Plot summary of Animal Farm

The story is set on the Manor Farm, owned and operated by Mr. Jones.

One night the prize pig, Old Major, tells all the other farm animals he has realized that the misery of their daily lives is all due to the tyranny of human beings, and that if they work without the humans their lives will become easy and comfortable.

After Old Major dies, the pigs (led by the two pig Snowball and Napoleon) start teaching his ideas to the other animals. A few months later, Mr. Jones gets drunk and forgets to feed the animals, who become so hungry that they rebel and drive the human beings off the farm. They rename the farm 'Animal Farm' and write the Seven Commandments of Animalism up on the wall of the barn. Jones comes back with a group of armed men and tries to recapture the farm, but the animals, led by Snowball, defeat the men.

Snowball and Napoleon argue constantly over plans for the future of the farm, but never able to agree. Napoleon calls in nine dogs whom he has specially trained and they chase Snowball off the farm. Squealer, the very persuasive pig who relays most of Napoleon's decisions to the other animals, tells them that Snowball was a traitor in league with Jones, and that the windmill was really Napoleon's idea anyway and will go ahead.

The winter is difficult because the animals have little food. Napoleon and Squealer blame Snowball for everything that goes wrong on the farm. Then Napoleon's dogs attack four pigs, who then confess to plotting with Snowball and start a series of confessions of various 'crimes' from other animals.

The windmill is finally completed and to get money to buy the machinery for it, Napoleon decides to sell a pile of timber to Frederick. Frederick and his men then come on to the farm and blow the windmill to pieces with explosives, although the animals manage to drive them off the farm again after a bloody battle. A few days later the pigs find a case of whisky in the farmhouse and get