Summary

Chapter 1 – Mr. Jones, owner of Manor Farm, goes to bed drunk and forgets to close the popholes in the henhouse. When he has left the farmyard, word spreads among the animals that there is to be a meeting in the barn, because the Middle White Boar, Major, has had a vision he wanted to share. As he is old and respected, the other animals all dutifully assemble inside the barn, except Moses, a tame raven perched near the back door of the farmhouse.

Major informs the animals he does not expect to live much longer. He tells them the lives of animals are full of misery and slavery. The source of the problem is man, Major tells them. Remove man, and animals will be free to work and live as they choose, as well as enjoy the fruits of their own labor. While man may...