what is orwell's main argument in shooting an elephant
George Orwell's essay, Shooting an Elephant, deals with the evils of imperialism. The unjust shooting of an elephant in Orwell's story is the central focus from which Orwell builds his argument through the two dominant characters, the elephant and its executioner.The British officer, the executioner, acts as a symbol of the imperial country, while the elephant symbolizes the victim of imperialism.ne can begin to understand Orwell's argument against imperialism by seeing the wrong in Orwell's shooting of the elephant. Orwell shoots the elephant for the sake of holding up the white man's image, not for the reason of safety.