I think in the story presented by Orwell neither he nor the Burmese has complete power, however, both are only able to exert their power in very specific ways. Orwell’s daily treatment and his ultimate decision to shoot the elephant for the sake of not looking foolish exemplify the way in which the Burmese are able to exercise their power. In many ways, the Burmese function as the Peasants presented by Scott in Weapons of the Weak. The way in which Orwell is jested, insulted, mocked, and disrespected illustrates that while the Burmese did not have an explicit political power under the rule of British colonialism they were able to show their power through other means. This constant mistreatment only further exemplifies their lack of traditional power, having to resort to this constant mistreatment of Orwell in order to express the only form of power available to them.

 

In that vein, the power possessed by Orwell must then be discussed. Orwell ultimately has a more traditional authority and power, however, throughout the piece, it is observed that his power has significant limits. While he is able to jail prisoners and ultimately is needed to kill the elephant, he is unable to gain any respect from the Burmese people. This lack of respect, while it does not detract from the authority he possesses to control the prisoners and his ability to access sufficient weaponry and firepower to kill the elephant once it turns violent, in the shooting of the elephant against his own wishes he illustrates the limits of his power.

 

I also believe there is symbolism in the way the elephant dies that connects to Orwell’s own comments on the death of British colonialism. While the elephant does not die instantly from one of the bullets, a large number of bullets in combination with time slowly degrades the elephant’s power and allows it to die, mirroring the slow decline of the British Empire. Scott seems to indicate that through slow degradation of power the colonies of Britain can and do ultimately gain their freedom, regardless of the elephant-like power possessed by the British. Through this symbolism of the elephant, Orwell further illustrates the limits of his own power as the system and authority that grants him his power is presented as vulnerable and can be overthrown given sufficient time and degradation. Orwell, therefore, presents a system in which his traditional authority is significantly limited, and while the Burmese may not have a traditional form of power they seem to possess more power than both he and the British in their homeland of Burma.