What is the main point of shooting an elephant?

What is the main point of shooting an elephant?

The main point, the theme, of “Shooting an Elephant” is to expose the conflict between the law and one’s moral conscience as this pertains to British imperialism specifically, but by extension any imperialism. Orwell makes his point in two major ways.

What does shooting an elephant symbolize?

The unjust shooting of an elephant in Orwell’s story is the central focus from which Orwell builds his argument through the two dominant characters, the elephant and its executioner. The British officer, the executioner, acts as a symbol of the imperial country, while the elephant symbolizes the victim of imperialism.

What is the paradox in shooting an elephant?

Thus, who truly has the power: the one supposedly in control or the masses that put him there? This ‘Paradox of Power’ is explored by George Orwell in his essay, Shooting an Elephant, where he discusses the weakness of imperialism and military rule through a possible auto-biographical experience.

What is the principal cultural conflict in shooting an elephant?

The principal cultural conflict in “Shooting an Elephant” is the conflict between the Burmese people and the system of British imperialism…