" For this reason, "Shooting an Elephant" is a bold political essay. Colonialism and imperialism were waning trends when the essay was written, but the author understood that the structures of political and economic power put in place by colonial governments were long lasting. From the British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company to British Petroleum, the ravages of colonialism are felt at ever level of every society worldwide.
Poverty and political disenfranchisement cannot in all cases be traced directly to British or European colonialism. However, most cases do reveal some indirect or direct influence of colonialism on prevailing social, economic, and political oppression. Orwell's essay is also about the way colonialism damages not just the societies that are oppressed and ruled over, but the rulers too. He states, for instance, "my whole life, every...
The British or the French or the Americans might imagine themselves to be benevolent overlords that are extricating primitive systems of power and religious authority in "primitive" nations, but in fact the locals that they oppress think very little of the cultural hegemony that results. Furthermore, the shooting of the elephant in the narrative symbolizes the wanton destruction of the environment that the colonial enterprise represents and not just symbolizes. The shooting of the elephant is also a symbol of shooting oneself in the foot: destroying that which is sustaining the empire. Rather than oppress, extort, and manipulate, governments need to work together to create long lasting and sustainable relationships that are mutually beneficial.
