Summary of Animal Form

Old Major calls a meeting of all the animals in the big barn. He announces that he may die soon and relates to them the insights he has gathered in his life. Old Major tells the animals that human beings are the sole reason that “No animal in England is free” and that “The life of an animal is misery and slavery.” Therefore, the animals must take charge of their destiny by overthrowing Man in a great Rebellion. He relates his dream of rebellion.

 

Old Major dies soon after the meeting, and the other animals prepare for the Rebellion under Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer's leadership. One night, Mr Jones passes out drunk, creating the perfect opportunity for the animals to rebel. They are so hungry that they break into the store shed. When Jones and his men try to whip them into submission, the animals run them off the farm. Snowball changes the name of the farm to “Animal Farm” and comes up with the Seven Commandments, which are to form the basis of Animalism. They are:

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.

3. No animal shall wear clothes.

4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.

5. No animals shall drink alcohol.

6. No animal shall kill any other animal.

7. All animals are equal.

 

The pigs milk the cows, and then the animals go out to begin the harvest. When they return, the milk has disappeared mysteriously. The first harvest is a great success. The animals adhere to the tenets of Animalism happily and with good results. Each animal works according to its ability and gets a fair share of food.

Every Sunday, Snowball and Napoleon lead a meeting of all the animals in the big barn. The pigs are the most intelligent animals, so they think up resolutions for the other animals to debate. Soon after, the pigs set up a study centre for themselves in the harness room. Snowball embarks on various campaigns for social and economic improvement. Napoleon opposes whatever Snowball does. Because most of the animals lack the intelligence to memorise the Seven Commandments, Snowball reduces them to the single maxim, “Four legs good, two legs bad.” The sheep take to chanting this at meetings.

As time goes by, the pigs increase their control over the animals and award themselves increasing privileges. They quell the animals’ questions and protests by threatening Mr Jones’s return. During this time, Napoleon also confiscates nine newborn puppies and secludes them in a loft to “educate” them.

By late summer, Snowball’s and Napoleon’s pigeon messengers have spread news of the Rebellion across half of England. Animals on other farms have begun lashing out against their human masters and singing the revolutionary song “Beasts of England.” Jones and other farmers try to recapture Animal Farm but fail. The animals celebrate their victory in what they call “The Battle of the Cowshed.”

The animals agree to let the pigs make all the resolutions. Snowball and Napoleon continue to be at odds and eventually clash over the windmill. Snowball wants to build a windmill in order to shorten the work week and provide the farm with electricity, but Napoleon opposes it. Napoleon summons nine fierce dogs (the puppies he trained) to run Snowball off the farm. Napoleon announces that Sunday meetings will cease and that the pigs will make all the decisions in the animals’ best interest. At this point, Boxer takes on his own personal maxims, “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right.” In the spring, Napoleon announces plans to build the windmill, claiming that it was his idea all along—rewriting history.

 

Building the windmill forces the animals to work harder on Sundays. Shortages begin to occur, so Napoleon opens up trade with the human world. Through Squealer, he lies that no resolutions against interaction with humans or the use of money had ever been passed. Napoleon enlists Whymper to be his intermediary, and the pigs move into the farmhouse. Squealer assures the animals that there is no resolution against this, but Clover and Mureil discover that one of the resolutions has been changed to: “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.” Squealer convinces her that there was never a resolution against beds at all. One night, strong winds shake the farm, and the animals awake to discover the windmill destroyed. Napoleon blames Snowball and sentences the expelled pig to death.

 

In the winter, as conditions become worse on Animal Farm, Napoleon deceives the human world into thinking Animal Farm is prospering. He signs a contract for a quota of four hundred eggs per week, inciting a hen rebellion that results in several deaths. Around the same time, Napoleon begins negotiating with Fredrick and Pilkington to sell Animal Farm’s store of timber. He also spreads propaganda against Snowball, claiming that Snowball was always a spy and a collaborator while Napoleon was the true hero of the Battle of the Cowshed, and Squealer warns against Snowball’s secret agents.

 

Four days later, Napoleon holds an assembly in which he makes several animals confess to treachery and then has the dogs execute them. The dogs try to get Boxer to confess, but leave him alone when they cannot overpower him. Afterwards, Clover and some other animals huddle together on a hill overlooking the farm. They reminisce about Animalism’s ideals and consider how much they differ from the violence and terror of Napoleon’s reign. They sing “Beasts of England,” but Squealer informs them that the song is useless now that the Rebellion is completed and that it is now forbidden. The new anthem begins with the lyrics: “Animal Farm, Animal Farm, / Never through me shalt thou come to harm!”

Another commandment is changed to read: “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.” Clover and Muriel convince themselves that the commandment has always been this way. Squealer begins reading the animals' statistics regularly to convince them that production is increasing. Napoleon seldom appears in public. The animals now call him “our Leader, Comrade Napoleon.” They attribute all misfortunes to Snowball and all success and luck to Napoleon. Napoleon continues to negotiate with the farmers and eventually decides to sell the timber to Mr Pilkington. At last, the windmill is finished and named “Napoleon Mill.” Soon after, Napoleon announces that he will sell the timber to Frederick, quickly changing his allegiance and disavowing his earlier vilification of Frederick. Napoleon says that Pilkington and Snowball have been collaborating. Frederick pays for the timber in fake cash, and the next morning, Frederick and his men invade the farm and blow up the windmill. The animals manage to chase the humans off, though many die or are injured in what they call “The Battle of the Windmill.”

 

After the battle, the pigs discover a case of whisky in the farmhouse. They drink to excess and soon, Squealer reports that Napoleon is dying and, as his last action, has made the consumption of alcohol punishable by death. But Napoleon recovers quickly and then sends Whymper to procure manuals on brewing alcohol. Squealer changes another commandment to “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess.”

 

Napoleon plans to build a schoolhouse for the thirty-one young pigs he has parented. Towards the end of the winter, Napoleon began increasing propaganda to distract the animals from inequality and hardship. He creates special “Spontaneous Demonstrations” in which the animals march around and celebrate their triumphs.

In April, Napoleon declares the farm a Republic and is elected unanimously as President. The animals continue to work feverishly, most of all Boxer. One day, Boxer collapses while overexerting himself. Napoleon promises to send him to the hospital. A few days later, a horse-slaughterer takes Boxer away in his van. The animals are none the wiser until Benjamin reads the lettering on the side of the van. A few days later, Squealer reports that Boxer died in the hospital despite receiving the best possible care. He claims that Boxer’s last words glorified Animal Farm and Napoleon. Napoleon promises to honour Boxer.

 

Years go by, and though Animal Farm’s population has increased, only a few animals that remember the Rebellion remain. Conditions are still harsh despite technological improvements. The pigs and dogs continue to do no manual labour, instead devoting themselves to organisational work. One day, Squealer takes the sheep out to a deserted pasture where, he says, he is teaching them a song. On the day the sheep return, the pigs walk around the yard on their hind legs as the sheep chant, “Four legs good, two legs better.” The other animals are horrified. Clover consults the barn wall again. This time, Benjamin reads to her. The Seven Commandments have been replaced with a single maxim: “All animals are equal / but some animals are more equal than others.”

 

        The pigs continue the longstanding pattern of awarding themselves more and more privileges. They buy a telephone and subscribe to magazines. They even wear Jones’s clothing. One night, Napoleon holds a conciliatory banquet for the farmers. Pilkington makes a speech in which he says he wants to emulate Animal Farm’s long work hours and low rations. Napoleon announces that the farm will be called “Manor Farm” again, the animals will call each other “Comrade” no longer, and they will no longer march ceremoniously past Old Major’s skull (a practice he denies understanding). He also declares that the farm’s flag will be plain green, devoid of the symbols of the Rebellion. As the animals peer through the windows to watch the humans and pigs play poker, they cannot distinguish between them. 

Question- Answers of Animal Form

1.      Define an allegory. Is Animal Form an allegory?

An allegory is a story in which the events and characters represent something beyond themselves. The characters and events of Animal Farm represent the real people and events of the Russian Revolution and its aftermath. Orwell wrote Animal Farm because he wanted to tell the true story of the Russian Revolution in a way anyone could understand, even if they didn’t know all the historical details. However, Animal Farm is not only an allegory of Russian history. The novella also makes a broader argument about the nature of political power and oppression in general.

 

2.      What is Animalism?

Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer develop Old Major’s idea that animals have a right to freedom and equality into “a complete system of thought” which they call Animalism. The central beliefs of Animalism are expressed in the Seven Commandments, painted on the wall of the big barn. However, as the pigs seize more and more power, they change the Commandments painted on the barn, until Animalism is reduced to a single principle, which is virtually the opposite of Old Major’s original idea: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”

3.      How does Napoleon seize power?

Napoleon trains nine puppies to be loyal to him: when they are fully grown, he uses the dogs to chase Snowball, his main rival, off the farm. Napoleon justifies his takeover by telling the other animals that Snowball was a traitor secretly working for the human farmers. Squealer makes confusing and manipulative arguments to convince most of the animals that Napoleon is telling the truth, while fear of Napoleon’s dogs keeps any doubters from speaking out.

4.      What does Boxer represent?

Within Animal Farm’s allegory of Soviet history, Boxer represents the Russian working class. Boxer does most of the work on the farm, and his strength and size give him a great deal of power. However, he is illiterate and trusting, which makes it easy for the pigs to trick him into submitting to their leadership. Orwell believed that something similar had happened to the Russian working class during the Soviet Revolution: the workers were powerful, and did all the work in the Soviet Union, but they were tricked and betrayed. 

 

5.      Why does Mollie leave Animal Farm?

Mollie leaves Animal Farm because she has never fully embraced its new way of life, and she prefers the benefits of being owned by humans. Of all the animals, Mollie has not risen to the demands of Animalism. She sneaks sugar and ribbons, shirks her duties, shows up late to work, and maintains contact with humans. After she leaves Animal Farm, pigeons see her in town, pulling a dogcart while a human strokes her nose and feeds her sugar. These details show that Mollie chooses to sacrifice her liberty for comfort.

6.      Why does Snowball want to build a windmill?

Snowball wants to build a windmill so it can power a machine to create electricity on the farm. Electricity will improve the animals’ comfort by supplying light and heat in their stalls. The electricity will also be used to power numerous machines that can perform the work the animals must do, providing them with more leisure time. With the windmill in operation, all the animals will have more time to relax and to “improve their minds with reading and conversation.”

7.      What is Snowball’s role at the Battle of the Cowshed?

Snowball is a hero at the Battle of the Cowshed, bravely leading the animals’ defensive operations to a decisive victory over Mr Jones, who tries to retake the farm. Employing what he learned from a book on war campaigns, Snowball launches a series of sham attacks designed to lull the farmers into thinking they’ve won, which end with the farmers running for their lives. After Snowball flees the farm, however, Napoleon and Squealer slowly distort this history. Squealer questions Snowball’s role and motives, suggests Snowball was a traitor, and eventually states that Snowball “had been openly fighting on Jones’s side” and “had actually been the leader of the human forces.”

8.      Why does Napoleon blame Snowball for everything that goes wrong on the farm?

Napoleon, aided by Squealer, uses Snowball as a scapegoat, which means that when something goes wrong, he blames Snowball. As Snowball is not present, Snowball can’t defend himself and reveal falsehoods in the accusations, essentially creating a situation in which all of Napoleon’s statements regarding Snowball are simply accepted as truth. This tactic means that Napoleon does not need to take responsibility for mistakes and misdeeds, and it also allows him to continue to receive the animals’ support and respect even when calamity occurs, as when the windmill collapses. Further, by casting Snowball in the role of the enemy, Napoleon ensures that his rival will never be able to return to the farm and challenge his leadership.

9.      How is the windmill destroyed?

The windmill is actually destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout the course of Animal Farm. The first windmill collapses in a storm, and the second windmill is blown up during the Battle of the Windmill. After the first windmill is destroyed, which Napoleon blames on Snowball’s sabotage, the animals begin reconstruction and make the walls much thicker. After the second windmill is fully built, Frederick attacks Animal Farm and takes down the structure with blasting powder. Undeterred, the animals begin rebuilding the windmill the next day.

 

10.  Why does Napoleon change the Seven Commandments?

Over time, Napoleon changes all of the Seven Commandments, which were created to keep the animals humble and on equal footing, to allow the pigs to enjoy prohibited privileges and comforts. For instance, when the pigs move into the farmhouse, Napoleon amends the commandment about not sleeping in a bed to read, “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.” Napoleon changes other commandments as well, so the pigs can wear clothes, drink alcohol, and even kill other animals. By the end of the book, the original commandments have been reduced to one statement that encapsulates the authoritarian nature of the farm: “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.”

 

11.  What does Boxer’s death represent?

Boxer’s death represents the exploitation of the working classes as well as the death of the idealism that led to the establishment of Animal Farm. Before his death, Boxer was Napoleon’s most loyal supporter, abusing his body in service to the farm and the windmill. Once he weakens and is no longer useful, the pigs don’t reward him with the promised peaceful retirement but sell him to a glue factory. Ironically, this fate is what Old Major predicted for Boxer under Mr Jones’s ownership: “You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds.” Instead of bringing about equality among animals, Napoleon has created a society in which the pigs have taken the place of humans in their corruption and self-interest.

12.  How does Squealer manipulate the animals so the pigs can better control them?

A persuasive speaker, Squealer uses language to make the other animals disbelieve what they have seen with their own eyes and to believe the lies he tells them. Sometimes Squealer encourages the animals to question their own recollections, such as when Napoleon violates the prohibition against trade: “Is it written down anywhere?” Squealer asks, causing the animals to be certain they are mistaken. Squealer explains why actions that appear to benefit the pigs actually help all the animals. When the pigs move into the farmhouse despite an earlier ban, he declares, “It was absolutely necessary... that the pigs, which were the brains of the farm, should have a quiet place to work in.” Squealer’s disingenuous and manipulative speech succeeds in making the animals distrust their own experiences. 

Character Sketch of Isabel Archer

Isabel Archer is the lady whose ‘portrait’ James offers us in the novel. She is the woman “affronting her destiny”. At the beginning of the novel, Ralph wonders, “What will she do?” Towards the close of the novel, Henrietta asks Isabel, “What have you done with your life?” Between these two questions lies the tragic-comedy of the life of Isabel.

The character of Isabel Archer is fully developed by James. Her development is the development from happiness to suffering, from love to hatred, from vivacity to dispiritedness. Isabel’s character is the central character around which other characters, such as Ralph, Caspar, Lord Warburton, Henrietta, Osmond, Madam Merle and the Touchetts rotate.

One of the distinguishing features of Isabel’s character is her deep love for liberty and freedom. It is her innocence and independence which attract Daniel Touchett to give her financial freedom. She tries her best to maintain her mental freedom even in the face of adversity and also to maintain her dignity and individuality throughout. It is this quality that draws Ralph to her. Neither Ralph’s sympathy nor Lord Warburton’s glamour can overcome her sense of freedom, and eventually, both are fascinated by her.

Another feature is her romantic idealism. From the very beginning, Isabel’s approach to life is romantic, idealistic and theoretical. James observes that she is a person of many theories; her imagination is remarkably active. One can notice how Isabel puts her theories of self-development into practice. One of the methods is that of refusal or rejection. She avoids any commitment to anyone. Caspar Goodwood suggests coercion, oppression and constraint on the plain physical level. Lord Warburton suggests immobilisation on the social level. Isabel rejects the first on physical reasons and the second on theoretical grounds of indefinite expansion.

Isabel is a pretty young woman of sparkling vivacity. She brings freshness and charm wherever she happens to be; however, she is sexually cold and frigid. When she is faced with an emotional situation, such as her suitors proposing to her, she becomes unnerved and fear-ridden. From her lovely physical make-up, mental independence and rich legacy, the reader can well deduce that Isabel was apparently made for happiness, but events took such a sharp turn that she fell victim to her own idealistic notions. Her ‘sentience’ is the vital force of her ‘choice’, but her choice deceives her because she wishes to see life whole and full. She chooses Osmond, prompted by his idealism and sophistry, and this wrong choice lands her in misery and sorrow.

Her choice of Osmond as a husband is a result of both admirable and not-so-admirable elements in her nature. Her excessive confidence in her own judgment, her sense of her own superiority, her shying away from indications of violent passion, are no less weighty elements in her decision than her eagerness for experience, the liveliness and freshness of her responses, her admiration for what seems to be unworldliness, the superiority to things material, a devotion to things beautiful. The qualities and shortcomings of Isabel are explained, even her return to Osmond- her fear of sex, her high sense of marriage, her moral seriousness, her pure conscience, her linking to a civilised way of life, her promise to Pansy and her preference for a life of suffering. In the words of Richard Chase, “Despite her deeply repressed sexuality, Isabel remains among the most complex, the most fully realised and the most humanly fascinating of James’s characters.”