I think Orwell reacted to the best of his ability under the circumstances, whether or not he's a coward, many other people would react the same way in a similar situation. The reader might think they wouldn't, but peer pressure is a powerful thing and the pressure to be the leader that you made yourself out to be is a stronger influence than you would think. This is the predicament Orwell faced while standing at that marsh. Does he do what is he sees as right by not killing the elephant? If he did that all the people that followed him would laugh at him and say that Europeans aren't as powerful as they think. he would have wasted everybody's time and looked like a fool in front of an entire town.
Or does he kill the elephant and knowingly cause the suffering of the large mammal?
I don't think Orwell was being racist at all. He was relieved that the man died not because of his race but because it takes the pressure of legality off his shoulders. Even if he had wanted the man to die because of his race, I think he had more than enough reasons to hate the man. Unlike most racists, Orwell had a legitimate reason to hate this race of people. He had been tormented for the entire span of his career as their police officer. He had been tripped and laughed at. this would make anyone resentful of the people doing these things to you. Whether or not race was a factor in his relief at the death, it was all very appropriate.
No comments:
Post a Comment