Worth The Shot In George Orwell's Shooting An Elephant

In "Shooting an Elephant", Orwell succumb to the expectation of the public which is to shoot the elephant dead even though it is against what he believes in.

Throughout the process of shooting the elephant, Orwell’s attitude drastically changes as he pulls the trigger and the massive beast plunges to the ground. Orwell says “When I pulled the trigger I did not hear the bang or feel the kick-one never does when a shot goes home” (Orwell 11). This mindset tells the reader, as Orwell went to pull the trigger his mind went blank because he knew he was going to be successful at killing the elephant even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. Then the devilish roar of the elephant with glee of the crowd brought him back to real time and shows, how the cruelty brought happiness to the crowd. After the bullets hit the elephant, the tortured breathing continued to slowly annoy Orwell, as he reminded himself of why he did it.

And lastly, when encountering the elephant, he outright says he “did not want to shoot the elephant” (119) for “it always seems worse to kill a large animal” (122). But that’s exactly what he does in the end, like this, throughout the essay Orwell struggles with what he views as right and wrong.

Furthermore, when Orwell decided to shoot the elephant, it was a perfect example of how chaotic colonial power can be. He gave up despite his inner knowing that this was the wrong thing to do due to the pressure from the audience and his position of authority. Essentially, Orwell is attempting to convey that having power involves more than just managing others—it also involves controlling oneself. Being in a position of authority will compel you to take actions that you might not have otherwise considered. Even if you are in control, you are ultimately left helpless and

Orwell is a very descriptive writer who emphasizes a different moral in every essay. He is not simply describing an elephant shooting or a hanging; he is trying to make readers listen to his messages. One of the messages that Orwell wants his readers to understand is the power that role playing has on the human mind. Orwell demonstrates this theme quite easily in both essays. Before killing the elephant, Orwell states, “I had got to shoot the elephant. I had committed myself to doing it when I sent for the rifle. A sahib has got to act like a sahib…”(Orwell: Shooting an Elephant). This statement illustrates how people with power must live up to their expectations to keep that power. He knows he has the power to kill the animal, so he makes himself fit the role of a killer. Power can affect the way people act. A modern day example of this is shown when gang members act on thoughts of the group to gain acceptance by other members. The acceptance gives them power and this is a universal idea that Orwell focuses on. Orwell also stresses power to describe human nature. Orwell likes to use this in both essays because it explains the inconsistency that humans have when power takes over. This is one of Orwell’s morals he stresses to his audience to make them realize the poor decisions people make when in power.

Causing Orwell to gain peer pressure towards him actually ‘having no choice but to kill the beast’ (137). Even though the people of Burma called for his help, they still expect him to shoot down the animal even if Orwell ‘doesn’t intend to’ (136) do so. Yet he was told what the elephant had done, which was: ‘ravaging the bazaar’ (134), ‘destroyed someone’s bamboo hut, killed a cow, raided fruit stands and devoured the stock, turned a van over and inflicted violence upon it…, squished a man’s dead body sprawled onto the floor’

Orwell abandons his morals and kills the elephant to garner the approval of the Burmans. He feels compelled to shoot the animal because the Burmans "did not like me, but with the magical rifle in

Orwell is more concerned about the crowd’s expectations of him and improving the crowd’s image of him. So to gain acceptance from the crowd, Orwell did something he wouldn't have otherwise done if a crowd wasn't there to witness him going against his values. Thus, because of societal pressure Orwell is subconsciously forced to ignore his morals and kill the elephant to better his image. Carter explains, inconsistency can be detrimental when we are trying to enforce morality in certain situations; Orwell's experience supports Carter's assumption. Although, society's influence was a major factor in Orwell's decision, his lack of confidence jeopardized his moral

In this novel Orwell effectively uses 1st person point of view to show the mental change the narrator underwent throughout the course of the story. By the reader having such an in depth point of view in this novel, you are able to see the reasoning and logic that leads to this change in the narrator's ideology. In the beginning when the narrator went to get his rifle he states, “ I took my rifle, an old 44 Winchester and much too small to kill an elephant, but I thought the noise might be useful in terrorem”(Orwell 571). By the narrator stating this in the beginning, it shows he truly did not want to harm the elephant. Also from the statements, “ I had no intention of shooting the elephant, I had merely sent for the rifle to defend myself if necessary”(Orwell 573) and, “As soon as I saw the elephant I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him”(Orwell 573), the reader is able to tell initially he had no intention of harming the animal, but was overcame by peer pressure. The point of view is effective in showing this, because in first

The story, written in first person, gives insight of the narrator’s thought process. It is well conveyed that Orwell is very unhappy with his current position and is working for something he doesn’t believe in, which allows his audience to feel sympathetic to his current situation. His dilemma is clearly presented- whether he should shoot the elephant or not- which provides a universal theme of a personal battle, to choose what one believes is right, or whether to conform with society. Ultimately, this provides an emotional connection between Orwell and the reader, as they can relate to the feeling, which gives them a better understanding of the story’s main point. The shooting of the elephant itself also provokes an emotional response from the audience, as Orwell employs the element of death in a powerful and symbolic way. It is well persuaded throughout the story that he believed the elephant did not deserve to die, and the death itself is portrayed as devastating to him..” (Orwell, 5). The remorseful tone in this ending sentence exposes to the audience that just because something appears to be socially acceptable does not mean in any way that it is right for us to do, in which this case, the guilt exposed to the reader illustrates the negative consequences of social

(Source D 3). In a way by the influence of the crowd around him, he limits his own free choice to do what he wants. So, “In the end I could not stand it any longer and went away.” (Source D 4). By shooting the elephant, Orwell did not just kill it, he also killed what self-rights he had of his

He describes the day of the shooting as , “the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this to happen to me”. The pressure felt by the British police officer from the inexorable crowd “growing every minute” leads to his fatal shooting of the helpless elephant. He allays the idea of massacring this animal. As Orwell loads up the elephant rifle and aims it at the beast, the crowd “grew very still, and a deep, low happy sigh… breathed from innumerable throats.” The pull of the rifle’s trigger satisfies the crowd, and keeps him from the ignonimous judgement from the crowd.

For reasons variable between others, people act differently in different situations. Sometimes the only thing that can spell the difference between right and wrong is a number of people in the room. In the short story “Shooting an Elephant” George Orwell portrays the elephant in his story as a metaphorical example. The elephant shows Orwell’s hatred towards British imperialism, the decline of British rule in Burma and the excessive force of a greater entity.

The first and primary reason for George Orwell shooting the elephant is simply Orwell being afraid. He was originally not intending to shoot the elephant; he merely brought the rifle for his own protection. “I had no intention of shooting the elephant – I had merely sent for the rifle to defend myself if necessary – and it is always unnerving to have a crowd following you. I marched down the hill, looking and feeling a fool, with the rifle over my shoulder

As Orwell glanced at the growing crowd, he instantly perceived the common desires of the people “They were watching me as they would watch a conjurer about to perform a trick. They did not like me, but with the magical rifle in my hands I was momentarily worth watching. And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all” (3).These people wanted revenge for the death of the innocent man, the meat its carcass would provide, and the amusement of witnessing the shootings “The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly” (3). Because of these collective expectations, Orwell had to appear determined, authoritative, and decisive through shooting the elephant or else his reputation and the rest of the British colonizers’ reputation would be