What is ironic about Orwell’s experience with the Burmese natives? Think about how they feel about him and about how he feels about his role as a sub divisional police officer. (1 graph)

One of the central themes threaded through the essay is the latent resentment of the colonized people of Burma for the British occupiers who aim to control their society, yet cannot fully do so. We see this resentment in the open disgust which the monks reveal for Orwell personally, a sentiment that he feels is hypocritical given their office; we see it in the cruel laughter of the Burmese for the British players on the football field; and ultimately Orwell's awareness of his resentment manifests in his explicit rationalizing for his motivation for killing the elephant.