Shooting An Elephant Response

Shooting an elephant

Response

To me this story reveals its main purpose almost immediately. Its about peer pressure and the opinions of others on you as a person. Which are virtually the same. Yet are slightly different. Allow me to explain. Peer pressure is when a person or a group of people are pressuring you into doing something that on your own accord would not do. You get caught up in the moment and lose proper conscious thought and merely want to please or disprove any naysayers to what you are about to do. Now, the other aspect to consider is what people think of you. If you don’t do something how will they react or what will the say or even worse….. what will they think? In present times this is felt more often than not. Almost everything is a battle about what will the other people think? And if you don’t believe that then count how many designer handbags and tennis shoes and clothes are being devoured from store shelves and worn on a daily basis in almost any setting, from schools, colleges, malls, sporting events, coffee shops etc. this is all in an effort to fit in, or be cool or somehow meet the criteria of the masses to be able to fit in. my whole point however is this relates to the man in the story. For you see he had no intention in the first place to shoot the elephant. But 2000 Burmese onlookers sending hints of pressure to shoot the beast played a heavy weighted role. The writer he himself said had he been alone he wouldn’t have shot the elephant. This story is also about fitting in. peer pressure is also a way to test a new comer or someone that’s trying to be accepted. the group or majority sets a task or feat of will or bad judgment upon the person to see if he/she passes their test to their liking.