Analysis
This analysis of “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell, explores the story’s plot structure, which is enhanced by creative elements such as an exposition that mostly conveys the narrator’s thoughts, as well as through a brief climax followed by an anti-climax as the shooting of the elephant takes longer than expected.
Though the story features only one important character in the traditional sense (the narrator), the locals may also be regarded as a collective character. The narrator is the main character and stands out through his conflicted perspective on the events. The collective character of the locals help readers better understand the setting and the narrator’s relationship with his surroundings.
The setting of the story is Burma (today's Myanmar) when it was a British colony. The social setting looks at negative aspects of the British Empire and its impact on the colonies, while also raising questions about animal cruelty, inequality, and cultural differences.
The story has a first-person narrator who is also the main character. The events only show his point of view, which means that he could be unreliable and that he has limited knowledge on other characters.
The language of the story is quite descriptive. Metaphors and similes create interesting association concerning the elephant which is a key symbol in the story.
Note on genre
Orwell published "Shooting an Elephant" as an essay, so it is supposed to be a true story from Orwell's life. However, experts disagree on whether the story should be regarded as fact or fiction, so many choose to analyze the text as a short story instead. We have also chosen to regard it as a short story in this study guide. If you have been asked to analyse the text as an essay, you may need a different set of analysis terms than those covered here. You can read more about analysing essays in our guide to non-fiction analysis.