Animal Farm: A Fairy Story (commonly just known as Animal Farm) is a novella written by George Orwell. Released in 1945, it details farm animals revolting against their owner.
Characters[]
- Mr. Jones - the former owner of the farm who the animals revolt against due to his drunkenness. Mr. Jones serves as a representation of the Tsars.
- Napoleon - a pig who takes control of the revolt and turns it into a totalitarian dictatorship. The character of Napoleon is based around Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
- Snowball - a pig who serves as a rival towards Napoleon. He is based on Leon Trotsky.
- Major (or Old Major) - an older pig who begins the revolt. He is based (rather broadly) on the older figures of communism, Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.
- Squealer - a pig with an extreme gift for winning debates who serves as Napoleon's right-hand pig.
- Boxer - a hard-working horse. Boxer serves as a representation of the working class.
- Mollie - a vain horse. Mollie serves as a representation of the downtrodden who base their worth on materialistic and vain displays of their enslavement.
rest to be added
Publisher's summary[]
1963 Signet Classics edition (features an introduction by C.M. Woodhouse)
This remarkable book has been described in many ways - as a masterpiece... a fairy story... a brilliant satire... a frightening view of the future. A devastating attack on the pig-headed, gluttonous, and avaricious rulers in an imaginary totalitarian state, it illuminates the range of human experience from love to hate, from comedy to tragedy. "A wise, compassionate and illuminating fable for our time... The steadiness and lucidity of Orwell's wit are reminiscent of Anatole France and even of Swift." - NEW YORK TIMES
Plot[]
Chapter I[]
In the farm of a drunken farmer named Mr. Jones, an old pig named Major begins a revolt among the animals - putting the maxim that all animals should revolt against their human owners - and recounts a song from his dreams (Beasts of England). The other animals begin gleefully singing the song until Mr. Jones shoots at the barn that the animals have chosen as their meeting place.
Chapter II[]
Some time after Major dies, the animals begin their revolt against Mr. Jones due to his incompetence. The revolt succeeds immediately - with Mr. Jones and his lackeys fleeing. The animals put forth seven commandments that all animals should live by (which boil down to animals fighting against humans). The house of the Jones is kept as a museum.
Chapter III[]
As the animals begin harvesting the resources of the farm, cracks begin showing in the idyllic state. The pigs begin taking some of the resources for themselves and only for themselves.
Chapter IV[]
to be added
See also[]
- Revolt (or Bunt) by Władysław Reymont
- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
- Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
- White Acre vs. Black Acre by William M. Burwell
Sources[]
- Wikipedia