Imperialism: A State Of Powerlessness

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they push the Indians too far. This fact is why the British do not do anything when the Indians harass them. Orwell’s lack of power, as an authority figure, is seen when he says, “When a nimble Burman tripped me up on the football field and the referee (another Burman) looked the other way, the crowd yelled with hideous laughter”. He can do nothing about the Burmans harassment. He also says the Burmans laugh and “jeer” at him all day long. He can do nothing because there are so many Indians and so few British in India. Orwell says, “No one had the guts to raise a riot, . . .”. None of the Burmans needed to riot because the British were taking their verbal abuses and not doing anything to stop the harassment.
Orwell’s lack of power is also seen in the scene with the elephant. The elephant is on a rampage through the Burmans’ town. Orwell is called on to handle the matter. The elephant has destroyed a hut and killed a Burman or “collie”, as the British call them. The ...

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