Old Major died three nights later, and his ideals were put into actions by the pigs on the farm. Napoleon and Snowball saw these ideals as an opportunity to gradually come to power (although Snowball is eventually driven out by Napoleon). They announced that the basic ideals and principles were to be written in the form of seven commandments.
Gradually as time goes on the pigs and especially Napoleon as Snowball is driven out, become dictators and run the farm. The other animals on the farm being as simple as they are could not see any problems with this arrangement and believed everything that the pigs told them, which was mostly Squealer. This is already undermining and reversing the principal that ‘All animals are equal’. This soon changes to, ‘All animals are equal; some are more equal than others.’
Two more other rules get broken on the pigs’ part as the story develops:
- No other animal must kill any other animal – ‘Three hens had come forward and confessed that, inspired by Snowball had entered into a plot to murder Napoleon. They were executed immediately’. Boxer was also sent to the slaughter, which was misunderstood by the other animals on the farm. This principle was, like many others changed to ‘No other animal must kill any other animal without good reason.’
- Animals providing for themselves – ‘The cows’ milk had been mixed in with the pigs mash.’
Towards the end of the novel the biggest principle of all is undermined (the first of the original seven commandments), ‘Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.’ By this point the pigs have already engaged in trade with humans and consumed alcohol, even Napoleon was sleeping in a bed. The name of the farm also changed from ‘Animal Farm’ back to ‘Manor Farm’. In the very last chapter the pigs are seen wearing clothes and walking on their hind legs. The rest of the animals are puzzled and confused by this, and it seems like there are no pigs left on the farm just humans, as the pigs show definite human characteristics, ‘Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike.’ The final sentence sums up and expresses the distinct change in the pigs, ‘The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.’
The Farm has been utterly corrupted due to the pigs being in absolute control. If they all stuck to the principle that ‘All animals are equal,’ then I think the farm would have run smoothly.
