Animal Farm: When Mollie Went Over the Hedge
Mollie had always liked expensive things. From the day she was born, she had been dressed in ribbons and fed sugar. She couldn't get enough of herself. She would gaze upon herself in the mirror for hours, foolishly memorized by her own beauty. She was never the working kind. She would try anything to get herself out of work. All the other animals would not see Mollie until about noon each day. She would say she had overslept or other excuses like that. Mollie had always been obedient to Mr. Jones. Mostly that was because Mr. Jones loved to dress her in ribbons and show her off.
But change was happening on the farm. The rebellion had been started. Old Major wanted the farm to be equal. All the food and resources were spread out among the animals. Of course, it was very hard for Mollie to accept the rebellion. How could she loose her riches? But like all the other animals she knew a rebellion was necessary. She didn't like the fact there was work. More work than ever before. It was hard work too. Mollie had been used to taking the easy way out.
One day after the talk with Clover, Mollie was hiding from work down by the drinking pool. While staring at her reflection, Mollie heard voices.
"I can't believe we were unable to recapture the farm" said Mr. Pilkington. Mollie poked her head over the hedge to see what was going on. There were some of the workers from Foxwood. She quickly turned back as she knew she would be in deep trouble if she was caught again. That night while sitting in her stall, she thought about how she missed her sugar and her ribbons. She even missed Mr. Jones. Even though in the last little while he had been a lazy drunk who would not take care of the animals, Mollie was still given special rights. She was given ribbons and sugar. She was not required to do as much work or eat the same food. She was spoiled and she knew it. But Mollie also knew it was for the better to create the rebellion.
The next day while in the fields, she smelt something great down near the drinking pool. She snuck off without any of the other animals noticing (even ifthey cared). As she neared the hedge the smell grew and the air filled with the sweet aroma of a cube of sugar. It was nothing special, only a bit of sugar. But of course to Mollie this was a dream come true. She once again peered over the hedge to find two young girls from Foxwood. They were enjoying some tea which they had been mixing with sugar cubes. One of the girls turned and looked at Mollie. She gently approached Mollie with a thin smile on her face. In her hand was a big lump of sugar. Mollie let the girl stroke her nose while she ate the sugar.
"I'm Anna" said the girl. She wore a brightly colored dress. Mollie nudged at the ribbons on her dress. The girl gave her one of the ribbons.
That night, when Mollie went back to her stall, she brought the sugar and the ribbons. She hid them under her bedding. She thought about how the other animals must not find out about her plan. Her plan was to leave Animal Farm. Once she left she would have riches once again. Besides, the other animals wouldn't need her; she ate more than she produced. She cunningly thought out her escape plans as she dozed off to sleep.
The next morning she woke up while the animals were still sleeping and went straight to the drinking pool. She waited until she heard some voices. There was a man working on the field. Mollie walked over towards the hedge. The man stared at her. He expected her to run and try to attack. After all, the animals on the farm were considered to be dangerous after the great battle of the cowshed. But Mollie just stood there. She waited for a few minute before jumping over the hedge. She wanted to stay on his farm but she was chased away. She ended up far away from Animal Farm. That night a man saw her walking alone in the cold so he offered her some sugar and brought her into a warm stall. This man still had control of the animals on his farm and he was more committed to his farm than Mr. Jones. This farm was well kept and was well run. Mollie worked there for the rest of her life. She was fed sugar and ribbons there and didn't have to work hard at all. It was even better than being with Mr. Jones.