Feb 22, 2025
A dystopian classic, George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ was a story that hit close to home, and feels relevant even today for some parts of the world. The rise of a ‘new regime’ and its eventual degradation into who they overthrew was the crux of the story and is read even today.
Rupa
Here we explain the plot and storyline in 10 sentences.
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The story starts with the animals of Manor Farm tired of being mistreated and overworked by their owner, Mr. Jones, and so they are inspired by the dreams of Old Major where he sees an equal society, and the pigs unite to overthrow the humans.
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With the humans gone, the pigs take control of the farm, especially Snowball and Napoleon, and start living with the ‘Seven Commandments of Animalism’, and different animals have different responsibilities, be it education to training, and everything is taken care of.
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After a few jolly days, Snowball becomes a visionary leader, who wishes for advancements like the windmill, but Napoleon prefers control over progress, and trains a group of attack dogs to charge on Snowball and seize all power.
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With Snowball gone, Napoleon declares himself the sole leader, cancels all meetings, and begins ruling through fear, with his trained dogs that help silence the opposition, and Squealer, his propaganda pig.
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Soon, Napoleon starts changing the original ideals of Animalism to justify his actions, and soon the Pigs start behaving like the humans they chased off - from sleeping in beds to drinking whisky.
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Although Napoleon first opposes Snowball’s idea for the windmill, he later claims it as his own, forcing the animals into backbreaking labour, and when it is destroyed, he blames Snowball, using him as a scapegoat to maintain control.
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Boxer, one of the most loyal and hardworking horses, eventually became too weak to work and then lost his life under the windmill, but another shocker came when Napoleon sold him off to a glue factory.
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As time passes, some of the pigs continue to adopt human behaviour by wearing clothes, drinking alcohol, walking on two legs, and enjoying the luxuries of life, while the rest of the animals live in poverty and hunger.
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In the last scene, the animals watch from outside the farmhouse as the pigs host a feast with human farmers, laughing, drinking, and playing cards together, proving that the revolution has come full circle.
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And the story ends with the message that ‘All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than the others’.
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Thanks For Reading!
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