KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS
SETTING: The novel is set in Hertfordshire, where Orwell lived, wrote, tended his garden, and kept poultry. Though the setting is the South of England, it is not stressed in the story, but serves only as a background. The farm…….
CHARACTERS
Old Major -An old boar that dreams of a better life and incites the animals to overthrow man. He is the
inspiring force behind the Rebellion and founding of Animal Farm.
Snowball -A young, intelligent, persuasive, and important boar known for his oratory skills. He is expelled
by Napoleon.
Napoleon -An ambitious, power-hungry, ruthless and eminent boar who stoops to any level to gain his goal.
Boxer -A big, powerful, honest, and devoted carthorse who does not have many brains but always comes
forward whenever any hand work is needed.
Clover -A motherly mare who is trulyconcerned about the welfare of the animals. She has a good shoulder to cry on and is a source of strength and confidence, especially to Boxer.
Benjamin -A cynical, skeptical donkey who believes everything remains the same with………
CONFLICT
The conflictin Animal Farmis really between Marxist Socialism (Old Major) and Russian Communism
(Napoleon) as represented by the two attitudes expressed by the two different groups in the novel.
Protagonist - The protagonist is the group of common animals searching for a utopian world and largely
represented by characters like Old Major and Snowball and supported by the 'proletariat'.
Antagonist - The antagonist is the combination of all the forces acting against such an idealistic world, largely represented by the power-hungry Napoleon and his henchman, Squealer.
Climax - The ultimate climax is reached when Napoleon changes Animal Farm into a republic and elects
himself President, assuring the maintenance of his seized power. The result of Napoleon’s……..
PLOT(Synopsis)
Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, has not been a very responsible farmer. Of late, he has taken to drinking and tends to neglect his farming chores. His careless attitude makes Old Major, the Berkshire boar, incite the animals to rise up against Jones. The boar calls for a meeting to explain his dream for the farm animals. Although Old Major does not narrate the dream, he does explain the ill treatment given to them by man and the dreary and deplorable life they are leading on the farm. He also inspires the animals with his song 'Beasts of England.' The inspired animals seize their very first opportunity to oust Mr. Jones and rename the farm as “Animal Farm”. They inscribe their laws, seven commandments, on the barn-wall. Napoleon and Snowball ……..
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 ……….
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.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
GEORGE ORWELL
George Orwell was the pen name of an English writer, Eric Blair. He was born in Motihari, Bengal in India in 1903, the second child of an Anglo-Indian family. At the age of eight, he was sent to boarding school in
England. After winning a scholarship, Orwell went to Eton, where he studied from 1917 to 1921 and was
exposed to liberal and socialist ideas. From 1922 until 1927, he served in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma; he resigned because the climate affected his health and because he believed that the British rule in Burma was unjust. He returned to Europe to pursue a writing career and first lived in Paris and then London. At first he could not find a publisher for his works. Asa result, he led a life of poverty, doing odd jobs to…….
ALLEGORY
An allegory is a series of metaphors or symbols continued throughout an entire story so as to represent or
describe one series of facts by using another that is analogous to its main features. 'Animal Farm' is intended to be an allegory of Russian history from 1917-1943, including the period of World War I, the Economic Policy Plan, and the first Five Year Plan. All the characters of 'Animal Farm' parallel figures in……..
Animal Farm = History of Russia
Old Major’s philosophy = The philosophies of Marx and Lenin
Animalism = Communism
Other Animals = Bolsheviks (common people )
Mr. Jones = Czar of Russia
Seven Commandments = Communist Manifesto
Skull of Old Major = Lenin's body
Old Major's death = Lenin's death followed by struggle for power
Windmill Construction = Russian construction of steel mills and electric plants
Napoleon's sale of timber to Frederick = Stalin entered into a non-aggression pact with
Hitler's Germany
Frederick's declaration of war on = Hitler's declaration of war on Russia
Animal Farm
Windmill destroyed, animals died = Stalingrad destroyed
Sugarcandy = In 1944 Stalin wrote letters to Pope to conduct services
Napoleon's entertaining of humans in the farmhouse =Different meetings between Stalin and Churchill in Russia
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