Symbolism in "Shooting an Elephant" George Orwell writes dramatically about his time in Burma as an imperial officer in his essay "Shooting an Elephant". He communicates in detail how he does not agree with the concept of imperialism but equally does not like the provocation of the Burmese community. Orwell goes on to recount the time an elephant rampaged through the village and what an eye-opening experience it was. Symbolism is a heavy orchestrator in this essay, with Orwell linking the concept of imperialism to several events such as the rampage of the elephant, the death of the coolie, and the actual shooting of the elephant. One of the first representatives of imperialism occurs with the fury of the elephant. This happens when a chained elephant attacks. Immediately after seeing the elephant, Orwell makes it clear that it would be wrong to shoot. At this point, however, a large crowd of Burmese are watching intently and waiting for action to be taken. When Orwell shoots the elephant it is simply because of this expectation. Orwell underlines this by writing: "And it was in this moment, as I stood there with rifle in hand, that I first understood the emptiness, the futility of the white man's rule in the East. Here I was, the white man with his gun, standing before the unarmed native crowd – ostensibly the principal actor of the piece but in reality I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind" (Orwell, 327). After shooting the elephant, the elephant dies slowly and torturously, mostly due to Orwell's lack of experience in killing large animals. Orwell clearly intends to make the elephant's death difficult to read in an attempt to force the reader to understand the barbarity of the situation. This barbarity is a symbol of the brutality of Britain's imperialistic takeover of Burma. Subsequently, the Burmese population takes possession of the elephant using all the materials they can provide. This is also an example of how an oppressed state can lead