George Orwell Shooting An Elephant Analysis

Many people strive to conform to their own sense of morality. Moral decisions either have internal or instinctual influences, but a sense of right or wrong also has to do with outside sources, including a parent’s method of raising his or her children. Parents often impose a religion on their children, and children base their moral decisions on religious beliefs. In addition, societal pressures influence an individual to believe in socially acceptable values. These values also affect identity development. In George Orwell’s essay, “Shooting an elephant,” the Burmese hated George Orwell because he associated with the British imperialists. Orwell did not enjoy his job at all, and enforced values in which he did not believe in. Because he did

Either the decisions align with an outsider’s sense of morality, or the decisions challenge an outsider’s moral beliefs. In the Burmese culture, Orwell’s sense of morality conflicted with Burmese morals. After the elephant trampled a “black Dravidian Coolie,” the Burmese flocked to Orwell because he had a rifle. When the Burmese crowd badgered Orwell to shoot the elephant, he “did not want to shoot the elephant” (Orwell, 2014, para. 8). At this moment, Orwell’s conscience nagged him against shooting the elephant, but he “was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind” (Orwell, 2014, para 7). The Burmese culture influenced Orwell to act against his will and shoot the elephant, despite his conscience nagging him against the

In Orwell’s case, he “was all for the Burmese and against their oppressors, the British” (Orwell, 2014, para. 2). The British authority oppressed Orwell by forcing him to work a job as a police officer. Orwell did not enjoy his job, and he had to make decisions in favor of the British Empire. “As for the job [Orwell] was doing, [he] hated it more bitterly than [he] can perhaps make clear. In a job like that, [Orwell saw] the dirty work of Empire at close quarters” (Orwell, 2014, para. 2). Dirty work refers to actions taken by the British empire that conflict with Orwell’s morals. The treatment of the Burmese filled Orwell with an “intolerable sense of guilt,” with him knowing his wrongdoing, yet with him feeling powerless to stop his actions because of British orders. The British Empire not only oppressed Orwell’s decision making, but they also caused Orwell to oppress the Burmese. This oppression caused the Burmese to hate Orwell, and Orwell had to fight for a proper identity in a culture where he wanted to have social