Animal Farm Chapters 5 & 6

        In chapters 5 and 6 we see some characters such as Mollie and Snowball who leave the farm. However they leave for completely different reasons. With Mollie she betrays the animals and all they stood for by leaving them to be with the humans. Snowball on the other hand is chased off the farm by Napoleon's evil dog minions. Napoleon is then left with all the power with which to exploit the other animals. The pigs are also seen as taking more command of the farm and changing the rules to benefit them.
       While I was reading this chapter on of the things that stood out to me was not only the rivalry between the amazing orator Snowball and the cunning Napoleon but also the favoritism Orwell seemed to have for Snowball. Throughout the chapter Orwell made Snowball seem as if he had the best interest of the group in mind while building the windmill. Though he may have good intentions with the windmill that does not entirely make up for the fact that he, like all the other pigs, took advantage of the other animals with things like the apples and milk. This is overlooked and in the book Snowball becomes hardworking, dedicated, and caring with others. This is when, not the pigs as a group, but Napoleon becomes the villain. In reality, Trotsky may have been a better leader but he is still guilty of exploiting the animals. He may have actually turned out to be a worse leader than Napoleon because of his speaking abilities but we will not know because of his expulsion from the farm.
     Another prominent feature of this chapter is Boxer who repeats to himself "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right". He is dedicated to this group and its ideals more than anyone else it seems. When I was reading these chapters I saw Piggy from Lord of the Flies when I thought of Boxer. Like Boxer, Piggy is a large part of the support for the group of boys led by Ralph. He works hard and is always thinking of the group. Also like Piggy I believe that if Boxer overexerts himself and does happen to leave the group a major component of it will disintegrate and, as with Piggy's death the farm will fall apart.