Introduction
Orwell, an anti-imperialist author, argued that imperialism destroyed both the conqueror and the defeated. “I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing. I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British,” writes George Orwell, expressing his distaste for the British Empire (2009). Even though the narrator does not want to shoot the elephant, the expectation of people behind him causes him to realize that he must: “I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind” (Orwell, 2009).
The narrator realizes in retrospect that he was compelled to enact onerous restrictions and to shoot the elephant. He expresses his opposition to the action but concedes after learning that he “had to shoot the elephant,”—illustrating a fundamental issue with hegemony: “When the white man turns tyrant it is his freedom that he destroys” (Orwell, 2009). He is giving up his independence and oppressing the Burmese at the same time by upholding British colonial control.
“Shooting an Elephant” by Orwell
The narrator’s position is one of little prospect or prominence throughout the article. He remarks on how, while being a part of the governing class, he either finds himself mainly ignored or despised by the Burmese people. “I was hated by large numbers of people — the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me,” he says in the opening sentence (Orwell, 2009).
The only time the locals consider him “momentarily worth watching” is when they anticipate a killing (Orwell, 2009). He talks about how, like any other European who made an easy target, he was frequently the victim of jeers from the natives while serving as a police officer (Orwell, 2009). “In the end the sneering yellow faces of young men that met me everywhere, the insults hooted after me when I was at a safe distance, got badly on my nerves,” Orwell recalled the hatred he encountered from the Burmese (2009). “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,” he recalled (Orwell, 2009).
The narrator refers to the elephant as a “great beast” and implies that he holds it in higher regard than the indigenous, in contrast to his depiction of them as “little beasts” (Orwell, 2009). The narrator’s employment is humiliating and compels him to witness “the dirty work of Empire at close quarters,” which is somewhat paradoxical (Orwell, 2009). The narrator describes “young Buddhist priests” as being “the worst of all” and says he would be happy to “drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest’s guts” (Orwell, 2009). After killing the elephant, the narrator reflects on how grateful he was that it also killed the “coolie” because that provided him with complete legal support (Orwell, 2009). At the end of the article, he wonders if they would ever comprehend that his only goal in killing the elephant was to maintain his pride.
Being torn between his “hatred of the empire I served” and his “rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make [his] job impossible” causes the narrator significant conscience problems (Orwell, 2009). He further asserts that he is “all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors” (Orwell, 2009). Because of this, the conquerors experience empathy for the vanquished, but as long as they treat the conquerors poorly, they begin to feel less remorseful and mistreat them again.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant“ illustrates the oppressive character of British colonialism in Burma and its adverse impacts on the colonized and the colonizers. The narrator’s internal conflict serves as an example of the moral and ethical struggles people in positions of authority in colonial systems encounter. Despite his reservations, the narrator ultimately shoots the elephant under pressure to uphold British rule and out of a sense of duty. The tale offers a potent critique of colonialism and its consequences for colonizers and colonized people.
Reference
Orwell, G. (2009). Shooting an elephant. Penguin UK.