Shooting an Elephant Question Responses

1. Shooting an Elephant contains two major themes. They are; the results of imperialism and the influence of peer pressure. The story relates to imperialism because during this time Britain was an Imperial Empire that was controlling India at the time that this story takes place. The officer hates his work and does not believe in imperialism. At the same time the story involves peer pressure. This is because the officer is pressured into shooting the elephant by the surrounding crowd. This is also how the two themes relate. The officer is forced into shooting the elephant by the principle of imperialism. He, as a white man and an example of the empire, must show his dominance over the surrounding natives. The natives must not see the empire as weak so he is pressured by his peers into killing an innocent elephant.

2. Orwell reveals his unflattering traits by showing his thought process. He states every thought and influence in his mind that lead to his final decision. He reveals that he is easily influenced by peer pressure by showing what is going on in his mind during the situation.. He states about what she should have done or what he wanted to do, then he tells of his decision making process that changed that original thought, and lastly he states the final outcome.