Shooting an Elephant

George Orwell

Nonfiction | Essay / Speech | Adult | Published in 1936

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Essay Analysis

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Literary Devices

Conflict

Orwell uses both external and internal conflict as he details the narrator’s struggles with his position as a British officer and his disgust for the ruling power he must satisfy. He is internally vocal about his rage against imperialism, and yet he can’t externalize it for fear of looking foolish in front of the natives. He believes in the Burmese and would rather support their efforts, but he is trapped in a job he is hoping to soon quit. For now, he remains conflicted and must play his part in the imperial system. An elephant that has gone “must” propels him to satisfy both the British Raj and the Burmese. Yet his internal conflict persists until he walks away from the crowd, the elephant, and, in the end, his conscience.

Repetition

Authors often use repetition to emphasize something they want readers to pay attention to. For example, the narrator of “Shooting an Elephant” repeatedly says he does not want to shoot the elephant. In some cases, we read it as a declaration, and in others as a question since he is conflicted throughout the essay. Orwell also uses various motifs, or repeated linguistic patterns, surrounding the elephant, the rifle, and the crowd to emphasize the problem he faces serving as an officer who does not believe in his cause.

Imagery

Graphic details focus a reader’s attention. In “Shooting an Elephant,” the narrator describes certain scenes so graphically that they become uncomfortable. In great detail, he tells readers about the body that, just minutes before, has been crushed by the mad elephant. Instead of simply telling us the elephant crushed a man, the narrator describes the position of the body parts, the state of the flesh, and the look in the eyes. The narrator also describes the crowd in detail as it grows around him. Further still, the narrator graphically describes the slow, agonizing death of the elephant. From every movement, to the blood that pours out of the animal, to the length of time it takes the beast to die, the imagery is layered, long, and descriptive.

Foreshadowing

Authors often plant small suggestions or warnings of events to come later in the narrative. This technique, called foreshadowing, builds anticipation and creates a sense of satisfaction when the event finally occurs. Foreshadowing can also add a deeper meaning for the reader beyond what is on the surface of the text. In “Shooting an Elephant,” the title foreshadows the narrator’s decision at the climax of the essay. The narrator is a British officer who serves a power with which he disagrees. When called upon to take care of the elephant, readers know what is going to happen; the title points to the narrator shooting an elephant whether he wants to or not. Yet readers are left wondering who will shoot the elephant and for what motivations. The narrator tells readers that those serving the British Raj spend much of their lives trying to impress the natives. The narrator shoots the elephant under pressure to impress the crowd and avoid looking foolish. Orwell foreshadows the end from the very beginning.