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Old Major’s Vision
Old Major, an ancient boar on Mr. Jones’s Manor Farm, gathers all of the animals together to tell them of a vision that he had. His vision consists of a farm ruled by animals, in which there are no people around to rule the animals and oppress them. Old Major dies three days later, but the animals on the farm decide to build on his vision.
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Snowball and Napoleon
Snowball and Napoleon are two pigs that take charge in creating “Animalism,” a philosophy built on Old Major’s vision. Together with the rest of the animals, they succeed in driving Mr. Jones off the farm, which is subsequently renamed “Animal Farm.” They develop several laws about the equality of animals and the inferiority of human practices and write them on the wall of the barn. Snowball and Napoleon disagree on several issues, however, including whether Animal Farm should build a windmill to generate their own electricity, thus making them more self-sufficient. Snowball supports the windmill, but Napoleon opposes it. At a meeting to discuss the windmill, several dogs that Napoleon has trained chase Snowball off the farm. From the time of Snowball’s departure on, the pigs (led by Napoleon) take over the farm.
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Pigs or Humans?
Suddenly, Napoleon decides that building the windmill is a good idea. All of the animals, and especially Boxer, the loyal workhorse, dedicate themselves to the building of the windmill. When Boxer dies, however, Napoleon sells his body to the glue maker. Napoleon subsequently begins breaking every rule on the barn wall, but Squealer, his publicity spokesman, explains everything away with smooth talk. The pigs begin drinking whiskey, sleeping in a human bed, and making deals with human neighbors to benefit themselves. By the end of the book, the rest of the animals can’t tell the difference between the humans and the pigs.
This “Animal Farm” summary includes the most important events in the novel. Take a look at the rest of the series for more information about “Animal Farm.”
Summary of Main Events in “Animal Farm”
This series of articles act as a study guide for "Animal Farm," by George Orwell. They include a summary of the novel, character analyses, symbolism and parallels with the Russian Revolution, and essay questions for the novel.