Animal Farm Chapter 3 Summary

  • The animals start the great task of running the farm. The pigs supervise. Things seem to be going well. This, of course, is just the set up for disaster.
  • Boxer, it turns out, is a huge asset. He's big, and not particularly smart, but he works harder than everyone else. In fact, to emphasize this point, he walks around all day repeating, "I will work harder" over and over. Like we said... not too smart.
  • Mollie the mare, however, is extraordinarily lazy. She also has this odd predilection for ribbons.
  • Benjamin, we see, is this really cool, cryptic, apathetic guy. (And by guy, we mean donkey.) For example, when asked his opinion on the Rebellion, Benjamin says, "Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey."
  • The pigs try to educate the farm animals, only to find that their pupils are better at manual labor than, you know, being educated.
  • To make things easier, the Seven Commandments get condensed to a single maxim: "Four legs good, two legs bad."
  • Meanwhile, Napoleon the pig sequesters nine newborn puppies. Keep an eye out for those suckers.
  • The pigs are taking the milk and apples every day, but it's cool, really. See, as the leaders, they have to maintain their health. They don't even like milk and apples.
  • At this point, please imagine Orwell ROFLing and wiping tears of hilarity off of his typewriter.