1 Animal Farm: themes; HL

ANIMAL FARM: THEMATIC ANALYSIS

CHAPTERS 1–3_______________________________________

THEME 1: HIERACHY AND SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

Very early on in the novella*, the reader establishes that there is an inherent hierarchy among the
farm animals. Unwittingly, they occupy certain positions around Old Major, which indicates the
animals’ natural (inborn, inherent) tendency to social stratification. Observe the way the farm
animals gather around Old Major when he is giving his speech.

Who seems to be more important than the others; why? Write down the animals from the most to
the least important, depending on where they sit.
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What can we establish about the relationship among the animals from the passage below?
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At one end of the big barn, on a sort of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of
straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather
stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the
fact that his tushes had never been cut. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make
themselves comfortable after their different fashions. First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and
Pincher, and then the pigs, who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform. The
hens perched themselves on the window-sills, the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters, the sheep and
cows lay down behind the pigs and began to chew the cud. The two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover,
came in together, walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs with great care lest
there should be some small animal concealed in the straw. Clover was a stout motherly mare
approaching middle life, who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal. Boxer was an
enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together.
A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first-
rate intelligence, but he was universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous
powers of work. After the horses came Muriel, the white goat, and Benjamin, the donkey. Benjamin
was the oldest animal on the farm, and the worst tempered. He seldom talked, and when he did, it
was usually to make some cynical remark — for instance, he would say that God had given him a tail
to keep the flies off, but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies. Alone among the animals
on the farm he never laughed. If asked why, he would say that he saw nothing to laugh at.
Nevertheless, without openly admitting it, he was devoted to Boxer; the two of them usually spent
their Sundays together in the small paddock beyond the orchard, grazing side by side and never
speaking. (Chapter 1)

*Note that Animal Farm has been classified by different literary critics as a short novel, an allegorical novel, a novella and
even a political fable. Indeed, due to its relative brevity, limited number of (animal) characters, one central event but an
extended temporal frame and direct socio-political references, Animal Farm defies any clear-cut genre classification. For the
purpose of our lessons, however, we will use the term novella, since the work features many characteristics of this genre: it
focuses on one central event and its consequences (animal revolution) and has a limited number of flat characters that
undergo virtually no development who represent classes of people rather than individuals.
2 Animal Farm: themes; HL

OLD MAJOR Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are
miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath
in our bodies, and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our
strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with
hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year
old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.
(Chapter 1)

SNOWBALL ‘A bird’s wing, comrades,’ he said, ‘is an organ of propulsion and not of manipulation. It
should therefore be regarded as a leg. The distinguishing mark of man is the hand, the instrument
with which he does all his mischief.’ (Chapter 3)

SQUEALER ‘Comrades!’ he cried. ‘You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of
selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole
object in taking these things is to preserve our health. /…/ It is for your sake that we drink that milk
and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would
come back! Yes, Jones would come back! (Chapter 3)

THEME 3: TERROR/VIOLENCE AND REBELLION

1. The idea of the rebellion and the actual act of the animals revolting against their human masters is
fuelled by Jones’s mismanagement of the farm and his men’s maltreatment of the animals. Read the
passage below and establish how the rebellion comes about. What is the role of violence in this
passage?

The next moment he and his four men were in the store-shed with whips* in their hands, lashing out
in all directions. This was more than the hungry animals could bear. With one accord, though nothing
of the kind had been planned beforehand, they flung themselves upon their tormentors. Jones and
his men suddenly found themselves being butted and kicked from all sides. (Chapter 2)

*Pay attention to the motif of a whip which recurs throughout the novella, most notably in Chapter 10. The motif of a whip
becomes a symbol of oppression.

THEME 4: THE ROLE OF EDUCATION

In Chapter 2, the reader establishes that the pigs have taught themselves to read and write:

The pigs now revealed that during the past three months they had taught themselves to read and
write from an old spelling book which had belonged to Mr. Jones’s children and which had been
thrown on the rubbish heap.

How does the pigs’ secrecy tie in with the idea of equality? How may this foreshadow the future
events in the novella?

In the spirit of the revolution, Snowball starts organising a number of Committees, the aim of which
is to make the work on Animal Farm more efficient. While most of these projects prove futile, the
reading and writing classes are successful, with most of the animals attaining some degree of literacy.
Answer the questions based on Chapter 3:
3 Animal Farm: themes; HL

 which animals prove to be the quickest/slowest students and why;

 why are the Seven Commandments reduced to a single maxim; who learns it by heart;

 why does Napoleon take the nine new-born puppies into seclusion?
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In the novella, this will not be the only time Napoleon makes himself responsible for a number of
new-born animals. This motif will be used again and will underline the idea of education
(brainwashing) and, furthermore, segregation.

THEME 5: THE ROLE OF RELIGION

In Chapter 2, the reader learns that that Moses, the raven, spreads the notion of Sugarcandy
Mountain. Based on the passage below, answer the questions.

What is the role of Sugarcandy Mountain in the animals’ lives? Why do the pigs consider the raven’s
idea as counter-revolutionary?
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The pigs had an even harder struggle to counteract the lies put about by Moses, the tame raven.
Moses, who was Mr. Jones’s especial pet, was a spy and a tale-bearer, but he was also a clever talker.
He claimed to know of the existence of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain, to which
all animals went when they died. It was situated somewhere up in the sky, a little distance beyond the
clouds, Moses said. In Sugarcandy Mountain it was Sunday seven days a week, clover was in season
all the year round, and lump sugar and linseed cake grew on the hedges. The animals hated Moses
because he told tales and did no work, but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain, and the
pigs had to argue very hard to persuade them that there was no such place. (Chapter 2)

How does the pigs’ attitude to Sugarcandy Mountain compare to Karl Marx’s (1818–1883) famous
quote on religion below?

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Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against
real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the
soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.

CHAPTERS 5–6_____________________________________

THEME 1: DISINTEGRATION OF DEMOCRACY

The novella explores the dichotomy of two opposing types of government: democracy vs.
dictatorship. In Chapter 5, the reader learns how the group of animals, after celebrating their victory
over man, start to form a functional society where, however, the pigs start to assume power on
account of their natural intelligence:
4 Animal Farm: themes; HL

It had come to be accepted that the pigs, who were manifestly cleverer than the other animals,
should decide all questions of farm policy, though their decisions had to be ratified by a majority vote.
(Chapter 5)

What kind of ‘government’ does Animal Farm represent before Napoleon’s seizure of power? Is
democracy even possible?
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Indeed, Snowball represents the benevolent leader who believes in the greater good of the entire
society, yet there are hints that he too might not follow the Seven Commandments as faithfully as
one would expect. Why? What do you learn from the passage below?
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Snowball did not deny that to build it would be a difficult business. Stone would have to be carried
and built up into walls, then the sails would have to be made and after that there would be need for
dynamos and cables. (How these were to be procured, Snowball did not say.) (Chapter 5)

THEME 2: SNOWBALL vs. NAPOLEON

The growing antagonism between Snowball and Napoleon is best exemplified in the passages below.
What kind of leaders do they represent? What are the strengths of each? What does the passage tell
you about the society on Animal Farm?

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These two disagreed at every point where disagreement was possible. /…/ Each had his own
following, and there were some violent debates. At the Meetings Snowball often won over the
majority by his brilliant speeches, but Napoleon was better at canvassing support for himself in
between times. He was especially successful with the sheep. /…/ He [Snowball] talked learnedly about
field drains, silage, and basic slag, and had worked out a complicated scheme for all the animals to
drop their dung directly in the fields, at a different spot every day, to save the labour of cartage.
Napoleon produced no schemes of his own, but said quietly that Snowball's would come to nothing,
and seemed to be biding his time. (Chapter 5)

At one point, Napoleon even urinates on Snowball’s intricate windmill plans. What may this suggest?
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Napoleon’s seizure of power, dictatorship

In a coup*, Napoleon seizes power with the help of nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded
collars. Having driven Snowball off the farm, Napoleon introduces a new form of government. How
does Napoleon’s government differ from the one the animals had before? Was the previous system
really democratic?
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Napoleon, with the dogs following him, now mounted on to the raised portion of the floor where
Major had previously stood to deliver his speech. He announced that from now on the Sunday-
morning Meetings would come to an end. /…/In future all questions relating to the working of the
5 Animal Farm: themes; HL

farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided over by himself. These would meet in
private and afterwards communicate their decisions to the others. The animals would still assemble
on Sunday mornings to salute the flag, sing Beasts of England, and receive their orders for the week;
but there would be no more debates. (Chapter 5)

Napoleon’s dictatorship heavily relies on the elements below. What’s their function in maintaining
his rule?

element function
dogs

Squealer

sheep

THEME 3: REWRITING HISTORY

Soon after becoming the new leader, Napoleon starts to rewrite history, beginning by changing
Snowball’s role in the course of historical events. How is Snowball’s role changed?
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[Squealer] Suppose you had decided to follow Snowball, with his moonshine of windmills — Snowball,
who, as we now know, was no better than a criminal?’ (Chapter 5)

Also, for example, Old Major demanded that animals have no dealings with humans, yet after
Napoleon’s decision to start trading with human neighbours, no one is quite certain such demands
were really made:
[Squealer] ‘Are you certain that this is not something that you have dreamed, comrades? Have you
any record of such a resolution? Is it written down anywhere?’ And since it was certainly true that
nothing of the kind existed in writing, the animals were satisfied that they had been mistaken.
(Chapter 5)

What may be implied with the pigs changing their common history and what does the author suggest
about the way human memory works?
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What evidence is there in the novella that pigs start to change official documents, as well, to modify
the past to suit their own needs?
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* from Wikipedia: A coup d'état, also known simply as a coup (pronunciation /ˌkuː/), putsch or an overthrow, is the illegal
and overt seizure of a state by the military or other elites within the state apparatus.

THEME 4: SNOWBALL THE SCAPEGOAT

Very quickly, it becomes apparent that Napoleon starts strategically to change Snowball’s image who
becomes a scapegoat for any possible thing going wrong on Animal Farm:
6 Animal Farm: themes; HL

‘Comrades,’ he said quietly, ‘do you know who is responsible for this? Do you know the enemy who
has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!’ he suddenly roared in a voice of
thunder. ‘Snowball has done this thing! In sheer malignity, thinking to set back our plans and avenge
himself for his ignominious expulsion, this traitor has crept here under cover of night and destroyed
our work of nearly a year. Comrades, here and now I pronounce the death sentence upon Snowball.
‘Animal Hero, Second Class,’ and half a bushel of apples to any animal who brings him to justice. A full
bushel to anyone who captures him alive!’ The animals were shocked beyond measure to learn that
even Snowball could be guilty of such an action. (Chapter 6)

Underline the sentence that signals that the animals have already been convinced of Snowball’s
wrongdoings.

THEME 5: STUPIDITY OF COMMON PEOPLE

As is the case with many other animal characters, Boxer stands for an entire category of people – the
ordinary and uneducated lot who can be easily manipulated. It is no coincidence then that Orwell
gives Boxer ‘a stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence’ (Chapter 1). Loyal,
obedient and highly disciplined, Boxer adopts two maxims he lives by: ‘Napoleon is always right’ and
‘I will work harder’. Never doubting Napoleon’s words, his faith in his leader is unwavering. Also, pay
attention to the frequent references to animals’ intelligence, e.g. in learning the alphabet, in (not)
remembering the past or in taking Squealer’s words at face value. What message was the author
trying to convey?
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If Boxer represents the ignorant working class, who does Mollie, with her affinity for sugar and
ribbons, represent?
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THEME 6: CONFLUENCE OF THE HUMAN AND THE ANIMAL WORLD

Even though the goal of Animalism was an egalitarian, human-free society of animals, the pigs realise
that the farm cannot be self-sufficient with their ever-growing needs. In Chapter 6, the two worlds –
that of the animals and that of humans – start merging:

There was need of paraffin oil, nails, string, dog biscuits, and iron for the horses’ shoes, none of which
could be produced on the farm. Later there would also be need for seeds and artificial manures,
besides various tools and, finally, the machinery for the windmill. /…/ One Sunday morning, when the
animals assembled to receive their orders, Napoleon announced that he had decided upon a new
policy. From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with the neighbouring farms: not, of
course, for any commercial purpose, but simply in order to obtain certain materials which were
urgently necessary. (Chapter 6)

How, when and where was Napoleon’s decision to commence trade with people made? Have the
pigs used a similar method in decision-making before?

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7 Animal Farm: themes; HL

As mentioned above, already Snowball must have predicted the inevitability of trading with humans
and, consequently, contemplated betraying the original postulates of Animalism. But for his
banishment, would Snowball have become a much different leader than Napoleon?
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THE MOTIF OF A WINDMILL

In the novella, the windmill is a recurring motif, taking on a number of symbolic meanings. In your
opinion, what could the windmill stand for before and after its destruction in the eyes of the pigs and
in the eyes of the remaining farm animals?

CHAPTERS 7–8_______________________________________

THEME 1: ELIMINATION OF THE ENEMY

So far in the novella, violence has been used primarily as a tool of rebellion against man, but in
Chapters 7–10, violence becomes a daily occurrence in the lives of the farm animals with the pigs
resorting to terror to control the animals and to keep them docile. When, for example, the hens are
ordered to give up their eggs in commercial trade with humans, they rebel. On the basis of the below
passage, how do the pigs treat the animals? What goals do the pigs pursue?
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He [Napoleon] ordered the hens’ rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animal giving so much
as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death. /…/ For five days the hens held out, then they
capitulated and went back to their nesting boxes. Nine hens had died in the meantime. Their bodies
were buried in the orchard, and it was given out that they had died of coccidiosis. Whymper heard
nothing of this affair, and the eggs were duly delivered, a grocer's van driving up to the farm once a
week to take them away. (Chapter 7)

In Chapter 7, the bloodiest and certainly the most bizarre scene in the novella takes place.
Napoleon’s army of dogs starts carrying out purges, the aim of which is to eliminate the ruler’s
enemy. Read the passage below and answer the questions.

When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their [four young pigs’] throats out,
and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess. The
three hens who had been the ringleaders in the attempted rebellion over the eggs now came forward
and stated that Snowball had appeared to them in a dream and incited them to disobey Napoleon’s
orders. They, too, were slaughtered. Then a goose came forward and confessed to having secreted six
ears of corn during the last year’s harvest and eaten them in the night. Then a sheep confessed to
having urinated in the drinking pool — urged to do this, so she said, by Snowball /…/ They were all
slain on the spot. And so the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of
8 Animal Farm: themes; HL

corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been
unknown there since the expulsion of Jones. /…/ In the old days there had often been scenes of
bloodshed equally terrible, but it seemed to all of them that it was far worse now that it was
happening among themselves. Since Jones had left the farm, until today, no animal had killed another
animal. Not even a rat had been killed. (Chapter 7)

NOTE: Since Animal Farm is an allegorical novella, you may want to read up on the Russian Revolution taking place in 1917
and find parallels with the novella.

Why do the animals admit to the ‘crimes’ they did not commit? What is the function of these mass
executions? Look at the underlined sentence; what does it suggest?
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Soon after the executions, ‘Beasts of England’ is banned with Squealer’s explanation: “The enemy
both external and internal has been defeated.” (Chapter 7) What is meant by ‘the internal enemy’
and why is Napoleon so willing to get rid of it?
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What does the unsuccessful trade between the animals and humans tell you about the way humans
observe (accept) Animal Farm? Why do Frederick’s men destroy the windmill; how could this be
understood symbolically?
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THEME 2: PROPAGANDA AND MANIPULATION OF THE MASSES

Orwell’s fascination with the way masses of people may be manipulated by the select few is
addressed in Animal Farm and thoroughly explored in Nineteen Eighty-Four. In the novella,
Napoleon’s political propaganda draws heavily on the following elements: rewriting the past,
creating the cult of a leader, identifying the scapegoat.

Rewriting history

Squealer continues to rewrite the history of Animal Farm even though the farm animals themselves
participated in the events:

Now when Squealer described the scene so graphically, it seemed to the animals that they did
remember it. At any rate, they remembered that at the critical moment of the battle Snowball had
turned to flee. (Chapter 7)

Why is Squealer’s propaganda so successful? How do Napoleon’s and Snowball’s roles change in the
pigs’ version of common history?
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The pigs’ impertinence in shown in altering not only historical facts but also recent events. Thus, for
example, when the windmill is destroyed by Frederick’s men, again Squealer uses his eloquence to
influence the animals’ understanding of the situation. On the basis of the passage below, how is the
animals’ perception of the event manipulated? Which elements enhance Squealer’s persuasive
rhetoric? (Here, it seems, the author hints at a paradoxical existence of two ‘realities’: one real and
one fabricated but politically desirable.)
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9 Animal Farm: themes; HL

‘What matter? We will build another windmill. We will build six windmills if we feel like it. /…/ The
enemy was in occupation of this very ground that we stand upon. And now — thanks to the
leadership of Comrade Napoleon — we have won every inch of it back again!’ /…/ But when the
animals saw the green flag flying, and heard the gun firing again — seven times it was fired in all —
and heard the speech that Napoleon made, congratulating them on their conduct, it did seem to them
after all that they had won a great victory. (Chapter 8)

Creating the cult of a leader

Napoleon’s behaviour is increasingly superior and aloof, which ties in with his status of a dictator.
Think about the following:

 Where are his living quarters?

 How is he addressed when directly spoken to? How is he addressed when referred to in his
absence?
 Where can one find his portrait?
Which animal, apart from the dogs, is he always accompanied by?
Note that Napoleon attaints almost a god-like status. Can you think of any real-life examples of
political leaders gaining such a status?
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What does the simile in Minimus’s poem refer to?
“I gaze at thy calm and commanding eye, like the sun in the sky?”
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Identifying the scapegoat

With Napoleon’s changing public image, Snowball’s function of a scapegoat grows, as well. From
Chapters 7 and 8, write down some mischiefs/wrongdoings that are attributed to Snowball. How do
the farm animals accept Snowball’s new role?
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THEME 3: DANGERS OF THE WORKING CLASS

Together with Boxer as the prototypical representative of the gullible working class, the animals
seem to be easily manipulated. How would you explain Boxer’s reaction to the purges based on the
quote below?
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‘I do not understand it. I would not have believed that such things could happen on our farm. It must
be due to some fault in ourselves. The solution, as I see it, is to work harder. From now onwards I shall
get up a full hour earlier in the mornings.’ (Chapter 7)

Often, Squealer gives public talks on the ever-improving situation on Animal Farm, citing numbers and
percentages. What does the narrator suggest with the following in terms of the animals’ capacity to
remember? Can you think of any real-life examples where numbers and percentages are given to
convince us of anything? The animals saw no reason to disbelieve him, especially as they could no
longer remember very clearly what conditions had been like before the Rebellion. (Chapter 8)
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After the purges, Clover does not say anything, but the narrator provides an insight into her
thoughts. Read the passage below. What does the author imply?
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10 Animal Farm: themes; HL

If she could have spoken her thoughts, it would have been to say that this was not what they had
aimed at when they had set themselves years ago to work for the overthrow of the human race.
These scenes of terror and slaughter were not what they had looked forward to on that night when
old Major first stirred them to rebellion. // Such were her thoughts, though she lacked the words to
express them. (Chapter 7)

Bearing the above passages in mind, where lies the danger of the working class, as implied by the
author? Here, you may also refer to the theme ‘Stupidity of common people’.
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CHAPTERS 9–10______________________________________

THEME 1: SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

Chapters 9–10 are built on the increasing contrast between the farm animals and the pigs. By
juxtaposing the description of the lives of both classes, the author underlines how drastically the
animals have deviated from the initial ideas of Animalism. In the below table, write down what life is
like for the pigs and for the remaining farm animals now.

pigs other farm animals

… the pigs seemed comfortable enough, and in Meanwhile life was hard.
fact were putting in weight if anything …

Further, Napoleon fathers 31 piglets who he educated himself and “[they] took their exercise in the
garden, and were discouraged from playing with the other young animals. About this time, too, it
was laid down as a rule that when a pig and any other animal met on the path, the other animal must
stand aside.” What does this quote tell you in terms of social stratification/segregation? Can you list
any other examples of segregation in the novella?
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THEME 2: RELIGION AND STATE PROCESSIONS

Even though Moses was banished, he returns to Animal Farm. This time, in fact, he is even paid for his
presence. Read the passage and answer the questions below.
‘Up there, comrades,’ he would say solemnly, pointing to the sky with his large beak — ‘up there, just
on the other side of that dark cloud that you can see — there it lies, Sugarcandy Mountain, that
happy country where we poor animals shall rest for ever from our labours!’ He even claimed to have
been there on one of his higher flights, and to have seen the everlasting fields of clover and the
linseed cake and lump sugar growing on the hedges. Many of the animals believed him. Their lives
now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious; was it not right and just that a better world should
exist somewhere else? A thing that was difficult to determine was the attitude of the pigs towards
Moses. They all declared contemptuously that his stories about Sugarcandy Mountain were lies, and
yet they allowed him to remain on the farm, not working, with an allowance of a gill of beer a day.
(Chapter 9)
Explain why the animals need Moses and why the pigs now tolerate his presence? What has
changed?
11 Animal Farm: themes; HL

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In what way is the function of the numerous processions on Animal Farm the same as that of Moses?
Read the passage below.

But if there were hardships to be borne, they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a
greater dignity than it had had before. There were more songs, more speeches, more processions. //
So that, what with the songs, the processions, Squealer’s lists of figures, the thunder of the gun, the
crowing of the cockerel, and the fluttering of the flag, they were able to forget that their bellies were
empty, at least part of the time. (Chapter 9)

THEME 3: BUREAUCRACY AND TOTALITARIAN POLITICAL REGIMES

With Animal Farm prospering, the pigs introduce extensive bureaucracy. While the narrator stays
neutral through most of the novella, here his attitude seems to be apparent. Underline the words in
the passage below that signal the narrator’s (and possibly the author’s) attitude to bureaucracy. Is it
positive or negative?

There was /…/ endless work in the supervision and organisation of the farm. Much of this work was of
a kind that the other animals were too ignorant to understand. For example, Squealer told them that
the pigs had to expend enormous labours every day upon mysterious things called ‘files,’ ‘reports,’
‘minutes,’ and ‘memoranda.’ These were large sheets of paper which had to be closely covered with
writing, and as soon as they were so covered, they were burnt in the furnace. This was of the highest
importance for the welfare of the farm, Squealer said. But still, neither pigs nor dogs produced any
food by their own labour; and there were very many of them, and their appetites were always good.
(Chapter 10)

What kind of political regime is referred to in the lines below? _____________________________

This farm which he had the honour to control, he added, was a co-operative enterprise. The title-
deeds, which were in his own possession, were owned by the pigs jointly. (Chapter 10)

However, the pigs’ final act of asserting their dominance and superiority over the other farm animals
is their decision to walk on their hind legs.

It was a pig walking on his hind legs. Yes, it was Squealer. /…/ And finally there was a tremendous
baying of dogs and a shrill crowing from the black cockerel, and out came Napoleon himself,
majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side to side, and with his dogs gambolling round
him. He carried a whip in his trotter. There was a deadly silence. Amazed, terrified, huddling together,
the animals watched the long line of pigs march slowly round the yard. It was as though the world
had turned upside-down. (Chapter 10)

How does this act separate the pigs from the rest of the animals, underlining the idea of separate
social strata? Which other element signals Napoleon’s aspiration to become equal to humans, just
like Mr. Jones?
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Even though the human neighbours come as friends and meet the pigs on terms of equality, it
transpires that the two parties do not trust each other. Which incident underlines this message?
What do you think the author was trying to say?
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12 Animal Farm: themes; HL