Why Narrator Shot the Elephant

            George Orwell’s essay is an indication of the injustices an empire and a hurtful comment on the despicable way imperialism dehumanizes the conqueror as much as the conquered. The story is set when the British empire ruled Burma, and the narrator is in the British police force. He is torn between pleasing his master, the British empire, and doing what he feels is the right thing to do. The story itself is a metaphor for British colonialism when the narrator says, “when the white man turns tyrant, it is his own freedom that he destroys” (para 7).

In the entire essay, the narrator expresses his dislike for the colonial Britain where he says,

“I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing…I was all for the Burmese and against their oppressors, the British” (para 2). The narrator perceives that the British are not in control, and instead, it is the will of the people that dictate his actions.  He, therefore, notes that as a ruler, he must appear firm, with his words being final.

It was not the narrator’s wish to shoot the elephant. The expectations of the Burmese and the British empire are the ones that push him to kill the elephant according to “I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the yellow faces behind” (para 7). The narrator realizes that he is being forced to shoot the elephant and bows to the pressure. By doing so, he forfeits his freedom while at the same time oppresses the Burmese people.

When the narrator was instructed by his superior to go and take care of a ravaged elephant, he was hoping that the rumor about the elephant was not right. It was until he saw a dead man who had been killed by the elephant, that he sent for an elephant rifle, not to kill the elephant but for his self-defense (para 4). Even after seeing the elephant, the narrator still did not want to kill it. The elephant seemed peaceful and was eating grass, and from the look of things, the narrator knew that he should not destroy it. He thought he could watch it for a while and make sure it does not turn violent again and then go home (para 6).

It was after he realized that he had a following of about two thousand people following and watching him, that the narrator knew that he ought to kill the elephant as the crowd expected. “They did not like me, but the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching” (para 7). It was all like a show with the narrator as the lead act. It was now his time to impress the natives with the rifle that he was carrying. If he failed to kill the elephant, the crowd would laugh at him, and he would be a mockery of the British administration.

Before taking action, the narrator tries to justify his actions. On the one hand, he reasons that the elephant is worth more alive than dead, and he also thinks of its owner. On the other hand, he consults some experienced-looking Burmese who tell him that the elephant looks calm but could charge when approached (para 8). In the end, the narrator finally kills the elephant, and it pains him to see how long it took for it to die eventually. The Burmese were excited, and he had done well according to the British even though he initially killed the animal to avoid looking like a fool (para 15).

Work Cited

Orwell, George. SHOOTING AN ELEPHANT. 2 February 1936. Webpage. 17 March 2020. <https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/shooting-an-elephant/>.