The word cryptic appears twice in Animal Farm. The first instance is in chapter 3, when Benjamin remarks to the other animals about donkeys' longevity, and tells them that none of them has seen a donkey corpse. The other animals, author George Orwell writes, "had to be content with this cryptic answer." The second instance is in chapter 6, when Orwell writes that Benjamin refuses to speak, except for the "cryptic remark that donkeys live a long time."

Page numbers will differ, depending on which edition of the book one is reading, and whether it's a paperback edition or hardback edition. Though the word cryptic appears only twice, Benjamin's remarks are hardly the only cryptic utterances detailed in the story. Cryptic means mysterious, secret, difficult to understand. When you're reading the novel, what are some other cryptic remarks that you can find? What do you think they might mean? Why do the speakers use cryptic remarks, instead of saying exactly what they mean?

The word is mentioned in reference to Benjamin's statement that "Donkeys live a long time. None of you have seen a dead donkey." This was his answer whenever he was asked if he was happier after the animals' revolution than he was under the control of Jones. He woudln't say anything else about his circumstances, and "the other animals," Orwell says, "had to be content with this cryptic answer." He repeats this answer throughout the book, usually in response to a query about some aspect of the farm's politics. Benjamin remains cynical and skeptical about the changes around him throughout the book, and is not swayed by the propaganda spewed by Squealer. In fact, he sees through many of the lies. Some reviewers have suggested that some of Orwell's own personality comes through in Benjamin. He could also be seen to represent the peasants who found that life was no better under communism than under the tsars. They suffered equally under each government.