Novella: Animal Farm

Overview
George Orwell's Animal Farm (1945) is a political fable that reimagines the rise and corruption of a revolutionary movement through the story of farm animals who overthrow their human owner. Written as a swift, lucid allegory, it satirizes the trajectory from idealistic revolt to authoritarian rule, mirroring the Russian Revolution and the consolidation of Stalinism. Its plain style, moral clarity, and memorable images turn complex political processes into a tightly focused narrative about power, language, and betrayal.

Plot Summary
At Manor Farm, the prize boar Old Major gathers the animals and shares a vision of liberation from human exploitation, teaching them a song of unity and laying out principles of Animalism. After his death, the animals, led by the pigs Snowball and Napoleon, drive out the negligent farmer Mr. Jones and rename the property Animal Farm. They inscribe Seven Commandments on the barn, promising equality and a life free from human tyranny.

Early successes, including the Battle of the Cowshed where the animals repel a human attempt to retake the farm, foster pride and solidarity. Snowball plans ambitious improvements, notably a windmill to generate power and reduce labor. Napoleon opposes him, then unleashes a pack of trained dogs to chase Snowball away, seizing control. Squealer, Napoleon's propagandist, recasts events to paint Snowball as a traitor and Napoleon as the farm’s indispensable leader.

The regime grows harsher as work increases and rations shrink. The windmill becomes the centerpiece of labor and propaganda, first promoted as Napoleon’s idea, then rebuilt repeatedly after storms and sabotage. The hens’ resistance to egg requisitions is crushed. Public confessions and executions purge supposed conspirators, terrifying the animals and extinguishing dissent. The commandments are quietly altered to permit privileges, with the sheep coached to drown out questions by bleating slogans.

Trade with humans resumes despite earlier prohibitions, and the pigs move into the farmhouse, sleep in beds, and drink alcohol. Boxer, the loyal cart-horse whose mottos are "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right", drives himself to collapse; instead of promised medical care, he is sold to the knacker, a betrayal Squealer masks with an elaborate lie. Years pass; the animals can barely remember the hopes of the rebellion. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single line: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".

In the final scene, the pigs host neighboring farmers, boasting of increased productivity and renaming the farm Manor Farm. Watching through a window, the animals realize they can no longer tell pig from man. The revolution has circled back to its starting point, with a new class exploiting the rest.

Themes and Symbols
The fable traces how power consolidates through fear, force, and the manipulation of language. Squealer’s euphemisms, selective statistics, and historical revisions demonstrate how control over memory becomes control over reality. The windmill symbolizes both collective aspiration and the diversion of labor into projects that entrench authority. Boxer embodies exploited idealism; his fate reveals how regimes consume their most devoted supporters. Moses the raven and his tales of Sugarcandy Mountain show how comforting myths can pacify suffering populations.

Characters and Style
Old Major fuses prophetic idealism with Marxist and Leninist echoes; Snowball channels revolutionary intellect and is scapegoated like Trotsky; Napoleon personifies opportunistic, bureaucratic tyranny; Squealer is propaganda’s smooth voice. Orwell’s clear, unadorned prose and the farmyard setting strip away distractions, focusing attention on mechanisms of control and the fragility of collective ideals.