Commentary on Animal Farm by George Orwell

Setting

The story Animal Farm takes place on Manor Farm. The farm is owned by Mr. Jones, whom the animals despise due to his cruel actions toward them. Because of his cruelty, the animals start a rebellion and overthrow Mr. Jones. Without the farm, the animals would not have to fear being slaughtered and would live without conflict.

The first winter without Mr. Jones is hard. Napoleon overworks the animals of Animal Farm and acts cruel towards them. His cruelty is shown when Napoleon demands four hundred eggs a week from the hens. The hens refuse, and Napoleon threatens to execute anyone who gives them food. This gives the other animals a hard time, and forces them to cling to Napoleon’s orders.

Characters

The protagonists of Animal Farm are the animals. The animals are at a level four of morality. They follow the rules because they are there for a reason. This is shown on page forty-three when the animals make seven commandments to live by after the rebellion, and try to live by them. Apart from the seven commandments, they make the saying “two legs bad, four legs good”, and Major explains to them what they must do to not resemble man (51, 31). The animals are hardworking. Throughout the seasons of spring and summer, the animals “worked like slaves” (73). When the windmill they spent two years building is destroyed, one of the first things said is, “ ‘We [the animals] will build six windmills if we [the animals] feel like it’” (110). The animals are naïve. They are naïve when the pigs bend the rules for themselves, and the animals “make no complaint” (80). The animals also glorify Napoleon, and cannot see that he is harming the farm.

The antagonist is Napoleon. He is ruthless as is shown when he threatens to “execute any animal...

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...ious metal, and is very expensive. The gold in this song symbolizes the prosperity of the land. When Napoleon bans the song, it shows that the prosperity is running out, and the farm will soon hit poverty.

Figurative Language

“All through that summer the work of the farm went like clockwork.” (46) Simile

“Animal Farm, Animal Farm, never through me shalt thou come to harm.” (47) Assonance

“In glowing sentences he painted a picture of Animal Farm as it might be when sordid labour was lifted from the animals’ backs.” (67) Metaphor

“One afternoon in late February a warm, rich, appetizing scent, such as the animals had never smelt before wafted itself across the yard from the little brew-house, which had been disused in Mr. Jones’s time, and which stood beyond the kitchen.” (117) Imagery

“The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white.” (36) Hyperbole