by Fiona Mather

Created on: May 30, 2008   Last Updated: June 12, 2008

Animal Farm is a political fable telling the story of how the animals of Manor Farm rise up and rebel,ousting Mr. Jones the farmer,and taking control of the farm.

The main characters are Major, Napolian, Snowball, and Squealer, these are the pigs, the most intelligent animals on the farm. Boxer and Clover are two carthorses who are not very clever but work hard on the farm for the cause and believe everything they are told. Major is the most important character as he stirs the animals into thinking about higher things. Napolian, is not much of an orator but likes to get his own way. Snowball is a more lively character, more engaging to the other animals than Napolian, and Squealer is a good orator, winning round the animals with his clever words.

The pigs teach themselves to read, from books that belonged to Mr. Jones children and are now in a position to rule over the farm. They use the dogs on the farm as their body guards.The pigs,now having educated themselves are in a position of power.

Major, the prize boar instigates a rebellion amongst the animals. Major is an intelligent boar and rouses the animals by telling them how badly they are being treated by Mr. Jones, and how different things would be if they ran the farm themselves. He teaches the animals the song 'Beasts of England' which is sung each time the animals gather together.

When Major dies in chapter two, the animals, having been prepared into believing that one day, but maybe not in their lifetime, there would be a rebellion, are now encouraged to prepare and plan for this eventuality. The other pigs take up the cause and Napolian and Snowball, two boars of high intelligence start to bring about change on the farm, along with Squealer they invent Animalism, which is all of Majors concepts rolled into one idea.

The pigs invent the Seven Commandments two of which state that All animals are equal,' and, ' Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.'
Gradually the pigs become more and more corrupt, and the Seven Commandments change into just one, which is 'All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others' The pigs eventually start to walk on two legs, wear clothes, sleep in beds, drink alcohol and live in the farm house all of which was originally forbidden.

What starts out as an equal society of animals all of whom work hard for the greater good of the farm and, no one animal is more important than another, ends up having a ruling class of pigs, who live in luxury. The tale comes full circle and shows how power corrupts.

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