In Orwell's celebrated short story "Shooting an Elephant," a conflicted British officer is given the order to take care of a loose elephant that was ravaging the local bazaar. While the officer is tracking the elephant, he discovers that it killed a Burmese civilian, which motivates him to send for a powerful rifle to protect himself. The officer states that he has no intention of harming the elephant and plans on using the rifle to scare the animal if necessary. As the British officer continues to search for the elephant, a large crowd of Burmese civilians begins to gather behind him. Once the officer finds the elephant, it is peacefully grazing and no longer a significant threat. However, the officer feels peer pressure from the crowd of Burmese natives to shoot the elephant against his will. Moments before pulling the trigger, the British officer experiences an epiphany and says,

I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. He becomes a sort of hollow, posing dummy, the conventionalized figure of a sahib...He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it...A sahib has got to act like a sahib; he has got to appear resolute, to know his own mind and do definite things" (Orwell, 8).

In India, a sahib is a term of respect that means sir or master, which was primarily used to address a European during the colonial period. As a member of the ruling imperialist regime, the British officer must act like a sahib, which is a respected, resolute individual of a certain status. Tragically, the British officer loses his individuality by conforming to society's standards and shoots the elephant against his will. The peer pressure from the Burmese natives and his obligations as an agent of the imperialist regime influence his regrettable actions.