Symbolism In George Orwell's Shooting An Elephant

In Shooting an Elephant, George Orwell explores the ideology of imperialism. Throughout the essay it is established that Orwell is not in favor of imperialism. By using an officer from the British empire as the narrator, Orwell uses the officer to show the evils of imperialism on not only the Burmese but also on the enforcers. Orwell develops his argument against British imperialism through his use of rhetorical strategies such as symbolism, similes/metaphors, and imagery. One rhetorical strategy that Orwell uses to establish his strong dislike for imperialism is symbolism. An example of this is the use of the rifle in Shooting an Elephant. The rifle is not only used to kill the elephant (imperialism), but it's also used to show the force at disposal of the British empire. As Orwell writes, “The Burmese population had no weapons and were helpless against it.” Orwell describes how cruelly the narrator uses the rifle to kill a helpless animal and not to protect the villagers from harm but only to emphasize the rule and power he has over them. Another example of symbolism is Orwell's use of the elephant as a symbol of imperialism. As Orwell
When Orwell states, “The elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow,” he uses a simile effectively to show that the elephant was not dangerous at all. This is important because this simile shows that the narrator did not kill the elephant to protect but to establish his own power. Another example of Orwell developing his argument through similes/metaphors is, “I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind.” This metaphor show that he was a puppet to the Burmese because they all wanted/forced him to kill the elephant. At the same time he was also a puppet to the British because killing the elephant to establish his power over the others was