. This essay on Orwell’s work in question will seek to examine the striking theme of guilt and shame as depicted by the author in his writing, as well as the painful, contradictory nature of his own feelings versus actions. Orwell, at the time of writing, was a British policeman in the country of Burma in south east Asia dominated by the rule of the British Empire, and here begins the first contradiction given his subsequent reputation as a crusader against such a political system. The essay will examine three aspects of the essay in relation to guilt and contradiction in Orwell’s work, firstly in his attitude towards the rulers of Burma, secondly the vast crowds of natives who intimidate him and finally his actual shooting of the elephant itself.
Orwell was an author who became renowned for his opposition to totalitarian regimes and dictatorships be they fascist or communist in such works as 1984 and Animal Farm, written after this essay was published in 1936. The author in his own style of honesty and simplicity sets out his own position towards the British/European rulers very clearly and candidly. He knows that he is detested by the native population but this is not personal it is because of his position as a representative of British rule whom they so despise.
At the outset, Orwell is clearly upset and troubled by the incident in this essay- the shooting of an elephant- “All this was perplexing and upsetting,” (Orwell, para 2). His attitude towards British rule is laid bare, “I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better,” (Orwell, paragraph 2). Thus, he feels guilty that he has taken up employment a position totally at odds with his own political beliefs and whilst he intends to quit the job he is still there and must fulfill his duties. There is contradiction here too, and he feels extremely uncomfortable at his personal dilemma but honestly records his conflicting feelings towards the natives, “the evil spirited little beasts that make my job impossible,” (Orwell, Paragraph 2) which contradicts his views that he is on their side. Following the shooting of the elephant, who had killed a local coolie Orwell admits that “Europeans opinion was divided,” (Orwell, paragraph 12) but ultimately his decision to kill the elephant has been vindicated, “ It put me legally in the right,” (Orwell, Paragraph 12) the emphasis here is on the word legally as Orwell morally feels shame and guilt at his actions and agonizingly concludes that it was “done solely to avoid looking a fool” (Orwell, paragraph 12).
Orwell often makes mention of the crowds of locals underlining his sense of alienation and estrangement from them, as the sole policeman in the area. As early as the first paragraph (Orwell, Paragraph 1) he refers to “several thousands of them” (Buddhist priests). In the second paragraph, he describes the harsh treatment of the native population “the long-term convicts, the scarred buttocks of the men who had been flogged with bamboos.” Again, he is starkly honest in his feelings at the treatment meted out by the rulers to the indigenous population, “all these oppressed me with an intolerable sense of guilt.” (Orwell, paragraph 2).
This is a man appalled that he can only watch, in silence, at the savagery of the Burmese rulers of whom he is a reluctant agent. Orwell is clearly intimidated by the crowds and feels deeply his personal isolation throughout the essay, “the whole population of the quarter flocked out of the houses and followed me,” (Orwell, paragraph 5). He feels the guilt of a man carrying out the function of the rulers by actions totally alien to his own beliefs and conscience but in contradiction he does carry out the shooting of the elephant which is clearly at odds with his better judgement. The crowds continue to haunt him “it was an immense crowd, two thousand at the least and growing every minute,” (Orwell, paragraph 7) and he cannot escape them. There is irony here, too, as although he is the only one armed the crowd and their intimidation of him are the stronger force. Orwell’s use of repetition is again used to great effect
In the actual shooting of the elephant Orwell does not spare himself from critical self-analysis. He knows “with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot the elephant,” (Orwell, paragraph 6). The elephant is a costly animal to replace and its owner will be deprived of his livelihood, which touches Orwell’s sensibilities. The elephant has calmed a down and Orwell considers that he “would watch him for a little while to make sure that he did not turn savage again, and then go home,” (Orwell, paragraph 6). However, Orwell perceives the vast crowd who he knows want him to shoot the elephant as they “wanted the meat,” Orwell, paragraph 5). Against his better judgement, he feels the need to appease the vast crowd and although alone he is the only person with a gun and the only one able to kill the elephant. He recognizes, too, that the role the ruler is to impress the natives with his power. The option to do nothing would result in “the crowd would laugh at me,” (Orwell, paragraph 7) and Orwell is weak and knows to save face that he must kill the beast. He also knows that killing the elephant will fill him with guilt but resolves to go through with the killing anyway in direct contradiction to his earlier rational stance.
The description of the shooting of the elephant is graphic and Orwell uses repetition to hammer home the descriptive agony of the elephant and its killer. Orwell has emptied his cartridges into the elephant but although brought down it is not dead. Again, Orwell feels great guilt in the shooting, “The thick blood welled out of him like red velvet,” (Orwell, paragraph 12) and “The tortured gasps continued as steadily as the ticking of a clock,” (Orwell, paragraph 12) and he must leave the scene after firing many shots into the dying elephant still alive, “In the end I could not stand it any longer and went away, (Orwell, paragraph 13). He later hears that it took the elephant half an hour to die and the natives cleaned the carcass to the bones and clearly this length of time for the beast to die has seriously upset him particularly as he did not want to shoot it in the first place.
The Shooting of an Elephant is a relatively short essay but it demonstrates Orwell’s style and ability to examine feelings and contradictory thoughts at the same time. He uses repetition to great effect but that apart there is scarcely a word wasted. The dilemma of the hero is captured admirably his feeling, actions with all the contradictions ensuing. The man feels alienated from the British ruling class but knows he is hated by the natives so is alienated on both fronts and although he is on their side he cannot give voice to this. Throughout the piece his good intentions were negated by his intimidation of the vast crowd of natives. His actions in shooting the elephant were clearly against his better judgement but he tries to kill the creature as quickly as possible but cannot do so, hence the vivid description on the lingering death. In his honest and self-critical writing, perhaps his greatest feeling of guilt is that he admits to killing the elephant to save face in front of the indigenous population, in other words, ironically, he has behaved as the British ruling class would have wanted him to do.
Works Cited
Orwell, George. 1984. London: Secker and Warburg. 1949. Print.
------- Animal Farm. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company. 1946. Print.
. ------- Shooting an Elephant. London: New Writing Magazine. 1936. Print
