George Orwell Shooting The Elephant Analysis

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The parallelism between the elephant and the British Empire is quite symbolic of the fall of imperialism. Orwell draws a connection between the two using two predominant aspects: physical traits and impacts on Burma. The elephant is a colossal being within the animal kingdom and by using it, Orwell seeks to highlight the scale of the British Empire (Tyner 262). The size is a symbol of power as it is known that an elephant is unstoppable. Apart from similarities in structural and physical qualities, the empire and the elephant share the hideousness in the impact it has on Burma. When providing a description of the actual nature of Imperialism, Orwell uniquely associates the worlds grey, evil, intolerable, scared, huddling and wretch (Orwell …show more content…
His face was coated with mud, the eyes wide open, the teeth bared and grinning with an expression of unendurable agony” (Orwell 790). The decision of shooting the elephant proves Europeans’ futility within the East. Orwell particularly mentions that he does not have intentions to shoot the elephant since it is unnecessary in terms of people’s safety. He had been sent by the British Empire to Burma as an officer with superiority and influence over Burma savages. It would not have been difficult to conquer and control the nation. The elephant representing the British Empire stands before him and in his control. Despite Orwell raising an internal conflict within his mind since the inception, the climax is the fall of imperialism which is experienced when the elephant is shot and …show more content…
Natives did all these things to acclimatize their agony and dismay towards the colonizers. The actions of the British towards the natives were overtly unpleasant. Despite belonging to the ruling class, Orwell had a different view about them since innocent individuals would occasionally become victims (Alam 76). The oppression suffered by natives is vividly described within the story, “The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages of the lock-ups, the grey, cowed faces of the long-term convicts, the scarred buttocks of the men who had been Bogged with bamboos – all these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of guilt” (Orwell 795). The dilemma of the narrator is quite evident as he is in a precarious condition. It is because of the evil nature of imperialism that the author opposes it. His resentment and bitterness stems from realizing that it only snatches freedom away from the subjugated or ruled but also destroys the freedom of the oppressor in a painful way. Arguably, the most significant part of the story is the juxtaposition of control and power. Using power to oppress people often leads to a fall as evidenced through the fall of imperialism. Oppression is an evil aspect since it entails the inappropriate use of power to unfairly govern people. It highlights that having power does not automatically imply that one has control.
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