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Shooting an Elephant

by George Orwell

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In " Shooting an Elephant " what does the dialogue do for this story? Are these characters authentic? Explain.

Expert Answers

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I am a bit confused by this question because there is essentially no dialogue in this story.  The only line I can think of where someone is actually quoted is when the old lady yells at the children to go away.  There are other places where Orwell reports what people say (like what the other Englishmen say about Orwell's action) but the people are not quoted.

If you are talking about that last paragraph where the Englishmen's comments are reported, I think it shows Orwell's attitude towards imperialism.  It shows that he thinks the imperialists don't care about the natives.  This seems realistic to me from things I have read about colonial attitudes.

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