Chapter-Wise Summary of Animal Farm | Long Summary

The novel, Animal Farm comprises ten chapters. Here is a chapter-wise summary of Animal Farm explained briefly. You can check a quick plot overview of Animal Farm here.

Summary of Chapter 1:

The owner of the Manor Farm, Mr. Jones falls asleep after consuming alcohol as he is an alcoholic and ruthless person. At the request of a 12-year-old pig: Old Major, all Manor Farm’s animals gather in the huge barn. Major gives a stirring political speech that how innocent animals are being exploited and used by tyrant men like Jones and motivate them to unite and revolt against men’s tyranny. Major recalls a recent dream in which he witnessed a vision of the earth without humans after expanding on the different ways that man has exploited and damaged the animals. He also teaches them a song of freedom “Beasts of England”, and asks them to keep it singing until revolution has occurred. They start singing and sing repeatedly until Jones awakes and fires a shot from his gun suspecting a fox in the barn. The animals scatter and go to sleep after being hearing the shot of gun by Mr. Jones.

Summary of Chapter 2:

Old Major dies soon after the deliverance of speech. The animals quietly spend their days thinking of the best approaches that will make them winners in this revolution. Though they are unsure when it will happen, they are working to make this plan successful. Because of brilliance, pigs are given the task of educating the animals about Animalism, the concept espoused by Major. Snowball and Napoleon are the most influential pigs in the revolution. Despite Mollie’s hatred of ribbons and Moses’ stories about a place called Sugar-candy Mountain, the pigs successfully teach others about Animalism.

When Jones falls into another drunken slumber and forgets to feed the animals, they break into the store-shed in search of food. Jones and his men come and begin beating the animals, but they are attacked and chased off the farm soon after. The victorious animals then destroy all belongings of Jones, feast profusely, and bask in their newfound freedom. Following a tour of Jones’ home, they decide to keep it as a museum. Snowball paints the Seven Commandments of Animalism on the wall of barn and changes the sign from “Manor Farm” to “Animal Farm.” The cows then offer Napoleon five buckets of milk, which he takes.

Summary of Chapter 3:

Despite the problems that come with using farming gears made for human beings, the animals work together to complete the harvest. Moreover, they complete it in less time than Jones and his men did. Boxer stands out as a tough, hardworking worker who is well-liked by all the animals. The pigs take over as the animal laborers’ bosses and directors. The animals gather in the big barn on Sundays to hear Snowball and Napoleon argue various themes on which they never seem to agree.

Snowball creates a slew of Animal Committees, all of which fail miserably. He is, however, influential in instilling reading in the animals, who learn to read based on their various intelligence. In addition, Snowball simplifies the Seven Commandments into a single statement to assist the animals in understanding Animalism’s main principles: “Four legs good, two legs terrible.” Meanwhile, Napoleon focuses his efforts on youth education, taking Jessie and Bluebell’s baby pups away from their moms, presumably for educational purposes. The animals discover a new practice that wind-fallen apples and buckets of cow’s milk are put into the pigs’ mash on a daily basis. On the objection of animals, cunning Squealer justifies that the pigs require apples and milk to survive while working for the good of all the other animals.

Summary of Chapter 4:

Jones spends most of his time in a tavern, whining about his woes to two adjacent farmers: Pilkington and Frederick, as news of the rebellion travels to other farms (via pigeons released by Snowball and Napoleon). Finally, Jones and a gang of men come to Animal Farm in October and attempt to grab control. Unfortunately, snowball proves to be a brilliant tactician, driving Jones and his soldiers away with the help of the other animals. In what they refer to as “The Battle of the Cowshed,” the animals then celebrate their triumph.

Summary of Chapter 5:

Mollie’s workload decreases as winter arrives. Clover ultimately discovers that one of Pilkington’s men is bribing Mollie to leave Animal Farm, and he gradually wins her trust. Mollie vanishes, and the pigeons report seeing her standing outside a pub, wearing one of the desired ribbons. The pigs gain more power on the farm by formulating all policy decisions and then presenting them to the animals, who must ratify them by a majority vote. Snowball and Napoleon continue to argue, most heated of which is over constructing a windmill on a knoll. Snowball supports the windmill, believing that it would eventually become a labor-saving technology; Napoleon opposes it, claiming that erecting the windmill will divert time and effort away from the more vital duty of providing food. They also differ about whether they should collect a gun arsenal or send out more pigeons to nearby farms to disseminate the word of the uprising (as Snowball considers).

Finally, on the Sunday before the vote on the windmill plan, Napoleon summons nine vicious hounds, who chase Snowball off the land. Napoleon then declares an end to all disputes and establishes a slew of new laws for the farm. Three weeks after Snowball’s escape, Napoleon shocks everyone by announcing the construction of the windmill. He sends Squealer to the animals to explain that the windmill was Napoleon’s idea all along and that Snowball stole the ideas from him.

Summary of Chapter 6:

The animal labor works much harder the following year than they did before. Boxer displays himself to be an example of physical power and perseverance as he constructs the windmill. Napoleon appoints Mr. Whymper, to act as his agent and declares that Animal Farm would begin trading with adjacent farms. Other people gather in taverns to discuss their theories about the windmill collapsing and Animal Farm going bankrupt. Jones abandons his quest to reclaim his land and moves to a different region of the county. The pigs move into the farmhouse and begin sleeping in beds, which Squealer justifies by claiming that the pigs require repose after the daily stress of running the farm.

Half-finished windmill toppled down by a strong wind-storm that November. Napoleon informs the animals that Snowball is to blame for their demise, and he offers a reward to any animal that can kill or bring Snowball back alive. Napoleon then announces that they will rebuild the fallen windmill the following day.

Summary of Chapter 7:

The animals struggle against malnutrition while the human world observes the failure Animal Farm. Napoleon uses Mr. Whymper to disseminate the word about Animal Farm’s sufficiency to the adjacent farms. After learning that they must forfeit their eggs, the chickens mount a demonstration, which only stops when they can no longer exist without the supplies that Napoleon had denied them. The protest results in the death of nine hens. The animals are lead to believe that Snowball is visiting farm at night and subverts their labor. He becomes a continual (and imagined) threat to the animals’ safety. Squealer eventually informs them that Snowball has sold himself to Frederick and has been in cahoots with Jones from the start.

Napoleon summons all the animals to a conference in the spring. He compels confessions from all those who have questioned him and then has killed them by the furious hounds. They also accused snowball of instigating several crimes, which several animals admit. The singing of “Beasts of England” is eventually forbidden, and a new song written by Minimus, Napoleon’s pig-poet, is adopted, albeit the animals do not find it as necessary as their former anthem.

Summary of Chapter 8:

Despite Squealer’s lists of numbers indicating that food production has increased considerably under Napoleon’s control, the following year brings more work on the windmill and less food for the workers. As Napoleon’s power develops, he appears less frequently in public. A poem by Minimus enumerates his merits and virtues, expressing the broad consensus on him. While Napoleon plots to sell a pile of timber to Frederick, who is alternately supposed to be a sadistic animal torturer and the unfounded slander victim, further executions occur. Napoleon sells the pile of timber to Frederick once the new windmill is finished in August, and Frederick tries to pay with a check. Napoleon, on the other hand, wants money, which he receives. When Whymper discovers that Frederick’s bills are fakes, Napoleon sentences the disloyal human to death.

Frederick and 14 men come to Animal Farm the following day and attempt to capture it by force. Although the humans are initially successful, the animals become agitated and drive the men from the farm after blowing up the windmill. Squealer reveals to the bleeding animals that, contrary to popular belief, they were victorious in what will be known as “The Battle of the windmill.”

The pigs uncover a case of whisky in Jones’ cellar a few days later. After drinking too much of it, Napoleon feels he is dying and declares that consuming alcohol is punishable by death. But, on the other hand, Napoleon feels well two days later and directs that the little paddock (which was supposed to be used as a retirement home for aged animals) be plowed and planted with barley. Muriel rereads the Seven Commandments at the end of the chapter and notices for the first time that the Fifth Commandment now says, “No animal shall drink excessively.”

Summary of Chapter 9:

Following their seeming victory over Frederick, the animals commence construction on a new windmill. Despite his split hoof, Boxer leads their efforts once more, insisting on working harder and starting the windmill before retiring. Food supplies are dwindling, but Squealer points out that they have more food and a better life than they have ever had. The four sows give birth to 31 piglets, and Napoleon, their father, orders to build a schoolroom for their education. Meanwhile, the animals’ feeds are being cut day by day, although the pigs continue to gain weight. Finally, the Republic of Animal Farm is established, and Napoleon is elected as a President of the Republic of Animal Farm.

Boxer works as hard as possible to create the windmill once his hoof heals—until he collapses due to a respiratory condition. Squealer informs them that Napoleon has sent for the veterinarian at Willingdon to treat him after being carried back to his stall. When the van arrives to transport Boxer to the hospital, Benjamin scans the van’s side and discovers Boxer is transported to a slaughterhouse or glue-boiler. Clover pleads for Boxer to help him get out of the truck, but the elderly horse is too frail to kick his way out. Boxer vanishes without any trace in the future. Squealer claims that Boxer was not brought to a slaughterhouse, but that the veterinarian had purchased the butcher’s vehicle and had not yet repainted the words on the side. When the animals hear this, they become satisfied. Then, a grocer’s van delivers a crate of scotch to the pigs, who drink it all and don’t wake up until afternoon the next day.

Summary of Chapter 10:

Time pass, and Animal Farm goes towards its last transformation. Jones dies in a drunken state at home. Muriel, Jessie, Pincher, and Bluebell are dead now. Clover has reached the age of 14 and has not retired yet, even though she is two years older than the age of retirement. Thanks to the purchase of two of Pilkington’s fields, the farm now has more animals, and its land have expanded. The second windmill is now operational and is used to grind grain. But, except cunning and clever pigs, all animals continue to live miserable lives with little food. Clover witnesses a startling sight of Squealer walking like a man on his hind legs. Napoleon exits from the farmhouse with a whip in his trotter, other pigs also moving following him. The fool sheep bleat a modified slogan: “Four legs good, two legs better!” Clover also sees that the Seven Commandments were written on a wall that has been repainted: “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL /, BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS”. All the pigs, finally, start carrying whips and dressing in Jones’ garb.

A delegation of neighboring farmers is given a tour of the farm in the novel’s last chapter, following which they meet Napoleon and the other pigs in the farmhouse’s dining room. Mr. Pilkington makes a toast to the farm’s progress. After that, Napoleon gives a speech outlining his new policies: The word “comrade” will be banned, there will be no more Sunday meetings, Old Major’s skull will be buried, and the farm flag will be replaced with a plain green field. His most significant policy shift is his statement that Animal Farm will be renamed Manor Farm. The pigs play cards with men shortly after Napoleon’s speech, but a noisy brawl ensues when Pilkington and Napoleon try to play the card game: ace of spades. Clover and the other animals cannot distinguish between humans and pigs as they see the conflicts through the dining-room window.