Animal Farm Summary and Complete Study Guide

Animal Farm begins on Manor Farm, where the animals live under the rule of the neglectful, often drunk farmer Mr. Jones. One night, Old Major, a prize-winning boar, gathers the animals in the barn and delivers a rousing speech about his vision of a future free from human tyranny. He teaches them a revolutionary anthem called "Beasts of England" and urges them to overthrow their human masters. Three nights later, Old Major dies peacefully in his sleep, but his ideas take root among the animals—particularly the pigs, who are regarded as the cleverest. Two young boars, Napoleon and Snowball, along with the persuasive Squealer, develop Old Major's teachings into a philosophical system called Animalism. When Jones drinks himself into a stupor and forgets to feed the animals one midsummer evening, the starving animals break into the store-shed. Jones and his men try to drive them back with whips, but the enraged animals fight back and chase the humans off the property entirely. The animals rename the estate Animal Farm and paint Seven Commandments on the barn wall, the most important being "All animals are equal." Initially, the farm thrives. The harvest is the best Manor Farm has ever seen, and the animals take pride in working for themselves. But cracks appear almost immediately. The pigs reserve the milk and apples for themselves, with Squealer explaining that pigs need brain food to manage the farm properly. Snowball organizes committees and tries to educate the animals, while Napoleon quietly takes a litter of nine puppies to raise in seclusion. Tensions between Napoleon and Snowball escalate, particularly over Snowball's plan to build a windmill that would bring electricity to the farm. At a decisive Sunday meeting, just as the animals are about to vote in Snowball's favor, Napoleon unleashes the nine dogs—now fully grown and fiercely loyal to him—who chase Snowball off the farm. Napoleon abolishes the democratic meetings and declares that all decisions will be made by a committee of pigs. He then announces that the windmill will be built after all, claiming the idea was his from the beginning. Under Napoleon's rule, the animals work harder than ever, especially the loyal carthorse Boxer, whose mottos are "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right." The pigs gradually violate every commandment they established: they move into the farmhouse, sleep in beds, drink alcohol, and trade with neighboring human farmers. Each time, Squealer provides elaborate justifications, and the commandments painted on the barn wall are secretly altered overnight. Napoleon uses Snowball as a scapegoat for every misfortune, claiming he sneaks onto the farm to sabotage their efforts. Animals who confess to collaborating with Snowball are executed by Napoleon's dogs in a bloody purge. The windmill is destroyed twice—once by a storm and once by a human attack—yet the animals rebuild it each time at enormous cost. When Boxer finally collapses from overwork, Napoleon promises to send him to a veterinary hospital but instead sells him to a horse slaughterer, using the money to buy whiskey for the pigs. Squealer tells the animals that Boxer died peacefully in hospital, praising Napoleon with his last breath. Years pass. Most of the animals who participated in the rebellion are dead, and the younger generation knows nothing else. The pigs begin walking on two legs, wearing clothes, and carrying whips. The Seven Commandments are replaced by a single maxim: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." In the final scene, the pigs host a dinner party for neighboring human farmers. The other animals peer through the farmhouse window and watch as pigs and humans play cards, drink, and toast one another. Looking from pig to man and from man to pig, the animals find it impossible to tell which is which.