The animals start building the windmill again.
The day after the celebration of the battle, Boxer does not rest even if he has trouble with his hoof.
The animals are discussing about where to create a field for ‘old retired animals’ now. Boxer has still a year to work before retiring at the age of twelve.
Life is hard, the food is short and the temperature is cold.
Squealer is always speaking about a readjustment of the ration of the food and of their improvement in the production.
“We work a lot –“ the animals say
“But you work for yourselves,” Squealer says “and you are free!”
Now there are thirty-one pigs more in the farm and Napoleon is their teacher. He is planning to build a school.
The new pigs can play in the garden, but not with the other animals.
In the same period new laws appears as a rule: the animals must stand a part when a pig is passing and the pigs can wear a green ribbon on Sundays.
The year is quite successful, but Animal Farm needs money for the oil, the candles, the machinery of the windmill, the bricks, the sand and other usual tools.
Rations are reduced again and again. Only the pigs are getting fatter and fatter.
One afternoon in late February the animals smell something new in the air coming from the kitchen, a smell of cooking barley.
But the beer is ONLY for the pigs.
In the same period Napoleon establishes ‘spontaneous demonstrations’: once a week the animals must stop working. They meet and march in military formation.
In a long speech Squealer gives particulars about the production and the animals feel happy and free.
In April Animal Farm is proclaimed a Republic and Napoleon is its President
In Summer Moses, the raven, reappears on the farm after a long period of time and starts talking again about Sugarcandy Mountain, the animals’ paradise.
Boxer goes on working. He wants to rebuild the windmill.
But an unlucky evening a news comes to the farm: “Boxer has fallen!”
Clover stays near him and Squealer comes, called by the other animals
“Napoleon is very sad for Boxer. He orders Boxer is going to be cured in a hospital in Willington” Squealer announces.
The animals are surprised: no animal never leaves the farm.
For two days Boxer remains in its stall, then a van comes “to take him to hospital”.
All the animals crowd to say “goodbye” to Boxer. But when the van leaves Benjamin starts shouting: “Fools, fools Look! It is the van of the knacker’ s”
The animals understand: Boxer is going to be killed. “Get out! Boxer, Get out!” they start crying.
The van disappears in the distance.
Three days later Squealer announces Boxer’s death. “ I was with him in the hospital…” he says. “Somebody thinks it was the knacker’s van…No, it is of the hospital now, before it was of the knacker’s”
On the following Sunday morning Napoleon appears in front of the animals.
“I am here to say a prayer for Boxer and to remember a sentence all of you must adopt: I will work harder.”
That night all the animals are silent, the only noises come from the Farmhouse….