Five-minute digest

Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays

George Orwell

Summary

Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays is a posthumous collection of George Orwell's essays, published by Secker and Warburg in 1950, the year he died. It gathers some of his most famous short prose, written between 1931 and 1949. The title essay, 'Shooting an Elephant' (1936), recalls an episode from Orwell's service as a police officer in Burma: an elephant in 'must' has run wild in a town, killing a man. By the time Orwell arrives with a rifle, the elephant is peacefully grazing, and he knows it need not be killed. But two thousand Burmese are watching, expecting a show, and he realizes that he must shoot it to avoid looking a fool. The elephant dies slowly and terribly. Orwell concludes that the imperialist becomes a puppet of those he rules, acting to keep face. 'A Hanging' (1931), also from Burma, describes an execution, and how a condemned man stepping aside to avoid a puddle showed Orwell 'the unspeakable wrongness' of cutting a life short. 'How the Poor Die' describes a Paris hospital ward in 1929. 'Lear, Tolstoy and the Fool' defends Shakespeare against Tolstoy's attack. 'Politics vs. Literature' examines Gulliver's Travels; 'Reflections on Gandhi' weighs the saint's life with respect and doubt; 'Such, Such Were the Joys' (in some editions) recalls his prep school; 'Riding Down from Bangor', 'Bookshop Memories', 'Some Thoughts on the Common Toad', 'Confessions of a Book Reviewer' and others show his range. Throughout, Orwell writes in clear, concrete prose, admits unflattering truths about himself, and examines conscience, power and decency. Christian readers will find much to discuss in his moral seriousness and his skepticism about religion. Because the collection was published in 1950 and Orwell died that year, it is under US copyright for many years; the library offers only an abstract and study guide.

Top Lessons

Acting to save face
Orwell kills the elephant against his judgment because of pressure.
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The value of life
In A Hanging, a man stepping aside from a puddle reveals life's worth.
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Honesty about oneself
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Verified Quotes

Medical Lens

How the Poor Die describes a 1929 Paris hospital ward; A Hanging describes an execution.

Death Dying Physicians Doctors

How the Poor Die
Conditions in a Paris public hospital.

Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays

Summary

Top Lessons

Acting to save face

The value of life

Honesty about oneself

Verified Quotes

Medical Lens