Literaray analysis of “Shooting an Elephant”

Literary analysis of “Shooting an Elephant”

George Orwell’s short story “Shooting an Elephant” is a non-fiction narrative story based on the personal experiences Orwell had while working as a police officer in Burma with the Indian Imperial Police. Orwell utilizes figurative literature devices such as symbolism, imagery, irony, metaphor, simile, and many other literary devices to express the theme of British imperialism, fear of humiliation, colonial resentment, the performance of power, taming of the colonized subject, police power, and natural life in his essay. Thus, this essay focuses on the literary analysis of George Orwell’s essay “Shooting an Elephant”. 

The central theme discussed by the author in the essay is British imperialism.  Orwell opens up by exposing the brutality of British colonialism in Burma, with images of tortured prisoners and he discusses his dislike of the empire’s impact in Burma. Although the author resents Burmese people for the way they perceive him, he affirms that he sides on the “Burman,” side. The author’s self-consciousness as the face of British imperialism is central to his internal conflict as he attempts to support the image of the inaccessible empire while working against his personal inclination and killing an elephant that he wished he didn’t kill. 

Another important theme discussed in the essay is the fear of humiliation. In the essay, Orwell says that the bystanders might laugh at him if he were trampled to death by the elephant, and “that would never do” (34). As a result, he is forced to kill the (now peaceful) elephant. The elephant in the essay represents the Burmese society while Orwell’s fear of humiliation symbolized the motive of the broader British colonial project. Orwell who is the imperial police officer strives to sacrifice his sense of what is right, and accomplish the role of oppressor and tyrant, for him to save his face from humiliation. Thus, fear of humiliation is among the most important motives in Orwell’s essay. 

The author uses symbolism in the essay to express mystical ideas, emotions, and states of mind. As a police officer, Orwell’s presence represents symbolic power within Burmese society. Orwell elaborates this in clear terms in the essay: people of Burmese once despised him, ridiculed him, and expected him to perform on behalf of the empire that he symbolizes. When he shoots the elephant, he symbolized British colonial authority. Also, it was people’s expectation for him to demonstrate this authority because if he failed, the British imperial project will be shown to fail. Therefore, the policeman, in this, upholds the image of the authority it symbolizes. The killing of the elephant symbolized the rampaging of Burmese society. In the essay when we see Orwell shooting the elephant, it represented the force the British imperialists use over the Burmese people. 

Orwell also uses imagery to create images in the mind of the reader.  There a lot of instances of imagery in the essay such as "A labyrinth of squalid bamboo huts, thatched with palm-leaf, winding all over a steep hillside" (32). In these quotes, the authors show an image of the living conditions of the Burmese people to the reader. This presents an important reference for the reader to understand how the Burmese people live. The author also presents the image of the Empire’s dirty work as quoted "The stinking cages of the lock-ups, the grey, cowed faces of the long-term convicts, the scarred buttocks of the men who had been flogged with bamboos—all these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of guilt" (31). The imagery here reveals the dirty work of the British empire. Orwell who was working as a police officer encounters the brutalities of the empire up close. 

In conclusion, Orwell makes use of literary devices to get the intended message in his essay reach the reader. Through the use of symbolism, imagery similes, and many other literary devices, Orwell expresses his personal experiences while in Burma as an imperial police officer. 

Work Cited 

Orwell, George. "Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays." (1968).