Plot Summary
Chapter II opens with the death of Old Major, the aged boar whose visionary speech in Chapter I ignited dreams of revolution among the animals of Manor Farm. In the three months following his death, the pigs—recognized as the cleverest of the animals—take charge of organizing the others. Three young boars emerge as leaders: Napoleon, a large, fierce-looking Berkshire boar; Snowball, a vivacious and inventive pig; and Squealer, a small, nimble porker with a gift for persuasive speech. Together, they distill Old Major's teachings into a philosophical system called Animalism and hold secret meetings in the barn to spread its principles.
Not all animals are easily convinced. Mollie, the vain white mare, worries about losing her ribbons and sugar lumps, while Moses, Mr. Jones's tame raven, distracts the animals with tales of Sugarcandy Mountain, a paradise where animals go after death. Despite these obstacles, the pigs gradually build support. The rebellion itself arrives unexpectedly when Mr. Jones, sinking deeper into alcoholism, neglects to feed the animals for an entire day. Driven by hunger, the cows break into the store-shed, and when Jones and his men attack the animals with whips, the starving creatures fight back with a fury none of them knew they possessed. Within minutes, the humans are driven from the farm.
In the exhilarating aftermath, the animals destroy every symbol of their former servitude—whips, halters, chains, nose-rings, and knives are thrown into a bonfire. Snowball renames the property "Animal Farm" and paints the Seven Commandments of Animalism on the barn wall, a code of conduct culminating in the principle that "All animals are equal." The chapter ends on a quietly ominous note: when the cows are milked, Napoleon dismisses concern about the five buckets of milk, assuring the others it will be attended to—only for it to vanish by the time they return from the hayfield.
Character Development
Chapter II establishes the leadership dynamics that will define the rest of the novel. Napoleon's character is revealed through action rather than words; he says little but positions himself to seize advantages, as demonstrated by his quiet appropriation of the milk. Snowball, by contrast, is energetic and intellectual, taking the lead on education, organization, and articulating Animalist ideology. Squealer's role as propagandist is introduced through his remarkable ability to make black appear white. The chapter also develops Mollie as a symbol of the self-interested bourgeoisie and Moses as a stand-in for organized religion, both representing forces that resist revolutionary change for personal reasons.
Themes and Motifs
The central theme of Chapter II is the gap between revolutionary ideals and the reality of power. While the rebellion succeeds through collective action, the seeds of inequality are planted immediately: the pigs assume leadership without election, claim the milk without discussion, and have already taught themselves to read and write in secret. The Seven Commandments, meant to enshrine equality, are authored exclusively by the pigs, foreshadowing how those who control language will control society. The theme of education as power also emerges, as literacy becomes the pigs' primary tool for establishing authority.
Literary Devices
Orwell employs foreshadowing throughout the chapter, most notably in the disappearance of the milk, which signals the corruption to come. The Seven Commandments function as both an allusion to the Ten Commandments and as dramatic irony, since readers familiar with the Russian Revolution recognize that each commandment will eventually be broken. The rebellion itself is rendered with deliberate irony—what should be the animals' greatest triumph is undercut by the immediate emergence of a new ruling class. Orwell's prose style remains deceptively simple, mirroring the fairy-tale genre announced in the novel's subtitle while embedding pointed political allegory beneath the surface.