What does Snowball throw into the fire? Why? What does Boxer contribute?
In chapter 2, Snowball throws into the fire the ribbons which Mr. Jones used to decorate the horses' manes and tails. Boxer contributes to this act by throwing into the fire the straw hat which Mr. Jones wore to keep the flies out of his ears.
There are a couple of reasons why Snowball and Boxer do this. Firstly, the ribbons and the straw hat are both categorized as clothes, and clothes are worn by humans. Remember that in chapter 1, Old Major made it very clear that animals should not wear any human clothing because clothing is a habit of Man and Man is evil:
No animal must ever live in a house, or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes.
In fact, shortly after Snowball and Boxer throw these things into the fire, the animals draw up the Seven Commandments. Notice that the third commandment clearly states that no animal shall wear clothes. By rejecting clothing, then, the animals reject everything that is human.
Secondly, this is also a celebratory act. The animals are so happy to be free from human interference that they throw away anything that reminds them of their association with Mr. Jones. It's not just clothing that goes on the fire, they throw away the whips and rings too. This act is, therefore, a celebration of their new beginning and the opportunity to create their animal utopia.
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