George Orwell: Essays

Shooting an Elephant

Was the narrator truly "all for the Burmese and still against their oppressors, the British" as shown by the text as a whole? Explain with evidence from the text

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In the opening of the essay, Orwell states that he is opposed to the British empire and on the side of the Burman, but he also claims that at the time of the events of the story, he was too young to know how to confront his own dilemma. Over the course of the story, as his dilemma becomes dramatized by the killing of the elephant, we learn about his fear of humiliation and how that motivates him to perform as though he is thoroughly confident and decisive. We further learn that this fear of humiliation is what Orwell feels is the driving force behind the entire British Empire.

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