Animal Farm
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Animal Farm Chapter 5 Summary
- Something is rotten in the state of the Animal Farm. And it’s not the dead sheep from the battle. It’s the fact that Mollie has been cavorting (talking, really, we just like the word "cavort") with one of the men on the neighboring farms in return for such frivolities as sugar and ribbons. Then she abandons the farm altogether.
- Snowball and Napoleon start fighting with each other like two bullies on a playground, each insisting that he is bigger than the other and should get to pick teams for dodge ball. Snowball’s speeches are better, but Napoleon does this clever campaigning business in the downtime between animal votes.
- Snowball makes plans for a windmill for the farm. Napoleon pees on them. No, literally, he actually pees on the plans. Or "urinates", as Orwell so delicately puts it. We’re not kidding. But in case you were doubting us, you should read your book.
- Benjamin pops back up again to say that life sucks either way, windmill or no windmill. Such a Pollyanna, that Benjamin.
- Snowball and Napoleon give speeches about the windmill; Snowball’s is superior. But before the vote, Napoleon brings in the pups from before (we told you to look out for them) which are now all grown-up and tooth-baring and vicious and they chase Snowball out of the farm. Napoleon wins by default. Or by brute force, depending on your point of view.
- Napoleon abolishes the meetings. Squealer makes him seem like a god by "explaining" things to the dumber animals.
- Napoleon decides to build the windmill after all. What’s that saying? Oh, yes – how fickle is pig.
