Animal Farm: Character Mind Map & Summary
George Orwell’s Animal Farm: every key character and who they represent, the Seven Commandments, famous lines and the exam facts.
The Character Mind Map
Tap any name to open the details.
Napoleon
A fierce Berkshire boar who, after the animals’ revolution, gradually seizes total power. Using his trained dogs and the propaganda of Squealer, he drives out his rival Snowball, rewrites the rules, and ends up living exactly like the human farmers the animals overthrew. He represents Joseph Stalin.
Ending: the pigs become indistinguishable from men🐷 The Pigs
The ruling classOld MajorA wise old boar · Marx/Lenin
Role: His dream of a world without humans inspires the revolution. He teaches the animals the song “Beasts of England” and dies three nights later.
SnowballA clever, energetic pig · Trotsky
Role: Leads the animals at the Battle of the Cowshed and plans the windmill. Napoleon’s dogs chase him off the farm, and he is blamed for everything afterwards.
ExpelledSquealerNapoleon’s spokesman · propaganda
Role: A brilliant talker who “could turn black into white”, justifying every change in the rules.
MinimusThe poet pig
Role: Writes poems praising Napoleon and a new anthem to replace “Beasts of England”.
🐴 The Working Animals
The peopleBoxerA huge, loyal cart-horse · the workers
Role: Strong, hard-working and trusting; his mottoes are “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right“. When he collapses, the pigs sell him to the knacker.
Sent to the slaughterhouseCloverA motherly mare
Role: Senses that the rules are changing but cannot read well enough to prove it.
BenjaminAn old, cynical donkey · the sceptics
Role: Can read but refuses to get involved: “Donkeys live a long time.”
MollieA vain white mare · the bourgeoisie
Role: Loves sugar and ribbons; she runs away to work for a human.
The SheepThe mindless masses
Role: Bleat “Four legs good, two legs bad” to drown out debate; later “Four legs good, two legs better“.
MosesThe tame raven · the Church
Role: Tells the animals about Sugarcandy Mountain, a paradise after death.
🧑🌾 The Humans
Neighbouring powersMr JonesThe drunken farmer · Tsar Nicholas II
Role: Neglects the animals; they drive him off the farm.
Mr PilkingtonOf Foxwood · Britain and the West
Role: An easy-going gentleman farmer; at the end he toasts the pigs.
Mr FrederickOf Pinchfield · Hitler
Role: Cheats Napoleon with forged banknotes, then attacks and blows up the windmill.
Mr WhymperThe go-between solicitor
Role: Handles the farm’s trade with the outside world.
Memory Hook: The Allegory Decoded
Orwell’s fable follows the Russian Revolution closely.
The Seven Commandments
Painted on the barn wall, then secretly changed by the pigs.
Famous Lines
The lines most often asked about in exams.
Quick Summary
The plot in five lines.
Stage 1The Dream
- Old Major describes his dream and teaches “Beasts of England”. The animals rebel and drive out Mr Jones.
Stage 2Animal Farm
- The pigs write the Seven Commandments. The animals win the Battle of the Cowshed.
Stage 3The Windmill
- Napoleon’s dogs chase Snowball away. Napoleon takes power and blames Snowball for every problem.
Stage 4Terror
- Animals who “confess” are executed; the commandments change; Frederick destroys the windmill; Boxer is sold to the knacker.
Stage 5Pigs and Men
- Years later, the pigs walk on two legs, carry whips and dine with the humans; no one can tell them apart.
Must-Know Exam Facts
Quick points for UGC NET, SET and PGT.
Publication
Published on 17 August 1945. Its subtitle is A Fairy Story.
Rejected
Several publishers turned it down because Britain was allied with the USSR, including T. S. Eliot at Faber and Faber.
Genre
A political allegory and beast fable satirising the Russian Revolution and Stalinism.
Battles
The Battle of the Cowshed (the animals beat back Jones) and the Battle of the Windmill (against Frederick).
Orwell’s Purpose
In his preface, Orwell said he wanted to expose the “Soviet myth” for ordinary readers.
Key Themes
Power and corruption, propaganda and language, class, and betrayal of revolutionary ideals.
100+ Key Works of English Literature
All the character mind maps in one printed book.
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