Shooting an Elephant Essay

University:
University of California, Berkeley
Course:
ENGLISH R1A | Reading and Composition
Academic year:

2024
Views:

396

Pages:

2
Author:

do3ran7ut

Shooting an Elephant Analysis Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell is a story of his experiences in Moulmein, Lower Burma, as a police officer. Orwell is very disliked and disrespected due to cultural differences, him being British and living in Burma. He faces interpersonal conflict when he is called to the scene of a loose elephant wreaking havoc in the streets. He sees that the people are expecting him to shoot the elephant, but he doesn’t want to. By using descriptive word choice, symbolism & allegory. Orwell shows how the pressure of imperialism makes him question his views and beliefs. Orwell uses descriptive word choice to show his relation to the Burmese, and he states he is on the side of the Burman, but also resents them for the way they make him feel humiliated. Orwell refers to the Burmese people with phrases such as, “the sneering yellow faces,” and “coolies” in the beginning of the story while describing them, but soon follows this by saying, “Theoretically—and secretly, of course—I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British”, which makes us wonder what side he truly is on, if he even identifies with one side. This quote also shows his opposition to power, even though he identifies as being powerful. Finally, Orwell says, “All I knew was that I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible.” This is a further explanation of the conflict Orwell faces.While he wants to believe that he sides with the Burmese people, they also make him feel completely enraged. This example also shows that Orwell is serving as a police officer for an empire he hates. As the story progresses, we see that Orwell is continuing to question his beliefs vs. what the Burmese people want. Orwell uses symbolism and allegory to express another inner conflict of either doing what he believes is right, or what he knows the people want him to do. The elephant serves as a symbol of the Burmese people, and the power that they have over the British. The elephant rampaging the streets and destroying the village is a direct representation of the Burmese defiance of British rule. Similarly, the act of Orwell shooting the elephant is an allegory for the British rule of Burma. Orwell initially feels that it is wrong to kill such a large animal, similar to the feeling of attempting to appropriate an entire society. Consequently, Orwell puts multiple bullets in the elephant, but eventually leaves the creature to bleed to death. This manifests the essence of British colonial power in Burmese society, and that they are incapable of ever completely overpowering them. Through symbolism and allegory, Orwell conveys the inner conflict he faces between doing what he believes is right, and what the Burmese people are pressuring him to do. In the story, George Orwell expresses the message of how British Imperialism in Lower Burma pressured him to question his views and beliefs. He does this by using descriptive word choice to show his relation to the Burmese and to the British empire. He also uses symbolism and allegory to express the inner conflict, such as the elephant and everything it stands for.