Animal Farm Basic Summary

On Manor Farm, the animals of the barnyard are called for a meeting. Their leader, an old boar, is almost near his time and wishes to remind the animals the rules of life. After he dies, the pigs formulate a plan and drive their owner, Mr Jones, off the farm and take control. At first, they follow the rules of the old boar, but as time progresses, those rules are twisted, and the animals are tricked. Napoleon, the lead pig, collects all the food for himself and the other pigs, leaving none from the other animals. He also trains and teaches a breed of pups to do his bidding and keep order. While the other animals work hard, Napoleon lives in his own luxurious world. Eventually, Napoleon and Snowball (one of the other pigs) begin to argue about what to do with the farm next. Snowball suggests building a windmill, which Napoleon dislikes. He forces his dogs to chase Snowball off the farm, calling him a traitor, then resumes full leadership over the farm. Further into the book, more rules change and eventually, the pigs start acting just like the humans did. Although only a few animals take notice of the change, the farm eventually turns back into a "human run" farm, which is what they were trying to avoid in the first place.