George Orwell's Shooting An Elephant For No Good Reason

Shooting an Elephant for No Good Reason George Orwell spent some time as a police officer in Burma where he was actively hated. While doing this job he despised, he was put in a position where he felt it was necessary to shoot an elephant on the loose. George Orwell was not justified in shooting the elephant because the elephant was not charging at him, the animal was worth less dead than alive, and the people he was trying to impress had no love for him. When Orwell describes observing the elephant for the first time, he portrays him as peaceful, even saying the animal had a “preoccupied grandmotherly air” (240). This does not convey a life threatening situation. Orwell knew his life was not in immediate danger. His initial reaction was “I knew with perfect certainty that I ought not to shoot him” (240). It was not until Orwell noticed the crowd scrutinizing him that he began to second guess his choice.
He claims that his decision was made the moment he asked for a rifle, but he also states the worth of the elephant dead is far less than the elephant alive. Orwell is aware that the villagers want him to shoot the elephant so they can use the meat and other various parts, but acknowledges the animal is someone’s property and can produce more than meat if left alive. If an animal’s life is not value enough for Orwell, the simple fact that they can produce more alive should be convincing enough to spare its