The power struggle between Napoleon and Snowball reaches
its climax in Chapter 5. The conflict between them has of course been heightening, with
disagreements concerning the direction that the farm should be taking. Perhaps the
bitterest conflict occurs concerning the windmill that Snowball believes should be built
because it will be a great labour saving device. Napoleon argues against it, saying that
building the windmill will take time and effort away from more important duties such as
producing food. It is when Napoleon and Snowball are making speeches to the animals, and
Snowball has just made a very successful speech, that Napoleon utters a strange
"high-pitched whimper":
At this there was a terrible baying sound
outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the
barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to
escape their snapping jaws. In a moment he was out of the door and they were after
him.
Snowball, by the skin of
his teeth, just manages to wiggle through a hole in the fence and escape the dogs, but
this of course leaves Napoleon with complete control of the farm. What is interesting
about the dogs is that the animals comment on how they react to
Napoleon:
It
was noticed that they wagged their tails to him in the same way as the other dogs had
been used to do to Mr
Jones.
It appears that
Napoleon is adopting the traits of his former human bosses more and
more.
So, it is through the nine dogs that Napoleon has
reared that he is able to chase off Snowball and seize absolute power in the
farm.
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