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What belief is shared in George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" and 1984?
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Both "Shooting an Elephant" and 1984 share the belief that authoritarian regimes suppress individuality and force people to act against their conscience. In "Shooting an Elephant," a British officer in Burma is pressured to kill an elephant against his will, reflecting imperialism's coercive nature. Similarly, in 1984, Winston Smith's individuality is oppressed by a totalitarian regime, leading to his eventual conformity. Both works critique the loss of personal autonomy under oppressive systems.
George Orwell illustrates how authoritative and imperialist regimes oppress their citizens and agents by suppressing individuality in both the short story "Shooting an Elephant" and the novel 1984. In Orwell's short story, he depicts how a young British police officer stationed in Lower Burma becomes a victim of government oppression and is forced into acting against his conscience. Although the British officer has no desire to kill the elephant, the native Burmese citizens expect him to shoot the tranquil animal. Being a British police officer and agent of the ruling imperialist regime, the young man is forced to act resolute and harsh even though he wishes to show sympathy toward the elephant. The officer ends up succumbing to the peer pressure of the natives and briefly loses his individuality by shooting the elephant.
Similarly, Winston Smith's individuality is also oppressed by the government in Orwell's classic...
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novel1984. Winston Smith struggles to maintain his individuality and humanity in the dystopian nation of Oceania, where the Thought Police spy on citizens. Winston attempts to maintain his individuality and sanity by writing in his secret journal, carrying on an affair with Julia, and even attempting to join the Brotherhood. Unfortunately, Winston Smith is arrested and then brainwashed in the Ministry of Love, where he eventually becomes a supporter of Big Brother. In both works, Orwell portrays how authoritarian and imperialist regimes oppress individuality and force agents and citizens into acting against their conscience in order to appease the government.
The only real connection I see between these two works is the idea that people should act according to their consciences.
In general, "Elephant" is an essay about imperialism. But one of its critiques of imperialism is that imperialism makes people act in ways that they think is wrong. Orwell did not want to shoot the elephant, but he felt he had to.
In 1984, Winston is fighting for the right to act according to his own conscience. His society has taken that right away from him and he wants to get it back.
Does that sound plausible to you?