Narrator and point of view

The story is told by a third-person omniscient narrator, who has full insight into both the collective and individual minds of the animals and humans. However, the narrator’s focus is generally on the perspective of the ‘lower class’ animals, as we rarely get direct insight into the thoughts and feelings of the pigs and the dogs. Instead, their actions and plans are usually revealed to us as the other animals come to learn about them.

Even though the narrator is omniscient, it often reveals the truth of the events unfolding in a slightly indirect way, which does not exactly state what happens, but which still manages to give the reader a completely clear impression. A good example of this can be found near the end of Chapter VIII:

Squealer, temporarily stunned, was sprawling beside [the Seven Commandments], and near at hand there lay a lantern, a paintbrush and an overturned pot of white paint. [...] None of the animals could form any idea as to what this meant… (p. 73)

Although the animals are confused and the narrator does not state it explicitly, to the reader, it is obvious that Squealer has been systematically altering the Commandments to s...