Shooting An Elephant Conflicts

The narrator experiences three conflicts: one with the British Empire because of its unjust occupation of Burma, one with the Burmese because of their mockery of him as a representative of the British Empire, and one with himself in his struggle with his conscience and self-image. In literary terms, the first two are external conflicts and the third is an internal conflict. All three conflicts complicate his ability to make objective, clear-headed decisions. In Orwell’s story Shooting an elephant, three major things come up; he realizes who actually is in power, how he saw the British rule ending, and how he was rooting for the Burmese people. In the story of shooting an elephant George Orwell shares and experience he has while being a police

He said that when he shot he didn’t even hear the noise or feel the recoil of the gun. He shot this elephant three times in the same spot in the head. When he gets over to the elephant he shoots it two more times and then uses a smaller gun to “pump” bullets in its heart and down its throat. The whole time the elephant just lays there dying. Later he says that people told him it took half an hour for the animal to die. I can’t help to think this is talking about imperialism. It takes off and does a lot of damage, starts to settle, and then gets shot and takes a long time for it to die but doesn’t really have power while it is dying it’s just there. “I didn’t know that the British Empire is dying, still less did I know that it is a great deal better than the younger empires that are going to supplant it.” Orwell also talks about how he doesn’t even know why Britain is in Burma. “Theoretically- and secretly, of course- I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British.” He says this because he is doing the dirty work of the empire. All he does is get picked on by the Burmese and cheap shot him any time it is convenient for the Burmese. They hate him and he hates them until it comes to the elephant. It’s all fine and dandy until you see what the other side of the job is really like. Colonizing was great for England but not the people that had to restore peace