The Enemy Within

Definition of enemy: A hostile force, a person in opposition.

In George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”, the enemy is not just what one would consider up front when reading the story. The author battles with several enemies including his own conscience that pricks him when he unwillingly has to shoot the elephant.

In George Orwell’s case, his enemies are the Burmese people who are hostile and ill-treat him. He also finds his job as a police officer to be his enemy to a certain extent because he is opposed to it and he considers the British Empire to be “brutal”.

Similarly, the Burmese people are oppressed under the British colonial Raj and therefore they despise the Europeans and consider them to be their enemies. Their hatred and resentment towards the British officers is obvious in the story as well.

In conclusion it can be said that the enemies in the story match the definition of enemy quite aptly.