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In Animal Farm, what is the significance of the gun's placement?

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The gun's placement at the foot of the flagstaff in Animal Farm symbolizes the animals' victory over Mr. Jones and the violent struggle to establish their independence. Initially a symbol of oppression, its new position serves as a reminder of their successful rebellion. As the story progresses, the gun's significance shifts under Napoleon's rule to symbolize his total power and control.

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In chapter 4, Mr. Jones and his men return to Animal Farm to reclaim their territory and recapture the farm. However, Snowball has been preparing for an attack and has cleverly studied Julius Caesar's campaigns in a book he found in the farmhouse. Under Snowball's leadership, the animals successfully bait Mr. Jones and his men into an ambush when they are well into the yard. Once the animals charge at the humans, Mr. Jones fires his gun and wounds Snowball, who continues to fight. Boxer then viciously kicks a stable-lad from Foxwood in the skull, and the humans panic. The men proceed to sprint from the farm, and the animals successfully defend their territory.

Following their victory, the animals gather around the flagstaff and sing Beast of England in unison. Snowball and Boxer then receive the decoration "Animal Hero, First Class" while the deceased sheep is given the decoration...

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"Animal Hero, Second Class." The animals proceed to name the conflict "Battle of the Cowshed" and set up Mr. Jones's gun at the base of the flagstaff like a piece of artillery. They decide to fire the gun twice a year, on the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed and the anniversary of the Rebellion. The gun's placement at the foot of the flagstaff symbolically represents the struggle and violence the animals overcame to establish Animal Farm. By placing the gun directly underneath the flagstaff and next to old Major's skull, the animals will be reminded of Mr. Jones's oppression and the sacrifices they made to establish their farm. Initially, the gun was a symbol of Mr. Jones's tyranny. Placing his former weapon underneath the flagstaff symbolically represents the animals' victory over his tyranny and serves as a reminder of the violent struggles they endured to form Animal Farm.

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In Chapter Four, the gun (which once belonged to Mr. Jones) is placed at the foot of the flagstaff. This is significant because it symbolizes that the rebellion is complete: the animals have not only overcome Mr. Jones but have also overcome his attempt to retake control of the farm. By placing the gun in this position, they are celebrating their independence and providing a visual reminder of their success in creating their own republic.

It is also worth noting that by placing the gun in this position, they are creating a symbolic link between the republic and the use of violence. Later in the novel, when Napoleon takes complete control of the farm, he will fire this gun at events that are important to him, like his birthday. In doing this, Napoleon changes the gun's significance from a celebration of independence to a symbol of his total power and control. 

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The gun represents violence, a tool built for one specific reason -- to kill. The animals, at first, embrace the commandment in the Laws of Animalism: "No animal shall kill any other animal." In this spirit, after the Battle of the Cowshed, the gun is set up as a memorial, symbolizing the defeat of humans by the animals.

It was decided to set the gun up at the foot of the Flagstaff, like a piece of artillery, and to fire it twice a year...
(Orwell, Animal Farm, msxnet.org)

Later, as Napoleon takes more and more control over the farm, the gun becomes a propaganda tool, and it is fired on Napoleon's birthday, at parades, and even when the farmers destroy the windmill, to trick the animals into thinking that they were actually victorious. Like other symbols in the story, the gun is used by Napoleon to further his agenda, and so its initial placement changes from a victory trophy to a symbol of oppression.

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What is the significance of the gun in George Orwell's Animal Farm?

The significance of the gun changes throughout Animal Farm. In the first chapter of the novel, for example, the gun is a symbol of human oppression and the subjugation of the animals. We see this when Mr. Jones uses the gun to break up Old Major's meeting. Similarly, when Mr. Jones tries to retake his farm after the Rebellion, the gun symbolizes this idea of human authority, especially when it is used to murder a sheep.

After this battle, the gun's significance changes. It becomes an object used by the animals in a celebratory and proud manner. It is decided, for instance, that the gun will be displayed next to the head of Old Major and will be fired twice every year as a reminder of the animals' victory. It is also fired in Chapter Eight to celebrate the expulsion of Frederick and his men from the farm.

By Chapter Ten, the gun's significance has been turned on its head: it is now a symbol of the animals' subjugation of the humans. It also serves as a potent reminder of the struggles they have overcome:

And when they heard the gun booming and saw the green flag fluttering at the masthead, their hearts swelled with imperishable pride.
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