Characters
What main character kills off Boxer, grows so large he can barely see, and hosts a dinner party for human farmers?
Who is Napoleon?
Who does Napoleon represent?
Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin.
The pigs said Boxer was being sent to a veterinary hospital, but where was he actually sent?
They sent him to a knacker's yard or glue boiler/slaughterhouse.
What do the sheep do in Chapter 10?
They start chanting, "four legs good, two legs better"
Which pig is responsible for reading endless statistics to the animals to "prove" that production is up and they are better off than ever before?
Squealer
This hardworking horse is sold for slaughter to pay for the pig, Napoleon's whiskey.
Who is Boxer?
The final meeting between the pigs and human farmers symbolizes political alliances between the Soviet Union and other nations. What historical events or diplomatic shifts might this scene represent, and how do they reflect Orwell’s criticism of political hypocrisy?
The final events are an allegory for the meeting between the USSR, the United States, and the United Kingdom where they discussed how to end the war in Tehran, 1943.
The new piglets Napoleon had were treated differently from other young animals. What was one specific privilege they had that no one else did?
They got to wear green ribbons on Sundays, or they weren't allowed to play with the other young animals.
Benjamin reads the lettering on the side of the van taking Boxer away. What kind of business does the van belong to?
A horse slaughterer and glue boiler
Colver sees what pig walking upright on its hind legs while carrying a whip.
Who is Squealer?
In what ways do the pigs’ increasing privileges and luxuries mirror the formation of an elite ruling class in historical revolutions, especially the rise of the Soviet Communist Party leadership in the 1920s–1940s?
It represented the rising ruling class under Stalin's rule, where they experienced exclusive food and housing while the population faced shortages.
The pigs made the animals march in "Spontaneous Demonstrations" every week. What was the real, secret reason the pigs made them do this?
It was to distract the animals so they wouldn't think about how hungry they were.
The money the pigs received from selling Boxer was used to purchase which item that arrived the night he left?
A crate of whisky
What group of animals has no memory of the Rebellion or of life under Mr. Jones?
Younger generations of animals.
How does Boxer’s betrayal in Chapter 9 reflect the way totalitarian regimes (such as Stalin’s Soviet Union) exploited and discarded loyal workers during large industrial or political projects?
It represents Stalin exploiting the working class with accelerated industrialization while saying the workers are not needed.
Squealer used lots of complex charts and statistics to prove that the farm was doing great. What was the truth about how the animals were actually living?
They were living much worse than when the humans were in charge.
Which human farmer does Napoleon host for dinner at the end of the novel?
Mr. Pilkington
This donkey remembers the truth about the past but insists that life has "always been the same" on the farm.
Who is Benjamin?
What does Boxer's death and the betrayal by Napoleon as Boxer gets shipped off in Chapter 9 represent?
It represents the betrayal of the proletariat about Leon Trotsky's book, The Revolution Betrayed, about how Joseph Stalin would betray the working class.
The pigs sold Boxer's body for money. What did the pigs use the money to buy for themselves?
They bought a case of whiskey.
In the very last scene of the book, what prevents the animals outside from telling the difference between the pigs and the men inside the farmhouse?
The animals have become indistinguishable from each other in appearance and behavior.