napoleon’s speech and the hoisting of the flag the animals were convinced they had achieved some victory.
• Two days are given up for celebrations, and animals are given the gift of an apple each (corn for the chickens, dog biscuits for the dogs…).
• A few days later the pigs found whisky in the cellars, they drunk a lot one night and the next day Squealers went and said to the animals Napoleon was dying, and that he wished his last deed was to punish the consumption of alcohol with death. Napoleon was not dying though, he was just hungover, and a few hours later he was better.
• Napoleon instructed Whymper to buy him some books about brewing and distilling, a week later Napoleon also ordered what used to be a grazing area for animals to be ploughed and used to grow barley (crop used to ferment beer).
• One night around this time a strange incident occurred. At around midnight there was a loud crash in the yard, when the animals went out they saw a ladder broken in two pieces beside the wall where the Seven Commandments were written Squealer (who was stunned) was beside it, there was also a lantern, a bucket of paint, and a paintbrush (he was modifying the Seven Commandments).
• None of the animals could form an idea of what this meant except Benjamin, who just nodded as if he understood, but said nothing.
• A few days later Muriel was reading the Seven Commandments and noticed another part of a commandment that had “slipped from their memory” (actually the pigs had changed it), the Fifth Commandment said “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess”, she could not remember those words, she thought the commandment did not include them (it did not until the pigs changed it).

Chapter 9

• The animals started rebuilding the windmill the day after the celebrations ended, Boxer refused to take a single day off, even though he had a split hoof and secretly confessed to Clover he was in pain. Benjamin and her urged him to work less, but he only wished to see the windmill well under way before he retired.
• Retiring ages had been fixed for horses and pigs at 12, for cows at 14, for dogs at 9, for sheep at 7, and for hens and geese at 5.
• Boxer’s 12th birthday (his retirement age) was in late summer the following year.
• Once again the winter was hard and cold, and rations were reduced for all animals except the pigs and dogs, but Squealer convinced them they still had more than when Jones was around.
• There were also more mouths to feed now, since 31 young piebald (spotted) pigs had been born in autumn, since Napoleon was the only boar on the farm, he was clearly the father.
• It was announced that later bricks and timber would be bought to make a schoolroom in the farmhouse garden, but for the time being the young pigs were educated by Napoleon in the farmhouse kitchen.
• Slowly the pigs started making themselves superior to other animals, the young pigs were discouraged to play with other animals, and when another animal met a pig on a path it had to step aside, pigs were also allowed to wear ribbons on their tales and all the barley produced was for the pigs. The pigs were receiving a pint of beer per day, and Napoleon half a gallon (4 pints).
• The pigs lived wonderfully while the other animals’ food rations were reduced again (they had been reduced in December, it was February) and the use of lanterns in stalls was forbidden to save oil.
• There were also now more songs, poems and processions. Napoleon had established a weekly Spontaneous Demonstration. The object of this was to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of Animal Farm. At the time of the Spontaneous Demonstration the animals would march in military formation, with the pigs leading, followed by the horses, cows, sheep, and poultry (in that order) around the farm. After this they would recite poems honoring Napoleon and Squealer would say the numbers of production and how much more they were producing and eating (when in reality, it was less).
• Animal Farm was declared a Republic in April, and Napoleon was unanimously elected president (he was the only candidate). On the day of the election it was also revealed that Snowball actually led the humans in the Battle of the Cowshed, and that the wounds on his back had been because Napoleon bit him (this was another lie about Snowball the pigs made up to make him look worse, and most importantly make themselves look better).
• One day Moses came back, after several years of absence. He was still the same; he told stories about Sugarcandy Mountain and did no work. The pigs declared his stories about Sugarcandy Mountain lies, yet they let him stay in the farm and fed him.
• The schoolhouse for the pigs was started in March, this meant more work.
• Boxer was overworking, he was skinnier and less shiny. One day he fell on his side working at the windmill and couldn’t get up, Boxer said the problem was his lung. He also says he doesn’t think he’ll be able to work more, since he only has a month left until retirement, and that he was looking forward to being on pension. He says he hopes Benjamin will retire with him and make him company.
• The animals went to fetch help, and Squealer came and said Napoleon was making arrangements to send Boxer to the hospital. The animals felt a little uneasy since no animal had left the farm except Mollie and Snowball, but Squealer assured them the veterinary surgeon in Willingdon could treat Boxer’s case much better than they could at the farm.
• Boxer got up about half an hour later and went back to his stall, he remained there for 2 days drinking some pink medicine twice a day. Clover and Benjamin took care of him after working hours; Clover gave him his medicine and talked to him while Benjamin kept the flies off him. If Boxer recovered he could live three more years, he planned to use his free time to learn the whole alphabet.
• Benjamin and Clover could only see Boxer after work hours, but when the van came to pick him up it was the middle of the day. Benjamin told the animals they were taking Boxer away, and they all went to the yard where the van was. They all waved goodbye to Boxer, but Benjamin said they were fools, on the side of the van it said “Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer…”, Benjamin says they’re gonna kill Boxer. All the animals went after the van (it was carried by two horses). Clover went in the front and screamed to Boxer, when she saw his face in the window he told him to get out because they were taking him to his death, Boxer kicked but he couldn’t escape, and the van was already too far. Boxer was going to die and they couldn’t prevent it.
• Three days later Squealer announced he died at the hospital at Willingdon (lying), he said he had been present during Boxer’s last hours, and that his last words were “Long live Comrade Napoleon! Napoleon is always right!”. Squealer’s demeanor suddenly changed when he saw everyone glaring at him with suspicious eyes, he said he had heard a rumor that some people thought Napoleon sold him to a slaughterer simply because the van said it, he explained (lying) that the van was bought by the veterinary surgeon and he had not painted out the name. The animals were relieved and tempered when Squealer told them about the expensive doctors Napoleon paid for and the care he received.
• The following Sunday morning Napoleon delivered an oration in honor of Boxer which he ended with “I will work harder” and “Comrade Napoleon is always right”. Saying all animals should adopt Boxer’s mottos. He said the pigs were holding a banquet in a few days to honor Boxer.
• The night of the banquet a grocer's van arrived with a large wooden box; that night a violent fight could be heard, the night ended with a crash of glass. Word went around that the pigs had acquired the money to buy another case of whisky.

Chapter 10

• Years passed and nobody remembered anything before the Rebellion except Clover, Benjamin, Moses, and some of the pigs. Muriel, Bluebell, Jessie, Pincher, and Jones were all dead. Snowball and Boxer were forgotten, though Benjamin (who almost hadn’t changed) and Clover still remembered Boxer.
• We find out no animal ever retired.
• Napoleon now was a mature boar and Squealer was so fat he almost couldn’t open his eyes.
• There were a lot more animals on the farm, the farm had 3 more horses, and even though they were stupid they had a level of respect for Clover.
• The farm was more prosperous and better organised, the windmill had been completed but it was used to mill corn, not for electricity. It brought in a lot of money. The farm possessed a threshing machine and a hay elevator, it had also expanded by two fields they had bought from Pilkington.
• The farm had grown richer, but the animals hadn’t, only the pigs and dogs, which there were many of.
• They were still the only Animal Farm in England, but they still hoped for the Republic of Animals Old Major dreamed of to come some day.
• One day Squealer took the sheep to “teach them a new chant”, a week passed and the other animals knew nothing of none of the sheep, until one day Clover saw something and called everyone. She saw all the pigs walking on their hind legs, including Napoleon (who held a whip as well). The sheep around them chanted “Four legs good, two legs better.”
• Clover and Benjamin went over to the Seven Commandments wall, when Clover asked Benjamin what was written there it was only one commandment, and it read “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”.
• Slowly the pigs started behaving more and more humans, and it didn’t seem strange when they walked around supervising the other animals with whips and wearing Mrs. Jones’ clothes.
• A week later the pigs invited neighbouring farmers to make a tour of inspection through the farm; the admired how the animals worked, barely looking up, while the animals didn’t know if to be more afraid of the humans or the pigs. That night laughs came from the farmhouse, the animals couldn’t resist the curiosity, so they go over, guided  by Clover and looked in the window.
• They saw 12 pigs sitting with 12 humans around a table playing cards, they had stopped the game to make a toast. Mr. Pilkington toasted for the discipline and up-to-date methods the pigs had achieved in Animal Farm, he said that the animals in Animal Farm had the lowest food rations the country, and did the most work. He said he will implement many features he had seen to his farm. He ends his toast by saying if the pigs have their lower animals to contend with, they have their lower classes. He toasts to the prosperity of Animal Farm and puts an end to the period of rivalry between it and the neighboring human farms.
• Napoleon speaks as well, he says that he’s glad the rumors that they wanted to stir up rebellion in neighboring farms are gone, since this was never their intention. He also says there are still some things that need to be suppressed, like the animals calling each other “Comrades”, and the strange custom to pass by an old boar’s skull every Sunday morning; he also said the green flag with the horn and the hoof was now a plain green flag, and that the name Animal Farm was to be abolished, and that the farm should be known from now on as The Manor Farm. Napoleon repeats Mr. Pilkington’s toast, but this time instead toasting for the prosperity of The Manor Farm.
• Soon a fight breaks out because Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington had played an ace of spaces at the same time, the animals outside looked confused as they saw the pigs faces switch from pig to man and man to pig, and at the end you could not tell which was which.

Characters

1. Mr. Jones: Owner of the Manor Farm, he drunk a lot (was an alcoholic). He was a very capable farmer until he lost money in a lawsuit and started drinking too much, even more than he used to, in this moment the animals overthrew him. After the animals overthrew him he spent most of his time in the Red Lion drinking. He died in an inebriates’ home in a different part of the country of where his farm was.
2. Mrs. Jones: Mr. Jones’ wife
3. Old Major: He was an old (12 years old), majestic-looking Middle White boar (type of pig). His real name was Willingdon Beauty. He dies early in March, peacefully, in his sleep and is buried at the foot of the orchard. He dies very early in the book, he is only present in the first chapter. He was very respected in the farm because he was wise and benevolent. He was the one who taught the animal Beasts of England. His tushes (small tusks) had never been cut.
4. Bluebell: One of Mr. Jones’ dogs, had 9 puppies with Jessie that Napoleon took away. In the last chapter we found out he died.
5. Jessie: One of Mr. Jones’ dogs, had 9 puppies with Bluebell that Napoleon took away. In the last chapter we found out she died.
6. Pincher: One of Mr. Jones’ dogs, in the last chapter we found out he died.
7. Boxer: An enormous horse, stronger than 2 ordinary horses. Had a white stripe down his nose. He was not very intelligent but was respected for his power of work. He was sold off to a slaughterer when he and his friends thought he was being taken to the hospital.
8. Clover: A stout, motherly mare (female horse) approaching middle life. She was Boxer’s close friend and one of the few who remember him years after his death. In the last chapter she is 14 (2 years past retiring age).
9. Muriel: A white goat that could read. We found out in the last chapter she died.
10. Benjamin: A donkey, he was the oldest animal on the farm and almost didn’t talk, and when he did it was to make a cynical remark. He never laughed, but he was devoted to Boxer, even though he didn’t admit it. He could read but said there was nothing worth reading. He understood the situation going on with Napoleon but kept it to himself. After Boxer’s death he became crankier and quieter. He almost didn’t change through the years.
11. Mollie: A foolish, pretty white mare (female horse), she put red ribbons on her white mare. She was never very in favor of the Rebellion and loved her bows. During the winter she was spotted talking with a man from Foxwood by Clover. Clover also discovered she was receiving sugar and ribbons. Three days after Clover’s discovery she disappeared and was months later spotted by pigeons with a red-faced man outside a public house, wearing a scarlet ribbon and enjoying herself.
12. Moses: A tame raven, he was Mr. Jones’ special pet. He was a spy and a clever talker. He claimed to know the existence of a land called Sugarcandy Mountain, to which animals went to when they died; he said it was in the sky and plenty of animals believed him. A lot of animals hated him because he just told tales and did no work. He fled from the farm along with Mr. Jones when the animals rebelled against him,and didn’t come back until several years later. He came back unchanged, still telling his tales about Sugarcandy Mountain. He is one of the few animals that was alive before the Rebellion and is still alive by the last chapter.
13. Snowball: A vivacious, quick in speech pig.He was one of the elaborators of Animalism, along with Napoleon and Squealer. He was the pig that was best at writing, that’s why he was the one that inscribed the Seven Commandments on the barn wall. Napoleon expelled him from the farm and he was eventually forgotten.
14. Napoleon: A large, fierce-looking Berkshire boar (the only one in the farm). He wasn’t a talker but he had a reputation for always getting his way. He was one of the elaborators of Animalism, along with Squealer and Snowball. He took 9 puppies from Bluebell and Jessie to raise and educate, everybody had forgotten about them but one day he used them when they were already grown and fierce  to expel Snowball from the farm. After he expelled Snowball from the farm he took over in a totalitarian style; he constantly used the dogs he raised to frighten other animals.
15. Squealer: A small fat porker (as most pigs in the farm) with very round cheeks, twinkling eyes and nimble movements. He was the best known amongst the porkers. He was a brilliant talker and was very persuasive. He was one of the elaborators of Animalism, along with Napoleon and Snowball. He had a lot of power with words and could always get the animals to believe Napoleon’s lies.
16. Mr. Pilkington: Owner of the Foxwood farm, his farm was beside Animal Farm, it was large and neglected. He was in bad terms with Mr. Frederick. He was easygoing and spent most of his time hunting and fishing.
17. Mr. Frederick: Owner of the Pinchfield farm, his farm was small and well-kept. He was in bad terms with Mr. Pilkington. He was a tough, shrewd man, always involved in lawsuits and known for getting bargains.
18. Minimus: A pig who had a remarkable gift for composing songs and poems. He appears after Snowball leaves Animal Farm and becomes respected.
19. Mr. Whymper: A solicitor living in Willington that had agreed to act as an intermediary in trade between Animal Farm and the outside world. He visited the farm every Monday morning to receive his instructions from Napoleon. He was a sly-looking little man.
20. Pinkeye: A small pig Napoleon assigned to taste all his food before him to assure it was not poisoned.
21. Alfred Simmonds: A horse slaughterer in Willingdon, he was the one that took Boxer away.

Works Cited

Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: New American Library, 1996. Print.