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2022animalfarmg2 · 2 years

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HOOFMADE

Fernanda Neves & Sofia Briso

Synopsis:

Through the first chapters of Animal Farm, the figure of Mollie was used by Orwell to represent the Russian bourgeoisie, who we know lacked revolutionary appetite and therefore, did not care for the morals that were being preached. What if after running away Mollie were to create her own ribbon company, maintaining her luxurious and capitalist lifestyle? And as she did not apply to the cause of the revolution and its principles, would she operate her industry with animal farm’s slave labor force?

In the very beginning of the revolution, Mollie already starts having some negative thoughts about it. Her firsts inquiries to Snowball were “Will there still be sugar after the Rebellion?” and “shall I still be allowed to wear ribbons in my mane?” The answers made her uncomfortable, she knew she couldn't lose those things. After she realized she would have to give up her ribbons and sugar for the cause, Mollie doesn't see any reason to gather within animalism or continue working hard towards someone else’s interests. The doubt arises as to whether this so-called animalism should concern her.

As Mollie strolled back to her stall, she couldn’t help but to think: “I wasn’t born to stay here. Applying to Animalism is not going to get me anywhere”. She felt in her deep inside a desire to do something bigger with her life. To create something, make change, change the world.

The visionary ideal had been running through her mind ceaselessly, and she thought about it during several sleepless nights. Midst one of these episodes, Mollie found herself in a very agitated mood. One moment, she decided to get up and light a candle, hoping that it could quiet her mind. As she got up, Mollie glanced at her ribbons which she kept hidden from Snowball under her straw. And that was it.

Something was telling her to follow her heart and do what she most loved in the entire world. And that was to make herself feel and look beautiful, and her instincts told her that her vocation was to share that feeling with others, so that the world could also be prettier and happier. She would make ribbons, to every living creature, human or animal, around the globe. Every product would be made by animals, hoofmade, with love.

A million things started to come up on her mind, business plans, ribbon designs, potencial projects and many more ideas. She decided to head outside, to her usual hangout spot, and by hanging out, she meant heading to the drinking pool, where she would stand foolishly gazing at her own reflection in the water. There she would have the peace to process everything that she had just experienced.

Thinking whilst looking into her reflection, Mollie heard a strange noise. The noise came from the bushes located on the other side of the hedge, inside Foxwood’s territory.

Mollie approached the bushes next to the hedge, and she saw a man, one of Mr. Pilkington’s helpers. He was really tall, bulky and watched her piercingly. Mollie felt a mix of embarrassment and puzzlement.

“What are you doing here?” she unintentionally, almost automatically asked. The young man responded “I was working late on the maize and decided to come and rest before the sun rises, then I saw you. Shall I ask you the same question, miss?” “Mollie, not miss” added Mollie with a condescending tone, and the man replied “Alright Mollie, I’m Joseph Smith, nice meeting you.” “It is nice meeting me right? Wish I could say the same about you.” She replied. “So, what are you doing down here this late, planning to run away? Sneak out?” Asked Joseph, “Something like that Joseph, something like that…” “You can call me Joe, you know…”

The conversation went on until the Sun started to rise and each of them returned to their normal daily activities. Mollie and Joe decided to meet again the next night to talk, and soon they hung out together every night and became such good friends that Mollie even told him about her hopes and dreams for the future, and about how she couldn’t endure animalism and the revolution anymore. One of those nights, the two of them decided that they were going to start seeing each other also during the day.

When the next day came, Mollie left work to hangout with Joe and when she got there, he had this amazing plan for her business. He would help her with the cotton production for the textile department of her business, and his family, that was interested in industrializing their business, would help with the manual work, producing the ribbons. Joe had already talked to his family about their potential partnership with Mollie and they were totally on board with the association. To seal the deal, Joe reached his hand out for a hand-shake, but then they laughed due to Mollie’s inability to perform it. Instead, the young man stroked her nose.

Little did she know that, a few hours later, this joyful moment would cause her such stress. As Mollie strolled blithely into the yard, flirting her long tail and chewing at a stalk of hay, Clover took her aside. “Mollie,” she started, “I have to talk to you about a severe matter. This morning I saw next to the hedge that divides Animal Farm from Foxwood. One of Mr. Pilkington’s men was standing on the other side of it. I’m pretty sure I saw you two talking, and you allowed him to stroke your nose. What does that mean, Mollie?”

She opened her mouth to start explaining, but managed to control herself. As much as she trusted Clover, she couldn't risk all her plans going down the drain, and decided that it was better to keep it a secret. All she could do was keep denying the insistence. But it started to get so difficult that she could not look Clover in the face anymore, and the next moment she took to her heels and galloped away into the field.

A thought struck Clover. Without saying anything to the others, she went to Mollie’s stall and turned over the straw with her hoof. Hidden under the straw was a little pile of lump sugar and several bunches of ribbons of different colors. That moment, Clover realized that Mollie didn’t give a shit about the rebellion.

A couple of days later, Mollie woke up determined to get out of there, she couldn’t stand anymore her meaningless and vapid routine. Mollie waited until dawn, so that the pigs and the other animals would be asleep, including the dogs. She had chosen the right moment to run away, her plan was foolproof and she felt really confident about it.

While she gathered her things, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear and apprehension, after all she was leaving the only home that she had ever known. However, Mollie was serious when things were about achieving success and would do whatever it took to get where she wanted.

She rapidly made her way to the gate, and when she finally reached it, Mollie saw a horizon of possibilities for her new life, she felt free, as if nothing could stop her. And then left without looking back for a second.

Mollie followed Joe’s instructions and made her way to the Elm Tree Farm, the family’s nearby farm, where he and his parents were waiting for her. A few weeks went by and Mollie had already settled into the farm and was almost considered part of the family; Mrs. Smith had even clipped her coat. Now was the time to put the plan to action and start building the factory. In order to do that, Mr. Smith acquainted her to meet with a fat red-faced man that was in charge of the factory’s construction. He gifted her sugar and sealed the deal with a stroke on the nose. When Mollie tilted her head downwards, she saw the pigeons observing her. Right after, she went to meet them straight away, asking for an exchange of favors. For a handful of sugar, they would spread a message to animals all over Willingdon saying that she was offering jobs, and by spring the ones who took it would start working.

A few months later the factory was ready to be ran at full steam, and dozens of animals that came from every corner of Willingdom arrived to commence the production. The animals were divided according to their skills: the ones familiar with the more advanced technologies took care of the industrial part, whereas the conservative ones stayed on the cotton fields that would be necessary for textile production.

The work was hard and tiring, but HOOFMADE was growing progressively, but it was not enough to please Mollie’s ambitious mindset. To achieve her target, more money would be required, and by that, the workers would have to sacrifice a fraction of their earnings, besides working longer hours. But it was all for a greater cause…

#mollie #bourgeoisie #capitalism #enterprise #au fanfiction #alternative universe #k+

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