The Power of Society and Imperialism in George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”
Number of pages:
7
ABSTRACT:
This is a 7 page paper discussing aspects of imperialism and the power of society in George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”. George Orwell’s 1936 essay “Shooting an Elephant” tells the story of when Orwell worked for the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. The story begins with Orwell’s obvious distaste and disgust with the imperial system in which he is a part, its treatment of the natives, and his own reactions to the natives who in turn resent the European presence. When faced with a decision to shoot an elephant which has caused considerable damage and killed its mahout but has since calmed, Orwell reveals that he realized that he was expected to shoot the elephant based on the natives “pressing” him to do it and on his role as the white officer. Rather than going with his instincts to walk away and leave the animal unharmed, Orwell instead fulfills the expectations of him and shoots it but thereby acting on his own anxieties and the pressures of those around him and coming to the conclusion that he actually has no control over his actions and remains a puppet in imperial hands and is no more free than those around him. The power and pressures of society and his inability to act on his liberal feelings shows the readers and Orwell how difficult it is for people to overcome their internal struggles in the presence of heavy influences and perhaps act out of character or perform violent acts against their own better judgment.
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File: D0_TJGOrwe1.rtf
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