Does the ending give a pessimistic or optimistic view of the future for Animal Farm?
alletaylor Student High School – 12th Grade The ending of Animal Farm gives a largely pessimistic view of the future, with only subtle hints of anything better. At the very end of the story, the human neighbours of Animal Farm come to visit and are entertained by the pigs. The other animals cautiously approach the windows of the farmhouse, driven by curiosity to see this first meeting of animals and humans on terms of absolute equality. They find that the human farmers and the pigs turn out to be in complete agreement as to the necessity of keeping down the “lower” elements in their societies and ensuring that the beings over which they rule do the most work for the least reward possible. Napoleon reassures the humans that the last traces of Animal Farm’s revolutionary heritage are to be erased — the insignia have been removed from the flag, for instance, and even the name of the farm is to be changed back to what it was originally, Manor Farm. Even though the scene ends in a violent
