To Kill An Elephant Imperialism

Imperialism has long been a way that countries attempt to gain more power. Whether it be for more territory or for the natural resources that lesser developed countries have, large and developed countries have always annexed other land to appropriate these resources for their own use. In the short story, “To Kill an Elephant,” George Orwell is a member of the Imperialist police in Burma. While strongly against imperialism and Britain's command in parts of Asia, Orwell still performs as the imperialist powers would want him to. He is a very subservient pawn that blindly follows commands from thousands of miles away. He is only one of the cogs that make imperialism work though. Through the imperialist officers, the native Burmans, and the lower …show more content…
The Burmans, who hate Orwell for being a white man governing over them, seek the officers help to subdue an out of control elephant who is causing damage. Orwell starts tracking down the elephant and along the way with only a few people following him. There is no real excitement because the elephant hasn’t caused much damage. Then he discovers the coolie that has been killed. This gains everyone’s attention as Orwell gathers a rifle. Everyone is desensitized by the dead body because he is just a coolie but are now excited to see the officer kill and elephant. “They had not shown much interest in the elephant when he was merely ravaging their homes, but it was different now that he was going to be shot. It was a bit of fun to them.” This quote shows just how much the story shifts after the coolie is killed. It goes from a regular day, to a showing of Orwell’s ability to control the people. If he won’t be able to carry out the execution of the elephant the dynamic between the Burmans and the British will be even more strained. Personally, now that the whole town begins to follow him, Orwell knows now that he needs to make a statement to all of these people watching him or he will never gain any respect among them and they will continue to mock him. Orwell had no interest in shooting the elephant, he states, “Moreover, I did not in the least want to shoot