If you’re wondering what the 7 commandments in Animal Farm are, the short answer is that they are the farm’s original moral rules, written by the animals after the rebellion to guide their new society. George Orwell uses them to show how ideals can be twisted into propaganda, power, and inequality.
They begin as a promise of fairness and end as a warning about political corruption. In the novel, the commandments are not just rules; they are a literary device that tracks the collapse of the animals’ revolution.
What are the 7 commandments in Animal Farm?
The seven commandments are the founding laws of Animalism in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. They forbid behaviors associated with human oppression, such as walking on two legs, sleeping in beds, drinking alcohol, and killing other animals, while affirming that all animals are equal.
The original 7 commandments in Animal Farm
Orwell presents the commandments as a simple, memorable code meant to unite the animals after they overthrow Mr. Jones. Here is the standard list as it appears at the start of the novel:
- Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
- Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
- No animal shall wear clothes.
- No animal shall sleep in a bed.
- No animal shall drink alcohol.
- No animal shall kill any other animal.
- All animals are equal.
These commandments are written in a plain, almost slogan-like style. That simplicity matters, because it makes them easy to remember, repeat, and later manipulate.
Why the commandments matter in the novel
The commandments represent the animals’ idealistic hope for justice. At first, they separate the new order from the human world the animals have rejected, especially greed, exploitation, and hierarchy.
As the story progresses, however, the pigs gradually alter the commandments to excuse their own privileges. Orwell uses these changes to show how language can be used to reshape truth.
A symbol of revolution
The commandments begin as a symbol of collective freedom. They suggest that a society can be built on shared principles rather than fear and domination.
A symbol of corruption
Later, the commandments become evidence of betrayal. The more the pigs change them, the more the revolution resembles the old system it replaced.
How the commandments change over time
One of Orwell’s sharpest techniques in Animal Farm is gradual revision. The commandments are not erased all at once; they are quietly modified, which makes the animals doubt their own memory.
- Sleeping in beds is eventually allowed, with the added phrase that beds must not contain sheets.
- Drinking alcohol is also permitted after the pigs begin consuming it.
- Killing other animals is revised to justify executions by the ruling pigs.
- All animals are equal is later changed to the famous final line: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
This final contradiction captures the novel’s central irony. A rule designed to protect equality is turned into a tool for inequality.
Literary meaning of the 7 commandments
Orwell’s commandments work on several levels at once. They are part political allegory, part satire, and part lesson in how authoritarian systems control language.
1. They expose propaganda
The pigs, especially Squealer, use explanation and revision to make contradictions sound reasonable. The commandments show how propaganda can normalize injustice when people are encouraged to trust official language over their own experience.
2. They reveal the fragility of memory
The other animals often cannot remember the exact wording of the rules. Orwell suggests that when people lack education or access to records, those in power can rewrite history with little resistance.
3. They dramatize moral decline
The commandments are a moral baseline. Each alteration marks another step away from the revolution’s original promise and toward dictatorship.
Commandments, themes, and character conflict
The rules in Animal Farm are closely tied to the novel’s major themes: equality, corruption, class power, and the abuse of language. They also help define the conflict between the pigs and the rest of the animals.
Napoleon and control
Napoleon’s rise depends on rewriting the farm’s principles to suit his rule. He does not openly reject the commandments at first; instead, he bends them until they serve him.
Squealer and persuasion
Squealer is the mouthpiece of the regime. He explains away each change with rhetoric, fear, and selective memory, making the commandments seem flexible rather than sacred.
Boxer and trust
Boxer’s loyalty shows the tragedy of sincere belief in a corrupt system. He accepts the commandments as truth and works harder instead of questioning the leadership, which makes him vulnerable to manipulation.
How the commandments function as satire
Orwell satirizes political revolutions that promise equality but reproduce oppression. The commandments begin as a serious civic code, yet their repeated alteration turns them into a dark joke about revolutionary language.
The satire is especially effective because the commandments are so simple. Their clarity makes the later distortions more shocking, and that contrast is part of Orwell’s critique of totalitarian power.
Are the 7 commandments the same in every edition?
In general, yes, the commandments are presented consistently across editions of Animal Farm, though formatting and punctuation may vary slightly. The important literary point is not minor wording differences, but the fact that the rules are changed within the story itself.
If you are studying the novel, it helps to focus on the sequence of revisions and what each one reveals about the pigs’ growing authority.
Quick study guide: what to remember
- The commandments are the original laws of Animalism.
- They symbolize the animals’ hope for equality and justice.
- The pigs gradually revise them to justify privilege and power.
- The final commandment becomes an ironic statement of inequality.
- Orwell uses the commandments to criticize propaganda and dictatorship.
Why this matters for readers and students
If you are reading Animal Farm for class, the commandments are one of the easiest ways to track the novel’s political message. Each rule change is a clue that the revolution is being betrayed from within.
They also help explain why the book remains relevant: Orwell is not only writing about one fictional farm, but about the vulnerability of language, memory, and ideals under authoritarian rule.
For more on the novel’s symbolism and characters, you may also find these related guides useful: What Are the Seven Commandments in Animal Farm? and Who Does Old Major Represent in Animal Farm?