The subject of George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is the guilty conscience that inevitably follows unjust actions. Remorse for wrongdoings is illustrated through him saying that “feelings [of guilt] are the normal by-products of imperialism” and that “any Anglo-Indian official” would agree. This shows that, although he still chooses to allow British imperialism into his life, he disagrees with it and that his wrong actions cause him tremendous guilt. He goes on to mention that officials would only agree off-duty. This is because the pressures of society cause them to follow along with their superiors even when they know they’re wrong.
“Shooting an Elephant” was writing after the Anglo-Burmese wars- most likely in the 1900s. The essay’s time of creation is displayed by the predominance of British imperialism throughout the text. The imperial power did not fully take control until after the Anglo-Burmese wars and Burma’s integration into India. The probable place of the essay’s creation is either Burma or England. Based on the fact that Orwell spent time in both countries, it could be either. However, I would say that it would probably have been written in England after he had time to reflect on the happenings and develop deeper guilt for his actions.
The time and place of the essay’s creation influence the essay in his clear tone. His deep remorse throughout the essay and his internal conflict would not be as consuming had he written the essay right after the event or in the exact same place of its occurrence. When given time to stew over his choice, Orwell developed a bit of wisdom on the subject and was able to reflect on what had happened. When Orwell says, “And afterwards I was very glad that the coolie had been killed; it put me legally in the right and it gave me a sufficient pretext for shooting the elephant,” it shows that he continued to think about this for a while after it happened and that he felt the need to justify shooting the elephant.
George Orwell’s specific audience for “Shooting an Elephant” is employees in foreign countries who conform to local or government traditions. This is shown by Orwell’s presence in Burma and his need to go along with what other’s pressure him to do. In his job, he feels the pressure to kill the elephant because it will show that he has power and is in favor of protecting the locals.
The author’s general audience for the essay is all who are influenced by the pressure of government to conform. The author’s general audience is communicated through Orwell’s appeal to feelings about a common scenario in the final paragraph. He says, “I often wondered whether any of the others grasped that I had done it solely to avoid looking a fool.” This proves that he wanted everyone to understand that he only killed the elephant so he would fit in and it expresses to the audience that conformity can often cause the wrong impression among peers or colleagues.
Orwell’s purpose in “Shooting an Elephant” is to explain that one must consider all options before doing something drastic and not simply follow along with the ways of society just to fit in. This message is explained when Orwell reflects on different people’s reactions to what he did. He says, “The older men said I was right, but the younger men said it was a damn shame to shoot an elephant for killing a coolie, because an elephant was worth more than any damn Coringhee coolie.” This proves that he understands he had multiple options and that he may have chosen the wrong one.
George Orwell believes that judgments cannot be made just based off of surface information. This value is illustrated by his continual need to explain himself. He shows that his actions were made based on information that outsiders would not understand when just presented with the basic facts of his scenario. He included this value to show to all people that judgments are inevitable, but should be avoided. This ties into his purpose because it shows how making a wrong decision can lead to judgment. The author’s use of imagery when describing the death of the elephant leads us to believe that this death was very tragic and that assumption could easily be made about his character based on this.
Orwell exhibits an understanding, but frustrated, attitude about guilty conscience in “Shooting an Elephant”. These attitudes are expressed as Orwell explains why he made the decision to shoot an elephant and why he knows what he did was wrong. These explanations show that he understands why he must feel guilty, but that he wishes he could justify what he did based on what he was thinking at the time.
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