Mollie is starting to act improperly and she is not following the rules of
Anumalism. She allows herself to be petted by a neighboring man and accepts
various bribes. After she is reprimanded for behaving so poorly, she rebels
and runs away.
Another animal with whom Napoleon has problems is Snowball. The ancient feud
between them resurfaces when Snowball suggests that a windmill was needed
which could be used for electricity, to automate many farming tasks. He and
Napoleon debate the issue, but instead of allowing the other animals to vote
on this topic, Snowball is chased from the farm. The incident is brushed aside
by pointing out to the rest of the animals that it is in their best interest
that Squealer is gone because he was a traitor.
Ironically, the windmill project is then adopted by Napoleon and various
animals are assigned the job of building it. Soon Squealer is sent in to convince
the animals that Napoleon is acting on their behalf and that Snowball was
a threat to the community.
The animals are now expected to work harder and more hours than ever before.
Being convinced that they are doing this for their own good, they willingly
sacrifice their time. Rations are readjusted to the surprise of all the animals,
but they quietly submit and never complain. When the food supply runs precariously
low, Napoleon
announces that he will be trading with the neighboring farm. The other animals
are taken aback by this because one of the original resolutions of Animalism
was that there would no interaction with humans.
Once again Squealer uses his skill with words and reassures everyone that
there never was such a resolution and that this notion had been started by
Snowball.
Not long thereafter, it is rumored that the pigs have moved into the farmhouse
and are sleeping in beds. This is another violation of one of the original
resolution. When the animals go to where the commandments had been posted,
they are surprised to see that the ordinance have been changed to suit the
new circumstances.
One day, the weather conditions are such that a severe rainstorm and heavy
winds completely destroys the windmill. Everyone is very upset that their
hard work had been to no avail. Napoleon convinces the animals that this was
an act of sabotage on the part of Snowball as he didn't want the community
to succeed. He also convinces everyone that they must rebuild the windmill.
He ends his speech cheering, "Long live the windmill! Long live Animal
Farm!"
Review:
The friction between Snowball and Napoleon comes to a head and Snowball is
banished. Napoleon explains that Snowball was in fact cooperating with Mr.
Jones. He also explains that Snowball in reality never had a medal of honor,
that Snowball was always trying to cover up that he was fighting at the side
of Mr. Jones.
The parallels between Trotsky and Snowball are uncanny. Trotsky too, was
exiled, not from the farm, but to Mexico, where he spoke out against Stalin.
The animals then start building the windmill, and as time passes on the working-time
goes up, whereas the food ration declined. Although the "common"
animals have not enough food, the pigs grow fatter and fatter. They tell the
other animals that they need more food, for they are managing the whole farm.
This represents a clash within the government and baffles the rest of the
animals. They are placated and eventually their grumbling dies down.
Comrade Napoleon represents the human frailties of any revolution. Orwell
believed that although socialism is good as an ideal, it can never be successfully
adopted due to uncontrollable sins of human nature. For example, although
Napoleon seems at first to be a good leader, he is eventually overcome by
greed and soon becomes power-hungry.
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