Discussion Topic
Key Events and Comparisons of Major Battles and the Windmill Construction in Animal Farm
Summary:
The construction of the windmill in Animal Farm symbolizes the animals' collective effort and the manipulation they face under Napoleon's rule. Major battles, such as the Battle of the Cowshed and the Battle of the Windmill, highlight the animals' struggle for independence and subsequent betrayal. These events underscore the themes of power, control, and the corrupting influence of leadership.
What happens in the Battle of the Cowshed in Animal Farm? How is the windmill built (chapters 4–7)?
Snowball had expected the humans to fight back to regain the farm, so he had been studying a book of Mr. Jones's on the battles of Julius Caesar. When the humans attacked, Snowball was ready. The animals were able to win what was later called the Battle of the Cowshed.
After that, Snowball, who had been studying some of Farmer Jones's manuals on electricity, began to advocate for building a windmill to generate electricity. He argued that in the long term a windmill would make the farm more productive. It would allow the animals to have hot and cold running water, a heater, and electric lighting in their stalls. Napoleon opposed building the windmill, saying their efforts should be put into increasing food production. He maintained that the animals might starve while constructing a windmill.
However, once Napoleon ran Snowball off the farm, he insisted that the windmill had been...
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his idea all along and that he had simply pretended to oppose it. The animals built the windmill at great cost, only to have it fall down. They heard the humans say the walls were too thin, so, when they rebuilt it, the animals made the walls three feet thick instead of eighteen inches. Even though the humans then blew it up, the animals rebuilt it again. However, they never saw the promised benefits of it.
In the Battle of the Cowshed, a group of humans, led by the former owner of Manor Farm, Mr. Jones, attempted to retake the farm by force. But the animals were waiting for them. After a "light skirmishing manoeuvre" devised by Snowball,
... Snowball now launched his second line of attack. Muriel, Benjamin and all the sheep, with Snowball at the head of them, rushed forward and prodded and butted the men from every side...
The men seemed to have overcome this attack as well, and Snowball ordered a planned retreat. But other animals were "lying in ambush in the cowshed," and they attacked from the rear, denying the men an outlet to escape. Snowball ordered a full charge from the remaining animals, and soon the humans were in full retreat from the farm.
The windmill, conceived by Snowball in order to produce energy and ultimately reduce the workload on the animals, was scoffed at by Napoleon. However, after Snowball was run off the farm, Napoleon decided that the windmill would be constructed after all. It was a laborious task, since the animals had no hands and could use none of the humans' tools. The "animals worked like slaves" to complete the construction, and it took more than a year. A terrible windstorm left the windmill in ruins, but the animals began work again. The animals were forced to trade with the humans for grain and supplies, but the windmill was finally completed. Soon afterward, a group of humans blew up the windmill, but the animals again ran them off the farm in what became known as the Battle of the Windmill, and soon the animals once again began work on its ultimate completion.
Compare the Battle of the Cowshed and the Battle of the Windmill in Animal Farm.
The animals' main aim in Animal Farm is to rid the environment of humans and to be independent. As the foundations of Animalism are slowly eroded, the animals once again become more dependent on human interaction. Having been smart enough to defeat the humans, the animals are ultimately, although without realizing it, 'defeated' by the humans. The ultimate insult is to return to the name "Manor Farm."
The Battle of the Cowshed and The Battle of the Windmill can be compared as they are both instances when the humans try to retake the farm.
By contrast, the first occurs when the humans are outwitted by the animals -mainly Snowball - luring them in when they think the animals are in retreat. The latter occurs when the humans have duped Napoleon and laid dynamite by the windmill.
The Battle of the Cowshed is declared a victory with Snowball and Boxer even receiving medals: “Animal Hero, First Class.” The Battle of the Windmill is also declared a victory
and the gun is fired to celebrate
although their is nothing victorious about it as everything is destroyed. Snowball features in both instances although in the second, he is only mentioned as being instrumental in apparently conspiring with the humans.
By contrast, after the Battle of the Cowshed, awards are handed out even to the lowly Boxer but after the Battle of the Windmill, the celebrations take on a sinister air and Napoleon gets drunk. Another Commandment then has to be changed.
The pigs are able to manipulate the truth after the Battle of the Windmill and Squealer explains any discrepancied away. Even before the Battle of the Cowshed, and certainly afterwards due to his elevated status, Snowball, having accepted the 'milk and apples' charade was part of - not intentionally it would seem - the descent into a society governed by a class system. After the Battle of the Windmill, more propaganda allows the pigs to continue rewriting history.
Both Battles allow the pigs to further their aims and establish themselves as the "leaders" and the very thought of returning to life under Jones - although the animals don't really remember it - is enough to maintain an air of blind faith in the pigs.
Refer to the eNotes study guide and navigate to the pages for further assistance in establishing the connections between these two important events.