GEORGE ORWELL

ANIMAL FARM, 1945

Aim of the novel: to write a satire of Russian Revolution

Genre: animal fable

PLOTINITIAL SITUATION: The oldest pig on the farm reports dreaming of an animal revolution.

DEVELOPMENT: The pigs, regarded as the most intelligent animals, create a new system called animalism and chase Man. The animals write seven commandments and a national anthem

COMPLICATIONS: rivalry and conflict ensue between two leaders, SNOWBALL and NAPOLEON, The latter takes CONTROL

The seven commandments are BETRAYED and so is the revolution.

END: the pigs behave like human beings and it is impossible to tell the diffrence

Seven commandments

Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.No animal shall wear clothes.No animal shall sleep in a bed.No animal shall drink alcohol.No animal shall kill any other animal. All animals are equal FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD

NEW COMMANDMENTS:NEW COMMANDMENTS:

No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.

Final and only commandment:All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.

FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BETTER

CHARACTERSCHARACTERS

Napoleon=Stalin: not a great speaker, no active role in the revolution, power-thirsty with the help of the dogs.Snowball=Trotsky: charismatic speaker and leader, caring and activeSquealer: loyal to Napoleon, excellent speaker and manipulatorBoxer=Stachanov: embodies both qualities and problemsof the working classOld Major=Marx/Lenin. He has the premonition of a new system, he can be considered a middle class pig, due to his privileged condition.

Clover: good and motherly horse ,symbol of the working animals. All the action is seen from her point of view.

Moses: symbolizes religion and is the favourite of Mr Jones.Mr Jones: the drunk owner of the farm, represents the Czar.Mollie: the mare who pulls Mr Jones’s carriage. She is vain and

represents the bourgeoisie loyal to the Czar. The dogs: the secret police.Other farm owners: Mr Frederick=Hitler Mr Pilkington= England/ USA Minimus: a poet

SYMBOLS SYMBOLS THE WINDMILL= the means through which Napoleon

exerts control. It stands for purposeless effort. THE ALTERATION OF THE Commandments =

manipulation of history and of individual memory.

EMPTY SYMBOLS = Mirror the emptiness of the animals’ life and of the false promises made by pigs.

The skull of the Old Mayor (the frame of the revolution) with the flesh and the brains (the theory, the spirit of the revolution) which have decayed. The theory is dead as is the head of its theorizer.

The green flag with a horn and a hoof (Animals conquering the green fields of England) is replaced by a totally green flag, becoming another hollow symbol(the fields of England).

Beasts of England an anthem taught by Old Major, foreseeing a better society, is replaced by one celebrating the beauty of animal farm.

ORWELL’S SOCIALISMORWELL’S SOCIALISM

Orwell was a socialist but his view of Socialism differed from Marx’s.-Animalism is based on the theories of old major, a prize winning boar,

who had a longer and better life than the majority of the animals.-Marx believed in an educated proletariat, -Moses represents the church: he spreads ideas of a better life after

death, he goes away with the revolution then returns when Napoleon has gained power. Unlike Marx, Orwell believed some people will always turn to religion.

-Orwell criticized the violent methods with which the revolution is achieved

-Men will always be attracted to private property -He wanted revlutionary change to occur and revolution to spread, but

he didn’t believe revolution would ever succeed