Shooting an Elephant

Why does Orwell shoot the Elephant?

Orwell shoots the elephant because he is very scared of the Burmese people. When he sees

the elephant, he notices that it is not dangerous. However, all the Burmese people stand

around Orwell and expect him to shoot the animal. Since Orwell does not want to be called a

coward in the future, but wants to be recognized as being strong and protective, he shoots

the elephant.

Orwell uses the anecdote of his shooting an elephant to illustrate his feelings about

imperialism. What are those feelings, and how does the anecdote illustrate them?

Orwell’s feelings about imperialism are quite negative because he disapproves of

imperialism.

One can say that the elephant stands for the British colonies whereas Orwell symbolizes

Great Britain. The elephant is very friendly when Orwell finds it. This shows that the colonies

were also quite peaceful. The act of shooting the elephant stands for Great Britain

destroying the colonized. However, Orwell does not like this. He only shoots the elephant,

because he is afraid to lose his face (das Gesicht verlieren). Therefore one can even go as far

as saying, that he hates the British Empire.

Another explanation for the symbolism of the elephant is that it stands for the dying British

Empire. When the animal is shot, it looks “immensely old” and “paralyzed”. The British

Empire also showed these signs of decay (Verfall).

What would you have done if you had been in Orwell’s place? Why?

If I had been in Orwell’s place, I would absolutely not have acted like Orwell. I do what I think

is right and not what other people tell me to do. Furthermore, I think everyone should act

like me. Otherwise we will have big problems. If all the people do what other people tell

them to do, there will only be robots, who follow the instruction of someone else, whether

the instructions are right or wrong.