Back to: Animal Farm by George Orwell
All the animals worked very hard. Their mind-set was manipulated by Squealer (the talkative pig). The animals thought that they were working for themselves. The working hours were increased.
The construction of the windmill had started, big stones were broken into smaller stones with the help of the force of gravity. Every animal gave his/her share of labor. Boxer (the horse) worked very hard.
It would’ve been quite difficult without him. He worked extremely hard. Clover (the mare) advised him not to over-work but he uttered only two slogans “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right”. Instead of half an hour, the cockerel was to wake Boxer three-quarters of an hour earlier.
Since there was a need for certain commodities that were impossible to grow in Animal Farm, Napoleon announced this new policy of trade with adjoining farms.
The animals sensed something fishy as any kind of contact with humans was strictly prohibited. Some pigs protested, but the growling of dogs silenced them. Mr. Whymper was the broker between Animal Farm and the outside world.
As expected, Squealer came and manipulated the animals again. Mr. Whymper would visit the farm regularly. Napoleon was expected to enter a business agreement with both Mr. Pilkington and Mr. Frederick (the owners of adjoining farms).
The pigs now took over the farmhouse. They started to sleep on beds. All the animals felt uneasy as it was written in the fourth commandment, “No animal shall sleep in a bed.”
Boxer did not pay attention but Clover found out with the help of Muriel (the goat) that the fourth commandment was mysteriously changed to “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.”
Squealer convinced the animal that there was no harm in it. Another announcement was made that the pigs would get up in the morning one hour later than other animals. The windmill was half-built. But on one night, violent winds blew and the windmill was destroyed.
Napoleon blamed it on Snowball and pronounced a death sentence upon Snowball. He was now a traitor and any animal killing him or capturing him alive would be handsomely rewarded.
