On the Manor Farm in England, Mr. Jones, drunk as usual, goes to sleep without properly securing the animals.
Mr. Jones's drunkenness symbolizes the Russian Tsar's decadence.
Word had spread among the animals during the day that Old Major, an old and respected prize boar, had a strange dream and wants to speak to them.
As their leader weakens, the privileged citizens see the chance for revolution.
The animals gather in the barn to hear what Old Major has to say: the dogs arrive first; then the pigs, who sit in front of Old Major's speaking platform. Next come the hens, pigeons, sheep, and cows; two cart horses, the enormous Boxer, and the motherly Clover who lets some orphaned ducklings shelter between her legs; Muriel the goat and Benjamin the donkey; Mollie, a white horse showing off the red ribbons in her hair; and finally, the cat. Only Moses, the tame raven, fails to come.
Notice the solidarity and sense of mutual concern among the animals. Yet the seating position of the pigs and dogs hints at the existence of class divisions among the animals, despite their united stance against Mr. Jones.
Old Major addresses the animals, calling them "comrades." He says he won't live much longer, then describes all the hardships the animals face on the Farm—long hours, little food, and death in the slaughterhouse when they've ceased to be useful. He asks: What's the cause of all these problems? He answers his own question: Men, who produce nothing, but take whatever they want from the animals.
Old Major's ideas mirror the main tenets of socialism: equality and freedom from exploitation. Old Major's words are revolutionary: they are the first time the animals understand that they're slaves to men, but don't have to be.
All animals, Old Major concludes, are comrades. Just then, the dogs notice some rats listening to Old Major's speech and leap at them. The rats barely escape. Old Major calls for a vote: are wild animals friends of farm animals or enemies? The animals vote unanimously: friends.
It's ironic that the dogs attack the rats just as Old Major calls all animals comrades. Old Major smooths over the conflict now, but he won't always be around.
Old Major says that whatever goes on four legs or has wings is a friend, that no animal should ever kill another animal, that no animal should ever act like a man, and that the ultimate goal for animals, whether in this lifetime or the future, must be the overthrow of humans. Old Major describes his dream of a future without men, in which the words and melody came to him of a song called "Beasts of England." All the animals learn the words and sing.Old Major dies three nights later, but his message takes hold. The pigs are the smartest of the animals, and over the next three months two pigs in particular emerge as leaders: the lively Snowball and the powerful Napoleon. A third pig, Squealer, gives eloquent speeches that can convince anyone of anything. These three pigs turn Old Major's ideas into a philosophy called Animalism.
Like Karl Marx, Old Major dies before the revolution that his ideas inspired takes place. Like Lenin, his leadership is inherited by two underlings. At this point, the pigs believe in Old Major's ideas completely.
The pigs teach Animalism to the animals, overcoming the worry, apathy, and selfishness of the others. For instance, Mollie worries that after the revolution she won't get any more sugar or be able to wear ribbons in her hair. Snowball tells her she shouldn't want sugar and ribbons, since these are signs of her slavery.
Differences already divide the animals. The pigs understand Animalism, while the less intelligent animals don't. Mollie's ridiculous concerns reflect the middle-class's selfishness materialism.
The pigs also have to contend with Moses the raven, who spreads tales of a wonderful place called Sugarcandy Mountain where animals go when they die. Most of the animals dislike Moses because he never does any work, but many also believe in Sugarcandy Mountain.
The pigs fear belief in the afterlife might make the animals less revolutionary. Moses symbolizes the Russian Orthodox Church, which the Tsars used to control the lower classes.
Boxer and Clover show the most devotion to Animalism. Neither is very smart, but their belief in animal equality never wavers, and they never miss a secret meeting.
Though unsophisticated, Boxer and Clover value the essence of Animalism: equality among animals.
The revolution happens much earlier and more easily than the animals expect. In June, on Midsummer's Eve, Mr. Jones gets so drunk in town that he forgets to feed the animals, and his lazy workers ditch their farm work to go hunting. The hungry animals break into the feed shed, which wakes up the sleeping Mr. Jones. He and his men start whipping the animals, who grow furious and attack, driving the men and Mr. Jones from the farm. Moses the raven flies after them.
Like the Russian Revolution, the animals' revolution results from their rage at what they perceive, correctly, as mistreatment. Later on, when the pigs seize power, they take special care to make sure that the animals don't perceive their mistreatment.
The joyful animals destroy Mr. Jones's whips, reins, and halters. They sing "Beasts of England," treat themselves to double rations, and go to sleep happy. The next morning the animals run around the farm surveying their territory. They break down the farmhouse door, tour it, and decide it should be preserved as a museum. Finally, the pigs, who had secretly taught themselves to read and write in the previous three months, repaint the sign at the gate of the farm to read: Animal Farm.
The animals work hard but happily at the harvest. The pigs, the smartest animals, soon start directing the other animals' work. The pigs' cleverness and Boxer's immense strength and work ethic help solve all the problems the animals encounter in their work. Boxer even adopts the motto "I will work harder" in response to every problem. The harvest is the biggest the farm has ever seen.
The early days are idyllic. Animalism results in a successful harvest and happy animals. Yet already signs of class difference between the pigs and other animals have arisen based on their intellectual differences.
Everyone pitches in, each according to his or her own abilities. The animals have more food and leisure, and they enjoy being their own masters. Though Mollie does tend to disappear when there's work to be done, and Benjamin the donkey remains cynical, refusing to voice an opinion about the revolution.
Though most animals are happy, Mollie, the symbol of the materialistic middle class, isn't thrilled with the revolution. Benjamin, a skeptic, refuses to believe the good times will last.
On Sundays the animals don't work. Instead, they raise and salute their flag (a hoof and horn on a field of green) and hold a meeting to plan the next week. At the meeting, everyone is allowed to put forward resolutions and vote, but only the pigs ever come up with resolutions. Snowball and Napoleon are the most active debaters, but they almost never agree.
The meetings show Animalist equality, but the non-pigs don't use their equal rights. Instead, they let the pigs dominate. So it's not just that the pigs seize power, it's that the other animals let them.
Snowball soon starts setting up committees such as the Whiter Wool Committee to improve life on the farm. But only the reading and writing classes generate any interest. Soon Muriel and Benjamin can read as well as the pigs and dogs.
Snowball's committees show his commitment to Animalism, but also his political naiveté. Trotsky set up similar committees in the Soviet Union.
The sheep can't read or memorize the Seven Commandments. To help them, Snowball summarizes all of Animalism with the single phrase "Four legs good, two legs bad." Soon the sheep start bleating this phrase whenever they feel like it.
Snowball's slogan creates a breakdown in language—four legs are good and two legs are bad only if four legs follow Animalism and two legs don't.
Napoleon sees little value in Snowball's committees, but he says he believes in the importance of educating the young. When two dogs give birth, Napoleon trains their nine puppies in a secret place.