Animal Farm: Plot Summary (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Plot Summary

One of the most vital and helpful things you can do in preparation for the exam is to ‘know’ the plot of Animal Farm thoroughly. Once you know the text well, you should be comfortable and familiar with key events that you can then link to larger ideas. Having an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the text will help you to gain confidence to find the most relevant references to support your response. Below you will find:

• A general overview of the novella

• Detailed summaries of each chapter

Overview

Animal Farm is a novella written by George Orwell. It is composed of 10 chapters and takes place on a farm in England, though no specific time frame is mentioned.

The novella begins on Manor Farm. While the owner Mr Jones is asleep, Old Major, an elderly pig, gathers the other animals and delivers a speech about evil humans and urges them to rebel. Old Major dies of old age and the animals unite and evict Jones from his land. The animals work hard to finish the harvest, with Boxer, a horse, putting in the most effort. The pigs hold weekly meetings and Napoleon and Snowball become the major leaders who are unable to reach an agreement on anything. Snowball devotes his time to teaching the other animals to read and write, but Napoleon is merely interested in himself. Incidents begin to occur which contradict their philosophy of Animalism.

Fearing that the revolution would spread to nearby farms, the humans return to try to reclaim the farm. The animals succeed once more, but a few are injured in the process. Snowball proposes erecting a windmill to assist in speeding up the harvest. Napoleon is opposed to the notion and urinates all over the blueprints. It is evident that the two are battling over control of the farm. Napoleon’s puppies are now grown-up and vicious. They chase Snowball away from the farm and Napoleon assumes command. Squealer convinces them that Snowball stole the windmill idea from Napoleon. The animals proceed with its construction. The pigs move into the farmhouse and sleep on the beds. The other animals realise that the commandments are being broken to favour the pigs.

The windmill is destroyed by a fierce storm, but Napoleon convinces the animals that it was Snowball's fault. They begin to reconstruct the windmill. Due to a shortage of food, the pigs begin to trade with the humans from other farms. The hens refuse to give up their eggs for trade, so Napoleon stops their food until they acquiesce. Any animal thought to be associated with Snowball is slaughtered. When the animals query this, they are shown the commandments with modified comments and are convinced by Squealer that they had remembered them inaccurately. The windmill is assembled and named Napoleon Mill but the other farmers destroy it due to a dispute. Work on reconstructing the windmill for the third time begins. Boxer collapses due to exhaustion and the pigs sell him to the glue factory. Benjamin, a donkey, realises what has happened to Boxer but is too late to save him.

The final chapter takes place many years later and few animals remain who remember what occurred on the farm. The pigs walk on two legs, wear clothing and abuse the others, just like Mr Jones had done.

Chapter Summaries

Chapter I

• The owner of Manor Farm, Mr Jones, falls asleep after having gotten drunk

• Old Major gathers all of the animals in the barn

• He delivers a speech vilifying the evils inflicted upon them by tyrannical humans and urges them to rebel

• Old Major references a dream where he envisioned the earth without humans and teaches the animals a song called Beasts of England which they sing repeatedly

• The song awakens Mr Jones who fires a shot into the air, causing all of the animals to disperse

Chapter II

• Old Major dies and the animals begin planning their impending revolution

• The pigs decide to take charge and Napoleon and Snowball begin to inform the others about a philosophy they have termed Animalism

• A rebellion breaks out when the drunken Mr Jones neglects to feed the animals and they chase him and his men off the farm

• They rename the farm "Animal Farm" and the Seven Commandments of Animalism are emblazoned on the barn

Chapter III

• All of the animals work together and produce a successful harvest

• Snowball organises Sunday meetings where he and Napoleon frequently quarrel

• Snowball's committees are a failure, however he does teach some of the animals basic literacy 

• The pigs are given milk and apples and Squealer persuades the other animals that this is an admirable idea

Chapter IV

• As word of the rebellion spreads, human farmers Frederick, Jones, and Pilkington complain about Animal Farm's success

• A gang of men attempt to capture the farm, but due to Snowball's ingenious strategy, the animals defeat them

• The clash is named "The Battle of the Cowshed"

Chapter V

• Mollie abandons the farm

• The pigs gain power and forward proposals on which the animals must vote

• Snowball and Napoleon continue to disagree, particularly regarding the construction of a windmill

• Snowball is ejected from the farm when the windmill is put to a vote

• Napoleon declares that the windmill will be erected

Chapter VI

• The animals work harder than ever before and Boxer serves as an inspiration to them

• Napoleon begins to trade with humans 

• Jones abandons his attempt to regain the farm

• The animals start sleeping in beds

• Muriel and Clover note a change in the commandments and Squealer convinces the animals that this is acceptable

• In November, a storm topples the half-finished windmill, which Napoleon blames on Snowball

Chapter VII

• The animals are beginning to starve and after learning that they must sacrifice their eggs, the hens stage a protest

• Napoleon denies the hens their rations and nine hens die as a result

• The animals are led to believe Snowball has returned to the farm and his role in the Battle of the Cowshed is manipulated by Squealer

• Napoleon convenes a conference and executes several 'traitors' who admit to working with Snowball

• The Beasts of England song is banned

Chapter VII

• Clover and Benjamin observe a further amendment to the commandments which refers to "killing without cause"

• The following year brings more work and less food, further executions and Napoleon is seen in public less frequently

• Napoleon pits Frederick against Pilkington and Frederick, who dupes Napoleon with fake notes and Napoleon issues him with the death penalty

• Frederick and his companions invade the farm and blow up the windmill, rallying the animals to fight back

• Several of the animals die, Boxer is injured, but Squealer assures the animals of their triumph

• The clash is named "The Battle of the Windmill"

• After drinking too much alcohol, Napoleon fears he is dying and pronounces that consuming alcohol is punishable by death

Chapter IX

• The animals have to rebuild the windmill

• Thirty-one pigs are born and Napoleon orders the construction of a schoolhouse for them

• Rations are reduced again and the farm is declared a republic, with Napoleon as president

• Boxer becomes wounded while working but instead of sending him to a vet, the pigs sell him to the glue factory and profit from his slaughter

Chapter X

• Many years pass and no animal has ever retired

• Clover notices the pigs walk on two legs

• The commandments are erased and replaced with just one: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” 

• The pigs start carrying whips and wearing human clothes

• In the final scene, human farmers visit the farm and meet the other pigs

• Napoleon changes the farm’s name back to Manor Farm

• The pigs and humans play cards and a quarrel breaks out

• Looking through the farmhouse window, the other animals can no longer tell the difference between the pigs and the humans