Animal Farm Essay Research Paper SETTING The — страница 2

their common enemy, Jones and his men, in The Battle of Cowshed. After the battle, the rivalry between the two contenders comes out in the open. Snowball’s plan of building the windmill is declared as ‘nonsense’ by Napoleon. He also chases Snowball off of the farm with the help of his fire dogs. He then puts forth the windmill project as his own. The pigs from the ruling class are non-productive and live off the labor of the other animals. They change the commandments to suit their own desires. Squealer, Napoleon’s henchman, tells the other animals that the rules must be changed to prevent Jones from returning to control the farm. They are terrorized into confessing whatever the authorities want and say that they have been scheming with Snowball as his agents.

Napoleon’s reign of terror is severe and takes a toll of several animals. He snatches every chance to further his own personality. He even negotiates ‘trade’ with his human neighbors after setting them against each other. Frederick, a neighboring farmer, launches an attack, called the Battle of Windmill, against the animals. During the fighting, the Windmill is blown off. Reconstruction of the Windmill brings about prosperity, but not for all the animals; the pigs are the only beneficiaries. Ironically, the pigs now resemble the humans that they hated. They carry whips and walk upright on their hind legs. The only rule that now exists is, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” The novel ends with Napoleon entertaining his human neighbors,

and it is impossible to distinguish the pigs from the men. THEMES Major Theme The major theme of the novel is the sad triumph of evil over good. The animals try to create a utopia, a paradise where society brings out and develops the best in a being. Unfortunately, the animals that gain control of Animal Farm begin to act in a manner similar to the humans that they had kicked off the farm. At the end of the novel, the pigs cannot be distinguished from the humans. Minor Theme Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is another theme of Animal Farm. When the animals seize control of the farm, the leaders are corrupted by their power. Allegorically, Orwell is exposing the perversion of Marxist Socialism by Communism. In the novel, he is emphasizing the suppression,

oppression, and frustration of the good, well meaning, and benevolent animals, just as Communism suppresses man. Table of Contents MOOD The mood varies from the comic to the tragic, with the overall mood being one of tension. The whole story is filled with irony and bitter sarcasm CHAPTER 1 In the opening chapter of the book, Mr. Jones of Manor Farm is shown as a careless, irresponsible farm owner who cares more for a glass of beer than for his animals and the farm. He is often drunk, and his ensuing negligence causes the farm animals to protest and rebel against him. One night, Old Major, the prize Middle White Boar, wishes to share a strange dream with all the animals. Since the two-year old boar is greatly respected by all, the animals are willing to forego an hour’s sleep

to listen to Old Major’s tale. Before the animals assemble, the stout, majestic Old Major makes himself comfortable on his bed of straw. As the animals enter the barn, each is described. First to come are the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Picher. Then the pigs arrive and settle down in front of the platform. Clover, the stout, motherly mare, who is nearing middle age, finds her place. Benjamin, the cynical donkey, who is the oldest animal and the worst tempered, grumps as he settles down. Boxer, who is an enormous and optimistic horse, Mollie, who is the foolish, pretty white mare, Moses, who is the tame raven, and the cat are all present. The hens perch on the windowsills, and the pigeons flutter up to the rafters. Major’s intentions are noble. He shows concern for the

welfare and destiny of the animals and inspires them to rebel against the human beings for their own good. Without ever telling his dream, he diverts the animals’ attention to his song, ‘Beasts of England’. He encourages them to gather in perfect unity and warns them to avoid the habits of men. Notes The first chapter clearly establishes the point of view of the entire novel. The story is told by an observing narrator who is outside the action of the story. He appears to be an average being who is unbiased; therefore, he can be trusted and believed. He also tells the story in a direct and concise manner, which is very effective. This point-of-view also helps Orwell successfully express the wishes, expectations, obedience, unity, and even protest of the animals. The chapter