The narrator
Outer characterization
The narrator in George Orwell's "Shooting an elephant" is unnamed, which could be a hint that he is meant to represent Orwell himself, who also lived and worked in Burma as a police officer. However, the narrator might also be unnamed because he is meant to represent a typical British police officer working in the British colonies. This is also probably why his outer characterisation only mentions that he lives “In Moulmein, in Lower Burma” (p. 1, l. 1) and that he is the “sub-divisional police officer of the town” (p. 1, ll. 2-3) – giving him a generic identity.
The story also implies that he is of European descent as he mentions the locals’ anti-European attitude: “anti-European feeling was very bitter” (p. 1, l. 3). He later mentions being an Englishman (p. 1, ll. 21-22), as well as “young and ill-educated” (p. 1, l. 20). We also know that as a police officer he is equipped with a “pony” (p. 1, l. 35) and an “old .44 Winchester” (p. 1, l. 36) rifle, which suggest the police equipment in Burma was very basic even for British officers.
