Imperialism Affects the Oppressed as Well as the Oppressor

Hidden within a great book come many different messages, but one important example in George Orwell's Shooting the Elephant shows imperialism affects the oppressed as well as the oppressor. Because it is an immoral relationship of power, it compels the oppressor to act immorally to keep up appearances that he is right. George Orwell realizes that the British Raj which he serves is "an unbreakable tyranny" (Orwell, paragraph 2) yet despises the people he oppresses for allowing him to do so. On the one hand he is regarded as a wise ruler, but on the other he knows he is wrong in what he does but must behave in such a way to disguise this.

There have been many situations like this throughout history, where a person or group of people have to go against what they feel is moral, or right, in order to gain respect and/or power. I feel like it happens all too often in the world today and even throughout the past. People’s ideas about right and wrong generally reflect their own selfish interests or the interests of the group they belong to. Groups with conflicting interests often have different ideas about right and wrong, and these differences can escalate into power struggles. When the struggle for power is not restrained by laws or morals, then whichever group gains power will usually try to further its own interests at the expense of everyone else.

The powerless and oppressed can try to resist, but unless they can effectively threaten those in power, then resistance is futile. Those in power will usually try to get away with as much as they possibly can before resistance rises to a point where the costs start to outweigh the benefits. One thing that helps to lessen the severity of oppression is the fear that opposing power centers might gain popular support.

Orwell shows his hatred and rage against British empire that he is serving. As imperialism according to Oxford English dictionary “a policy of extending a county’s power and influence through means such as establishing colonies or by military force.” It itself is the force of evil and abuse power that crushes the feeling and will of the oppressor and bound them to do things other then their culture. Burmese and Indian’s have to go through the same depressing period of time when the imperialism was imposes on them by the Europeans. British came in India to open East India Company in 1617 by the permission of Mughal imperialist of that time. Slowly and gradually they strengthen their roots in India and Burma and started showing the power of tyranny over poor natives. Orwell also describe the worse condition of Burmese’s in British jails as they treated horribly by British rulers in these cells. As Orwell is in the time of evil power imperialism he starts growing “anti-European”. He wants to get rid of his job as soon as possible. “For at that time I had already made up my mind that Imperialism was an evil thing and the sooner I chucked up my job and got out of it the better.”(paragraph 2) Although Orwell opposes the oppressor, he seemed to fill up with sheer heat and rage against the oppressed as well, which are Burmese. The Burmese are full agony and furry against British Raj. They insult verbally and physical every police officer they came across with. So Orwell has no exception, he is abuse by the natives, especially by the Buddhist priest. Orwell is so fed up of the natives and violence thoughts against them. He calls them “Evil-spirited little beasts”. (Paragraph 2) that he want to stab them.Hence Orwell himself has two controversial faces. At one place he shows hated against European imperialism in Burma and on the other hand he shows the influence of that imperialism on his own personality’s he wanted to get rid of Anglo Indians. He mentions that these violent feelings are “by- product of imperialism”(paragraph 2). Lastly imperialism’s worst impact on speaker force him to do the act which is not according to his will. Orwell shot an elephant which accidentally killed the poor Coolie in his rage, and which was healthy and calm at the time he reached him. Orwell pretend to be that heroic figure of Sahib in front of Anglo-Indians. He did this for the sake of white man name to show dominance over natives. In spite of his moral views towards imperialism, he is dragged by the moment (which is shooting an elephant) to act like “Sahib” (paragraph 7). Orwell seems glad at the end that he doesn’t “look a fool” in front of the Burmese and the poor Coolie killed by the elephant put him in a legal place to kill the elephant, although his decision remains controversial among people of different age groups. On the whole, Orwell realizes that the British Raj which he serves is “an unbreakable tyranny” (paragraph 2) yet despises the people he oppresses for allowing him to do so. On the one hand he is regarded as a wise ruler, but on the other he knows he is wrong in what he does but must behave in such a way to disguises this. As a result, he finds himself doing whatever he must do, which in this case is to kill the elephant, to "avoid looking a fool" (paragraph 14) that he knows he is for representing the powers of imperialism.