Shooting an Elephant

Orwell’s essay “Shooting an Elephant” paints a graphic picture of British imperialism, especially Britain’s rule over Burma (now Myanmar) which lasted from 1824 to 1948. Orwell served in the British military there from 1922 to 1927. Before writing this essay, he published the novel Burmese Days, which details the dark side of imperialism: corruption and despotism. “Shooting an Elephant” is written in the first person, and many have questioned whether it is nonfiction or fiction, especially since Orwell wrote in both genres. The ambiguity adds to the intensity of the essay; Orwell indeed served in Burma, yet there is no known reporting or documentation of this incident. Nonetheless, he considered the work an essay.

Orwell constructs the essay around juxtapositions: The narrator is a foreigner with authority over the Burmese people; he is an imperial official who distrusts the government he represents; his internal monologue is nearly drowned out by the loud, growing crowd at his heels; and he faces a large, deadly animal that seems to be worth more to the crowd than the man it crushed.

Orwell shows disgust for British imperialism from the essay’s opening. Additionally, the language is overt and graphic; he piles up descriptive detail—from his anger over the circumstances and hatred of his role, to the dead body, to the slow, agonizing death of the elephant. Despite his moral misgivings, the narrator still acts as a British officer and does what he is expected to do in that role. Nevertheless, Orwell at the end of the essay admits to cowardice.

“Shooting an Elephant” also paints a picture of what power can do and how it can corrupt or disrupt the ability to make clear decisions, no matter one’s initial intentions. Despite not wanting to shoot the elephant, and desiring to leave a job he despised, the narrator kills the animal mainly to save face. The imperial power cowers before the people it supposedly rules.