Shooting An Elephant Analysis Essay

Orwell uses a desperate tone, spectacular sets of illusions and controversial point of view to deliver the following message to readers: man listens to the reasons of others rather than his own. Orwell’s tone places the reader in a fascinating time of a diverse country. The reader is given an impressionable police officer as the main center piece of the story. The unraveling story of the character’s life being told when he is an old man makes us question what evil deeds will follow us to the grave. The illusions of death given by Orwell demonstrate a devilish scene. Our attention bleeds deeper into the story. By the time he is done with the story he leaves his audience with bloody wounds and twisted thoughts.

The author’s attitude reveals that an individual’s true self will affect the choices he makes. For example, when the crowd passed the dead body no one cared to comfort the dead man’s family. The crowds’ lust for the elephant’s flesh and adventure overshadowed the consideration of those that are grief-stricken. The narrator kills the elephant to show his dominance to the natives. Throughout this moment the narrator argues within himself about what is

The narrator is shattered by his decision years later. This makes the reader ponder about what is the right thing to do given the circumstances.

The author paints a gruesome image of a dead man crushed to death. He gives a chilling description of a smiling corpse with an untimely death. The character describes how much intimidation from the crowd by over exaggerating the number of people following him. This illusion puts pressure on the reader and we too feel the importance of killing the elephant. The example given shows the solutions we find are not to satisfy our needs but the people around us. The elephant’s suffering opens the shooter’s eyes to his mistake while the hearts of the people remain