"Shooting an Elephant" is a short story written by George Orwell, first published in 1936. The story is a narrative of Orwell's experience as a British police officer in Burma, where he was stationed during the colonial period.
The story begins with Orwell reflecting on his role as a police officer and the conflict he feels between his personal feelings and the expectations placed on him by his role. He describes the oppressive and authoritarian nature of the British colonial government, and the tension that exists between the colonizers and the native Burmese population.
One day, Orwell receives a report that a rogue elephant is causing damage in a village. As the local police officer, it is his responsibility to deal with the situation. Despite his lack of experience and his reluctance to kill the elephant, Orwell feels pressure to take action, both from the villagers and from his own sense of duty.
Orwell sets out to track down the elephant and eventually finds it in a paddy field. He attempts to scare the elephant away with loud noises, but the elephant does not respond. Orwell then decides to shoot the elephant, but he is conflicted and unsure if it is the right thing to do. He ultimately decides to shoot the elephant, believing it is his duty as a police officer. However, he feels guilty and conflicted about his decision, as he has come to see the elephant as a victim of the oppressive colonial system.
The story ends with Orwell reflecting on the moral ambiguities of his role as a colonial police officer and the ways in which he was caught between his personal feelings and the expectations placed on him by his role. He ultimately concludes that the shooting of the elephant was a futile and meaningless act, driven more by the expectations of others than by his own sense of right and wrong.
"Shooting an Elephant" is a powerful and thought-provoking story that explores themes of colonialism, power, and morality. It serves as a commentary on the complex and often conflicting roles that individuals play within oppressive systems, and the ways in which these roles can shape and influence our actions and decisions.
Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell Plot Summary
Unthinkable … And from this point, Orwell extrapolates his own experience to consider the colonial experience at large: the white European may think he is in charge of his colonial subjects, but ironically — even paradoxically — the coloniser loses his own freedom when he takes it upon himself to subjugate and rule another people: I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. Orwell notes that he is lucky the elephant killed a man, because it gave his own actions legal justification. Without describing his shame or guilt, he leaves the elephant alive, suffering terribly. Finally, the narrator leaves. Upon laying eyes on the elephant he instantly feels that it would be wrong to kill it.
Shooting an Elephant Study Guide
Orwell decides that the best way to handle the situation would be to approach the elephant to test its temperament and only harm the animal if it behaved aggressively. So, unwillingly, he was guided here and there by the will of the yellow faces Burmese. In the incident, that he kills the elephant, he was forced to act against his will. Still, Orwell does not want to kill the beast. They should provide alternative solutions to people that have fewer severe implications Lumsden et al, 2012, pp. Despite being under intense pressure from the public, the police officer had the freedom to make his decision. Check the links below for a detailed summary of the story and for additional information to help you better understand it.
Shooting an Elephant: Summary & Analysis
He shoots the elephant several times. To come all that way, rifle in hand, with two thousand people marching at my heels, and then to trail feebly away, having done nothing — no, that was impossible. Infact, he wants to control it. The narrator says: When the white man turns tyrant, it is his own freedom that he destroys The narrator shoots and shoots and shoots again. It has destroyed a hut, killed a cow, and raided some fruit stalls for food. His morality staunchly opposes the abuses that result from empire and his own role in that empire, but he is unable to overcome his visceral urge to avenge the indignities he suffers at the hands of the Burmese.
