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Chapter 1(pgs.15-24) In first chapter, the reader is introduced to all of his
wonderful animals. Obviously most of the chapter is intended to spark pity and a
sense of sympathy for the poor, suffering farm animals, but the old Major's
words are very telling.
The wise old pig addresses the central conflict of the
book, and of Orwell's intended meaning-- tyranny. The first (and seemingly only)
dictatorship the animals must overcome is the rule of Mr. Jones and the other
humans. The boar asserts, Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from
the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished forever. Man
is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he
does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough
to catch rabbits.
Yet he is lord of all the animals. The speech, as intended, is
very inspiring and encouraging to the tired, troubled farm animals. They even
sing the words to old Major's dream five times in succession before Mr. Jones
blasts the side of the barn with a shotgun. Unfortunately for the animals, the
old Major's naivety is not revealed.
The ideal society he proposes is of course
only an ideal-- but the animals don't know this. Perhaps even the old sow
himself is too caught up in emotion to understand the complexities of the
solution he submits. Old Major does know a few things though. He boldly warns
all of them, Your resolution must never falter.
No argument must lead you
astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common
interest....we must not come to resemble him...No animal must ever live in a
house or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or
touch money, or engage in trade. Ironically, Napoleon isn't present to hear the
words of this prophet.
The future only seems optimistic; even old Major seems
content. Little does he know, the foreshadowing of his comments seem almost too
obvious to the mindful reader. Toward the end of the section the animals vote on
whether wild animals, like rats and rabbits, are going to be considered their
friends or foes. They overwhelmingly agree that the rats and rabbits are to be
friends, although Orwell doesn't say why. Chapter 2 (pgs.25-34) The second
chapter is drenched with metaphors— most of which will not come to light until
later in the novel.
The first is old Major's death. This represents the end to
the older regime, the initial revolution. Now someone else will have to step
into authority. Secondly Orwell strangely describes a pig named Squealer. The
name sounds fairly pig-like but his actions don't. Supposedly Squealer has a
special ability to persuade others. Orwell boasts, ...he could turn black into
white.
Obviously a pig like this could be used by the right people (animals).
Next, the author tells us about a peculiar raven named Moses, who is the
especial pet of Mr. Jones. All the animals consider him a spy and hate him; they
say he tells lies about Sugarcandy Mountain and does no work.
Boxer and Clover,
two cart horses, are described as the most faithful disciples of Snowball and
Napoleon. Although they lack the intelligence of the pigs they serve, the horses
can convince other animals to follow the cause using simple arguments. Orwell
uses chapter 2 to really make Mr. Jones into a bad guy, although he admits that
he was at one time a good master.
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