In George Orwell's Shooting an Elephant the narrator finds himself forming to the mask or role of an idol, a police officer. His previous identity attempts to prevent the drastic transformation, but with the influence of society, change is hard to abstain. The narrator feels like he has little say in the matter of the elephant; his original opinion on the matter is influenced by common sense, he "... [has] no intention of shooting the elephant... [he has] merely sent for the rifle to defend [himself] if necessary" (3). The narrator has his own plan, and it was a great plan, but as soon as the people around him got inside his mind he feels the need to change. "... it is always unnerving to have a crowd following you... [they were] all certain
