Exploring Chapter Four of Animal Farm: Understanding Key Characters, Themes, and Events, Lecture notes of English Literature

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Animal Farm:

Exploring Chapter Four

Monday 1

st

February 2021

Learning Purposes

• Revisit chapter four of Animal Farm
• Consider key characters, themes and events within the novella
• Develop an understanding of Orwell’s intentions Prior learning:

1. How was the idea of socialism (‘Animalism’) presented through the harvest?
2. Why did Orwell present Boxer in the way that he did? Future learning: Continue to revisit the novella whilst focusing on setting, characters and themes. Develop analytical writing skills for Section B.

Key Words

• Oppression – prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority.
• Hierarchy – a system in which members of an organisation or society are ranked.

Reading Read through the fourth chapter. Whilst reading, consider the following:

• Ideas surrounding violence
• How Snowball is presented and why Orwell presents him this way
• The importance of the battle

Why is this chapter important?

• Orwell reminds us of what the animals are revolting against when he introduces the humans. We also see how fragile the new society is, and vulnerable to attack from outside.
• The farmers suppress any signs of rebellion on neighbouring farms. Orwell again reminds us of humans’ oppressive, selfish nature and introduces us to the farm’s violent neighbours.
• We are given another reminder of what is achieved when the animals are united: ‘Even the cat’ fights to protect the farm.
• Snowball is seen as a brilliant strategist.

Why is this chapter important?

• Boxer and Snowball both risk theirs lives to defend the farm and are praised as heroes of the battle. However, we see that – unlike Snowball – Boxer is compassionate, as Orwell emphasises when the carthorse is upset at injuring the stable-lad during the battle.
• There are further signs that a hierarchy is developing: Napoleon and Snowball direct event and some animals are favoured.

Character: Snowball

• In the broader sense, Snowball is symbolic of political opposition in the Soviet climate.
• He contrasts Napoleon as he favours meetings and a democratic process.
• Snowball’s role and commendation for his participation in the battle heralds a further rise of his position within the farm.
• Notably, Napoleon takes umbrage with this and, as we see in chapter five, has Snowball removed from the farm.
• Despite being one of the pigs that implemented the ideology of Animalism, Orwell presents Snowball to us as the first major ‘casualty’ of Napoleon’s totalitarian regime on the farm itself. Make notes in your own words as it is more beneficial than copying notes out word for word.

Character: Snowball

• Like his allegorical counter-part, Leon Trotsky, Snowball is seen as a capable leader.
• He anticipates the humans’ attack and devises a carefully planned campaign in which the invaders are ambushed.
• Look carefully at Snowball’s actions here – Napoleon later distorts these events against Snowball to improve his own reputation.
• However, we also notice Snowball’s ruthless dismissal of human suffering: ‘The only good human being is a dead one’.
• What view do you think Orwell expects us to have of the revolution’s attempts to defend itself? Make notes.

Theme: Violence

• Whilst the humans come armed, notably Jones with his gun , the animals are left to fight unarmed.
• Despite this, the animals overcome the challenges of the battle.
• Create a mind map that details how violence is presented throughout the chapter. You could also consider reactions to violence.

Event: The Battle of the Cowshed

• The Battle of the Cowshed is the point in the novella where we begin to realise that Animalism and the independence of the animals is going to survive.
• The events of the battle demonstrate the different animals’ skills and contributions , as well as demonstrate the escalating violence of their behaviour.
• The inclusion of Foxwood and Pinchfield , indicative of the British Empire and Nazi Germany respectively, presents us Orwell’s belief that Britain and Germany in the early 20 th century were not dissimilar to the rising totalitarianism of the Soviet Union.
• The novella, therefore, was not simply an attack on Stalin’s Russia, but capitalism and dictatorship as a whole. Make notes in your own words as it is more beneficial than copying notes out word for word.

Thinking more deeply

• Write one or two sentences in response to each of these questions:

1. For what positive or negative reasons might Napoleon and Snowball be trying to spread Animalism to other farms?
2. Why might Orwell have decided that no humans should die in the Battle of the Cowshed?
3. Do you think Orwell wants the reader to support, or be disturbed by, the Battle of the Cowshed?

Further ideas

• All the humans in the book are portrayed as unpleasant. Their cruelty reinforces Major’s view from earlier in the novella – Orwell wants us to see that the revolution and the Battle of the Cowshed were necessary.
• A hierarchy, and rising inequality , begin to emerge within chapter four. The awards of ‘Animal Hero, First Class’ and ‘Animal Hero, Second Class’ show that already some animals are considered better than others.
• The distinction between their bravery and that of the dead sheep suggests that the animals are creating a hierarchy among themselves: the dead sheep isn’t even named , indicating its lack of importance in the grand scheme of Animalism. It was simply a tool for the job. Make notes in your own words as it is more beneficial than copying notes out word for word.

Writing task Jones’ attempt to reclaim his farm, with the help of Pilkington and Frederick, culminates in the Battle of the Cowshed. Led by Snowball, the animals take to arms to defend Animalism and Animal Farm itself. Orwell presents the battle as something necessary: the reader still has faith in Animalism, as Orwell had had faith in socialism, therefore the use of violence is supported so that the animals can succeed. Through this use of violence, we are presented with two separate mindsets regarding violence towards humans. Boxer shows remorse when he thinks he has mistakenly killed one of the stable hands, whereas Snowball declares that ‘the only good human being is a dead one.’ From this, although the animals have been unified in their cause to defend the farm, we can see that there is division in their approaches. It is important to consider why Orwell allowed the stable hand to survive – his commentary on working as a collective, which he supported, had to have a positive narrative in order to garner support.