CHAPTER 8 SUMMARY
A few days after the bloody executions, the animals discover that the
commandment reading “No animal shall kill any other animal” now reads:
“No animal shall kill any other animal without cause.” As with the previous
revisions of commandments, the animals blame the apparent change on
their faulty memories—they must have forgotten the final two words. The
animals work even harder throughout the year to rebuild the windmill.
Though they often suffer from hunger and the cold, Squealer reads
continuously from a list of statistics proving that conditions remain far
superior to anything the animals knew under Mr. Jones and that they only
continue to improve.
Napoleon has now taken the title of “Leader” and has dozens of other
complimentary titles as well. Minimus has written a poem in praise of the
Napoleon and inscribed it on the barn wall. A pile of timber lies unused on
the farm, left over from the days of Mr. Jones, and Napoleon engages in
complicated negotiations for the sale of it to either Mr. Frederick or Mr.
Pilkington. When negotiations favor Mr. Frederick, the pigs teach the
animals to hate Mr. Pilkington. When Mr. Pilkington then appears ready to
buy the timber, the pigs teach the animals to hate Mr. Frederick with equal
ferocity. Whichever farm is currently out of favor is said to be the hiding
place of Snowball. Following a slew of propaganda against Mr. Frederick
(during which Napoleon adopts the maxim “Death to Frederick!”), the
animals are shocked to learn that Mr. Frederick eventually comes through
as the buyer of the timber. The pigs talk endlessly about Napoleon’s
cleverness, for, rather than accept a check for the timber, he insists on
receiving cash. The five-pound notes are now in his possession.
Soon the animals complete the construction of the windmill. But before they
can put it to use, Napoleon discovers to his great outrage that the money
Mr. Frederick gave him for the timber is simply a stack of forgeries. He
warns the animals to prepare for the worst, and, indeed, Mr. Frederick soon
attacks Animal Farm with a large group of armed men. The animals cower
as Mr. Frederick’s men plant dynamite at the base of the windmill and blow
the whole structure up. Enraged, the animals attack the men, driving them
away, but at a heavy cost: several of the animals are killed,
and Boxer sustains a serious injury. The animals are disheartened, but a
patriotic flag-raising ceremony cheers them up and restores their faith
somewhat.
Not long afterward, the pigs discover a crate of whisky in the farmhouse
basement. That night, the animals hear singing and revelry from within,
followed by the sound of a terrible quarrel. The next morning the pigs look
bleary-eyed and sick, and the animals hear whisperings that Comrade
Napoleon may be dying. By evening, however, he has recovered. The next
night, some of the animals find Squealer near the barn, holding a
paintbrush; he has fallen from a ladder leaned up against the spot where
the Seven Commandments are painted on the barn. The animals fail to put
two and two together, however, and when they discover that the
commandment that they recall as stating “No animal shall drink alcohol”
actually reads “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess,” they once again
blame their memories for being faulty.