George Orwell's Killing an Elephant as an Attack on Colonialism and ImperialismThe glory days of the imperial giants are gone, marking the death of it was infamous and grand of imperialism. George Orwell's essay, Shooting an Elephant, deals with the evils of imperialism. The unjust killing of an elephant in Orwell's story is the central hub from which Orwell builds his argument through the two dominant characters, the elephant and its executioner. The British officer, the executioner, serves as a symbol of the imperial country, while the elephant symbolizes the victim of imperialism. Together, the soldier and the elephant transform this tragic anecdote into an attack on the institution of imperialism. The importance of the killing of the elephant lies in how the incident depicts different aspects of imperialism. In this essay, the elephant and the British officer help demonstrate that imperialism is a double-edged sword. The killing of the elephant is the incident that reveals that imperialism inflicts harm on both parties in an imperialistic relationship. The British officer Orwell shows many aspects of being an "absurd puppet" under the institution of imperialism.(3) He is proof that "the life of every white man in the East was one long struggle which could not laugh."(3) His experience with the indigenous people demonstrates how imperialism harms imperialist countries as well as their colonies. To justify their forced colonization, the imperialists must strip themselves of their freedom while constantly trying to "impress the natives" to demonstrate the white man's superiority.(3) The colonists feel the need to become racist against the natives because the colonists it is worth marking...... in the middle of the paper ......the elephant, and the elephant, which dies painfully, focuses the reader's attention on the suffering that imperialism causes to both parties. If the shooting had been justified, Orwell's argument would have been weakened immensely. The symbolic story of Shooting an Elephant is an attack on imperialism. Orwell presents the ironic truth that imperialism benefits neither the imperialists nor the countries they colonize. Perhaps it is sad to see that men were once willing to accept the fraudulent and ephemeral glory offered by imperialism. Hopefully humans have learned their lesson and no more animals will be sacrificed for their greed. Works Cited: Orwell, George. "Shooting an elephant." An Age Like This, 1920-1940, Vol. 1 of George Orwell's collection of essays, journalism and letters. and. Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus. New York: Harcourt, 1968.