chapter 2 (Animal Farm)

1. What happens to open the chapter? 

Old Major dies and is buried.

2. What is the first hint that Old Major’s doctrine was too idealistic as the animals plan for the Rebellion? What literary device does Orwell use to give that hint? 

The animals carry on planning for the Rebellion without Old Major. Not all animals are capable of participating equally. Orwell employs irony in writing “the work of teaching and organising the others fell naturally upon the pigs, who were generally recognised as being the cleverest of the animals.” Even within this division, two young boars are “preeminent among the pigs.” A hierarchical structure is still in place; all animals are not equal. Even among the best, there are some who are better.

3. Describe in detail Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer. What do they do with Old Major’s teachings? 

Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer are all pigs who assume leadership positions within the animal community. Napoleon is a taciturn, large, and “rather fierce-looking” Berkshire boar who is accustomed to getting his own way. In contrast, Snowball is “quicker in speech and more inventive,” but not held in the same regard. Squealer is small, fat, and nimble with a “shrill voice.” He is a “brilliant talker” who proves very persuasive in his rhetoric. “The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white.” The three of them take Old Major’s teachings and turn them into “a complete system of thought” which they name “Animalism.”

4. Why do the animals hate Moses? Explain the significance of Sugarcandy Mountain, and describe what Moses might represent as an allegorical figure. 

The animals hate Moses, the tame raven, because “he told tales and did no work.” As his name would imply, Moses seems to represent religion in the story, and Sugarcandy Mountain is an allusion to an animal paradise. On Sugarcandy Mountain, a mythical place that lies beyond the clouds where animals go when they die, it is “Sunday seven days a week,” and the animals can eat as much clover, linseed cake, and sugar as they desire.

5. How would you describe Orwell’s point of view and narrative style in telling the story? How do the author’s point of view, style, and tone affect the reader’s attitude toward the different characters and contribute to the reader’s perception of the novel? 

The narrative is written in third person omniscient from the general point of view of the animals, with more limited access to the thoughts of the humans and the pigs. The reader perceives the actions of the humans and the pigs from the point of view of the larger community of animals, providing a stark contrast between what the reader knows to be true and what the animals are aware is happening. On one level, the story acts as a simple fable, telling the story of the animals and teaching the reader a lesson about idealism and corruption. However, the clear and dispassionate style and the point of view belie the author’s ironic tone and suggest deeper themes.

6. What precipitates the Rebellion, and how is it carried out? How would you characterize Orwell’s tone in describing how the Rebellion occurs and the preceding and subsequent actions? 

Mr. Jones, formerly a capable farmer, goes into town and gets so drunk that he doesn’t return until the next day, when he promptly passes out. His hired men are nowhere to be seen, “idle and dishonest” as they are. They went hunting after milking the cows and do not return to feed the animals who become so hungry that they break into the store-shed and begin to feed themselves. When the men appear with whips in their hands to punish the animals for getting into the feed, the animals have had enough of the injustice. The tables soon turn in the animals’ favor when the men are confronted with “this sudden uprising of creatures whom they were used to thrashing and maltreating just as they chose.” Orwell seems to suggest in describing the Rebellion, as well as the preceding and subsequent actions, that the animals’ reaction is a just and necessary response to the cruelty and neglect of Jones and the other humans. The reader is encouraged to view the Rebellion in a positive light. 

7. How is the farmhouse perceived by the animals when they tour the interior, and what might the farmhouse symbolize? What decision do the animals make following the tour? 

The animals look at the interior of the farmhouse “with a kind of awe at the unbelievable luxury.” The house contains feather beds, exotic carpets, artwork, food, and beer. The animals make a “unanimous resolution” that the farmhouse should be preserved as a museum. The farmhouse could be interpreted as a symbol of the excesses of the ruling class, the bourgeoisie. While the animals worked hard with little to show for it, the Joneses drank and slept and lived in luxury on the backs of the animals.

8. What does Mollie do when she is inside the house? How do her actions support our understanding of her character? 

Mollie was already described as having the most trouble understanding the spirit of Animalism and asking “the stupidest questions of all,” such as if they would still have sugar after the Rebellion. Mollie is found in the best bedroom; festooned with one of Mrs. Jones’s ribbons, she is admiring herself in the mirror. Her behavior confirms our understanding that she is shallow and only concerned with material comforts.

9. What is the original name of the farm, and what new name do the animals give it? What does changing the name of the farm signify? 

After the successful Rebellion, the animals change the name of their home from “Manor Farm” to “Animal Farm,” painting the words on the gate. The change not only signifies that the farm now belongs to the animals, but also connotes a class distinction as well; the farm is under the control of the majority, rather than the Joneses, who lived in comparative luxury in the “manor,” the farmhouse.

10. What are the Seven Commandments that make up the “unalterable law by which all the animals on Animal Farm must live for ever after”? 

Snowball, with the help of Squealer, paints commandments on the wall of the barn. They dictate that “whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy” while beings that travel on four or have wings are friends. Animals are forbidden to wear clothes, sleep in a bed, drink alcohol, or kill any other animal. The last says, “All animals are equal.”

11. After the pigs milk the cows, Chapter II concludes with the animals marching down to the hayfield to begin bringing in the crops. When they return, “it was noticed that the milk had disappeared.” What do we infer happened to the milk? What effect do the language used and the placement of this mystery at the end of the chapter have on the reader? 

Napoleon tells the other animals to disregard the milk, literally placing himself between the others and the buckets. He says the harvest is more important, implying that he will sacrifice and deal with the milk for them. Snowball then leads the animals away. While the reader clearly infers the milk was taken by the pigs, the passive construction of the sentence, “it was noticed that the milk had disappeared,” alerts the reader that the animals do not make the same negative inference about their fellow animals. The drama created at the end of the chapter foreshadows the widening inequality between the pigs and the other animals as the novel progresses.

12. To this point in the book, explain the attributes that make Animal Farm a fable, or a story or narrative intended to teach a lesson, especially one in which animal characters are given human attributes. 

At this point, all of the primary characters in Animal Farm are animals. They think, talk, emote, and behave like humans in nearly every way except when they are limited by the configurations of their bodies. (For example, the pigs milk the cows using their trotters and write with some difficulty because they lack thumbs.) In the beginning of the novel, Old Major lays out a clear vision for an ideal society in which animals are free, not used by humans. Mr. Jones appears to mistreat the animals, eliciting empathy from the reader for the animals. At this point, the author appears to be teaching the readers a story about injustice and equality.