George Orwell and Politics

Orwell works for the Empire which he goes against. He disdains "the dirty work" of imperialism, but at the same time, he spends his time enforcing it (110). He starts to get self-conflict by the feelings of sympathizing with the natives, pitying for their dilemma, but at the same time hating them and treating them as less humane because his job requires him to do so. Orwell fails to follow his own morals when facing with the challenge of shooting the elephant who broke the chain and escaped from his mahout. He ought to make a decision in front of two thousand Burmese, whom he describes as "evil-spirited little beasts" with "hideous laughter" (104). When the elephant becomes a threat to the community, he has the duty to stop it, but he contradicts his beliefs in doing so. He writes "Moreover, I did not in the least want to shoot him. I decided that I would watch him for a little while to make sure that he did not turn savage again, and then go home. And suddenly I realized that I should have to shoot the elephant after all" (105). When standing in front of the crowd, Orwell describes himself as a "white man" who was "seemingly the leading actor of the piece" but in fact was "only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind" (105). And he also observes that "the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys" and that "he wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it" (105). To the Burmese, Orwell is a sahib, a white man, who embodies tyranny and oppression of the mighty British Empire. On the other hand, Orwell as an individual deplores the oppressive and tyrannical British rule and sympathizes with the poor Burmese. The complexities of his situation reveal to him how helpless he is. In this case, the power he holds has a responsibility that comes with it, and when that power is abused and becomes tyrannical, then the oppressor, as well as the oppressed, lose their freedom.