Question

What objections do some animals raise to the principles of Animalism in Animal Farm?

Accepted Answer

The objections some animals raise to the principles of Animalism in Animal Farm include their duty of loyalty to Mr. Jones, the prospective unavailability of luxuries after the revolution, the prospect that the revolution will not occur until after they are dead, and the idea that it will happen anyway without them having to do anything. Some are persuaded by Moses, the raven, that they will go to a magical place called Sugarcandy Mountain after they die.

Answer

After the death of Old Major, most of the animals assume that the revolution he preached will not come within their lifetime. Some of them think that this means it is effectively irrelevant to them, since they will not live to see it. Others argue that if the rebellion is as inevitable as the pigs seem to think, it will presumably happen whether they work for it or not.
While many animals are apathetic about the principles of Animalism, others are actively opposed to rebellion. Mollie, the white mare, is concerned by the potential difficulties of obtaining sugar and ribbons for her mane after the revolution. Other animals regard it as their duty to remain loyal to Mr. Jones, the farmer, and believe that they owe everything to him and would starve to death if he did not feed them.
One of the more subtle forms of opposition to the principles of Animalism comes from Moses, the raven, with his tales of Sugarcandy Mountain, a wonderful country to which the animals will go after death. Although it would theoretically be possible to believe in these stories and also work for the revolution, Orwell is showing why radical movements from the French Revolution to the Russian Revolution have always been anti-clerical. The hope of heaven after death makes people less enthusiastic about the task of building heaven on earth. If we take Animal Farm to be a specific allegory of the Russian Revolution, Moses represents the Orthodox Church, with its support for the Tsar and message of the impossibility of change in this world for the peasantry.

Answer

Most of the animals on the farm champion the principles of animalism, but the pigs, acting as leaders, alter some of the principles to suit their own desires and agenda.
One principle of animalism is "No animal shall sleep in a bed," but after the pigs take over the farm house and begin to make themselves comfortable, they assert that it's only wrong for animals to sleep in a bed with sheets. The main concept behind animalism is that all animals are equal, but the pigs decide shortly after that all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Judging by these incidents, it seems that the pigs’ main objective, which they would never admit to, is to become like humans while preventing the other animals from doing the same.
Overall, the pigs contradict and push back against animalism the most by adding qualifiers to many of the principles and making themselves the exception to the rules. They use animalism to rise above the other farm animals and the farmers to gain power.

Answer

Most of the initial objections to animalism are based on fear, selfishness, and materialism. Many of the animals still view Mr. Jones as their master and worry that no one will feed them if they rebel against his authority. They ask, if we are going to starve to death, "Why should we care what happens after we are dead?" Mollie, the white mare, worries that the principles will put an end to the special treatment she receives. She will get no more sugar and no more ribbons.
In the end, the pigs find that one of the most effective ways of winning the animals over is to get the animals to face their reality. In particular, they manage to persuade them that there is no such place as the Sugarcandy Mountain—a heaven where the animals go after they die. Thus, this earthly experience is your only chance to live a better life.

Answer

It is important to think about how this parallels to the Russian Revolution.
If Farmer Jones represents the reign of the Romanov family, when Lenin (Old Major) came along, the people weren't quite sure whether to follow Lenin or not. This is very probable among peoples who weren't taught to think for themselves or the value of the freedom to think like we have here in America. They people were used to being treated a certain way, even if it was bad. So if Animalism represents the beginning tenants of Communism, the animals justifably had room for question. What's interesting about the different animals is that they likely represent different types of people. Some people just go with change when it happens. Others are completely unchanged no matter who is in charge. Yet another type of people have fundamental beliefs and values that they stick with strongly and when an ideology comes along, they either follow strongly or oppose it.

Answer

The answer to this question can be found at the very beginning of Chapter 2.
Various of the animals have different arguments for why it is either not right or not practical to follow the principles of animalism.  They raise these at the early meetings on the subject.
Some of the animals argue that they have a responsibility to remain loyal to Farmer Jones.  Others argue that it is not practical to break away from him -- they say that he is the one who feeds them and they would starve without him.
Others of the animals do not care, or do not care enough to help with the rebellion.  They think it will either happen after they are dead or they think it will be able to succeed without them so they have no incentive to participate.

Animal Farm

What objections do some animals raise to the principles of Animalism in Animal Farm?

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