preview

A Hanging Conflict

Decent Essays

The conflict is the most defining experience that happens inside of a story.The experience tends to coexist with the overall theme of the story. The conflict provides the example to tell the theme of the story for example in “A Hanging” by George Orwell who uses the conflict of a man being hanged to support the theme against capital punishment. The conflict of a man being subjected to punishment by hanging forces the main character to set a theme against such ways of punishment.Conflict drives the story and helps build the reasoning of the theme. “A Hanging” depicts the hanging of a man and makes the hanging seem against nature to commit such an act. The external conflict depicts a small,weak man being escorted by guards who look far stronger than the man. The guards depict how society is oppressed by the strong and in this case the government. The small weak man possess the strength to stand up to the guards which is proven when the man pushes the guards to avoid a puddle. The man is oppressed by society thus refuses to rebel despite having the strength to do so. George Orwell believes that capital punishment is inhumane and goes against human nature. Capital punishment is a permanent punishment and if the man is ever found innocent the punishment has already taken place. …show more content…

George is one of the prison guards responsible for assisting in the hanging of the prisoner. George believes that the hanging is wrong and the British government is inhumanly executing the natives of Burma. George even understands how the man is robbed of his future as George puts it “I saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness, of cutting a life short when it is in full tide”(Orwell). George’s duty is to assist in the hanging and thus is forced to conform and ignore his own conscience and perform his duty. The internal conflict depicts how capital punishment robs the future out of people

Get Access