The destruction of the
windmill that the animals have worked so hard and suffered so much to put up occurs inof this
great novel. The men are successful in blowing up the windmill, but then the animals turn on
them viciously and force them to flee. However, although they are "victorious" it is
clear that this is a hollow victory at best:
They had won,
but they were weary and bleeding. Slowly they began to limp back towards the farm. The sight of
their dead comrades stretched upon the grass moved some of them to tears. And for a little while
they halted in sorrowful silence at the place where the windmill had once stood. Yes, it was
gone, almost the last trace of their labour was gone! Even the foundations were partially
destroyed. And in rebuilding it they could not this time, as before, make use of the fallen
stones... It was though the windmill had never been.
In
spite of 's cheery optimism and characteristic warping of the truth, the animals recognise that
the destruction of the windmill symbolises the end ofas they know it. Interestingly, earlier on
in the novel, the windmill symbolised the desires ofand the progress and prosperity of the Farm,
but now its destruction indicates how impossible Snowball's desires now are. Therefore the
battle of the windmill represents a crushing defeat in so many ways for the
animals.
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