Mr Jones in Animal Farm
Mr Jones, from the 1954 film
Mr Jones is the owner of Manor Farm. He neglects the animals, spends most of his time drinking and reading the newspaper and not feeding them. He is taken by surprise by the animals when they fight back against him and his men, so much so that he is thrown off the farm.
He tries twice to take back the farm but both attempts fail. He ends up dying in a home for alcoholics.
| How is Mr Jones like this? | Evidence from the text | Analysis | |
| Uncaring | Mr Jones fails to look after the animals properly, putting himself before them. | Mr Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes. | This shows that Mr Jones was 'too drunk' to remember to shut all the doors. By leaving the 'popholes' open, the chickens would get very cold, showing a lack of interest in their wellbeing. |
| Cruel | Old Major speaks of Mr Jones' cruelty in his speech - drowning the dogs when they get too old. | "As for the dogs, when they grow old and toothless, Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns them in the nearest pond." | Here, Old Major is saying that when the dogs are 'old and toothless'. Mr Jones should be looking after them but instead he 'drowns them in the nearest pond' as soon as they are no longer of use to him. The image of him tying a 'brick round their necks'demonstrates his cruelty and brutality. |
| Uncaring | |
|---|---|
| How is Mr Jones like this? | Mr Jones fails to look after the animals properly, putting himself before them. |
| Evidence from the text | Mr Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night but was too drunk to remember to shut the popholes. |
| Analysis | This shows that Mr Jones was 'too drunk' to remember to shut all the doors. By leaving the 'popholes' open, the chickens would get very cold, showing a lack of interest in their wellbeing. |
| Cruel | |
|---|---|
| How is Mr Jones like this? | Old Major speaks of Mr Jones' cruelty in his speech - drowning the dogs when they get too old. |
| Evidence from the text | "As for the dogs, when they grow old and toothless, Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns them in the nearest pond." |
| Analysis | Here, Old Major is saying that when the dogs are 'old and toothless'. Mr Jones should be looking after them but instead he 'drowns them in the nearest pond' as soon as they are no longer of use to him. The image of him tying a 'brick round their necks'demonstrates his cruelty and brutality. |
Mr Jones could be likened to Tsar Nicolas II. Jones is the reason for the Rebellion in the same way Tsar Nicholas II was, in simple terms, the cause of the Russian Revolution.
