Animal Farm By George Orwell: Summary

I. Introduction

George Orwell, pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, a son of a British civil servant, was born on June 25, 1903 in Motihari, Bengal, India and died on January 1, 1950 at the age of 47. He spent his first day in India where his father was stationed. A year after his birth, his mother brought him and his older sister, Marjorie, to England and settled in Henley-on-Thames.

George Orwell was known as an English novelist, essayist, and critic in Great Britain. Two of his best known novels are the Animal Farm and Nineteen Eight-Four which brought him worldwide respect. He was bit by the writing bug at an early age, reportedly composing his first poem around the age of four. According to one biography, Orwell's first word was "beastly."

The story is told by an all-knowing narrator in the third person. This book is the product of his disillusionment with corruption of the communist ideal. The action of this novel starts when the oldest pig on the farm, Old Major, calls all animals to a secret meeting. His speech gives the more intelligent animals a new outlook on life. Pigs are considered to be the cleverest and most intelligent animals in the Manor Farm; they are the one who instruct the other animals. The pigs make up the seven commandments, and they write them above the door of the big barn. The commandments summarized as “Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad”. To sum up, animals bravely fight and defend themselves from human. They learned how to build and start to build the windmill. Some months later a heavy storm destroys the windmill, which is nearly finished. Napoleon accuses Snowball of destroying the mill, and he promises a reward to the animal that gets Snowball. The rebuilding of the mill takes two years. Again Jones attacks the farm, and although the animals defend it, the windmill is once again destroyed. The pigs decide to rebuild the mill again, and they cut down the food rations to a minimum. One day Boxer breaks down. He is sold to a butcher, but Napoleon tells the pigs that Boxer has been brought to a hospital where he has died. Three years later, the mill is finally completed. During this time Napoleon deepens the relations with the neighbouring farm, and one day Napoleon even invites the owners of this farm for an inspection. They sit inside the farmhouse and celebrate the efficiency of his farm, where the animals work very hard with a minimum of food. During this celebration, all the other animals meet at the window of the farm, and when they look inside they can't distinguish between man and