Understanding “Shooting an Elephant”

Things to keep in mind while reading “Shooting an Elephant” —-

(1) Orwell was beginning to adopt socialist views during the 1930’s and went to report on the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). This is the war that made him turn against Communism completely, embracing Socialism fully.  Towards the end of his life he began loosening his political beliefs, writing against both socialism and communism.

(2) What is the difference between Socialism and Communism? Socialism is defined as the system of social organization in which  the ownership and control both production and distribution, is given to the community as a whole. Communism is defined as the system of social organization in which all property, individual and common, is held by  the community  or the state. Usually this means that all economic and social aspects of life are controlled by one political party (totalitarianism). The difference is that socialism usually deals with economic factors and communism deals with both economical and social factors. One of the main differences between the two is that communists believe that capitalism should be done away with completely, while socialists believe that the capitalist system can be useful if its possibilities are opened up.

(3) He was born in Bengal, India and thus witnesses the colonized/colonizer relationship first-hand. He struggled with a sense of guilt throughout his life, constantly trying to atone for his country’s mishaps. Do you see this notion of guilt/atonement in the story?

(4) “Shooting an Elephant” takes place in Burma. It took the British  six decades (1823-1866) to conquer Burma, and it is important to keep that in mind while reading the story since it reveals the elephant-like perseverance of the country.

(5) The story was published in 1936, and Burma gained independence in 1948.

(6) Think about what Orwell is trying to say about freedom in this piece… both the colonizer and the colonized lose freedom. Why is this? How is it relevant in our understanding of the oppressor/oppressed relationship?

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