Animal Hero, First Class

Animal Hero, First Class was the highest military decoration established on Animal Farm, created in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of the Cowshed. The animals decided unanimously to institute the award, which consisted of a brass medal—actually old horse-brasses found in the harness-room—to be worn on Sundays and holidays. The decoration was conferred there and then on Snowball and Boxer, the two heroes of the battle. A second-class medal, Animal Hero, Second Class, was awarded posthumously to the sheep who had been killed in the fighting. The creation of these medals marked the first formal system of rank and recognition among the animals, a departure from the egalitarian principles that had been proclaimed at the Rebellion's outset.

Award and Early Significance

Snowball and Boxer were the original and only recipients of Animal Hero, First Class. Boxer, the enormous cart-horse who had struck down a stable-lad with his iron-shod hoofs, received the medal for his decisive role in the battle. Snowball, who had led the charge and been wounded by pellets from Mr. Jones's gun, was similarly honored. The award was a source of genuine pride and a symbol of the collective victory. When, later, Squealer began to rewrite history, the fact that Snowball had received the medal became a point of contention. Boxer, puzzled by the accusations that Snowball had been a traitor from the start, protested: "I do not believe that. Snowball fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed. I saw him myself. Did we not give him 'Animal Hero, first Class,' immediately afterwards?" Squealer dismissed this as a mistake, claiming that the decoration had been based on a misunderstanding and that Snowball had actually been censured for cowardice. The animals, their memories already faltering, were eventually convinced that their recollection was at fault.

Appropriation by Napoleon

As Napoleon consolidated his power, the medal system was transformed into an instrument of personal glorification. Napoleon awarded himself both Animal Hero, First Class and Animal Hero, Second Class, wearing both decorations simultaneously. When he emerged from the farmhouse to preside over the executions of the animals accused of conspiring with Snowball, he appeared "wearing both his medals," with his nine huge dogs frisking around him. The medals, once a token of collective heroism, had become a badge of autocratic authority. Later, when Napoleon inspected the completed windmill, he again appeared "smiling beatifically, and wearing both his decorations," reposing on a bed of straw with the forged banknotes from Frederick at his side. The medals no longer signified bravery in battle but rather the leader's absolute dominance over the farm.

Historical Revision and Erasure

The fate of Animal Hero, First Class illustrates the broader pattern of historical revisionism on Animal Farm. Snowball's decoration was not merely devalued but actively denied. The pigs spread the story that Snowball had never received the order, that it was "merely a legend which had been spread some time after the Battle of the Cowshed by Snowball himself." The animals were told that, far from being decorated, Snowball had been censured for showing cowardice. This rewriting of the past served to erase Snowball's contribution to the Rebellion and to justify his expulsion and demonization. The medal system, which had once honored genuine achievement, became a tool for manufacturing a false history that elevated Napoleon and vilified his rivals. By the end of the story, the original meaning of Animal Hero, First Class had been completely inverted: it no longer commemorated the defense of Animal Farm but had become a prop in the cult of personality surrounding Napoleon.