Roxana Chávez A91750, Lissette Villalobos A96789, Jorge Jiménez A73384 and Jean Carlo
Quesada A64501
M. Ed. Tamatha Rabb Andrews
IO-5520 Comparative Literature
November 24, 2012
George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" & Guy Jenkin's film "The Sleeping Dictionary":
Duty and Feelings Beneath the British Empire
"Wherever there were British colonies, there were British people who went there to live and govern. No matter how long these people lived overseas, they generally remained outsiders, an alien minority holding power over resentful people" 1(Beer & Odell 898). Beer & Odell's idea is reflected in the following narratives: Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" & Guy Jenkin's film
"The Sleeping Dictionary" in terms of the New Historicism approach in which culture is defined as a set of different worldviews, ways of thinking, and positions within a variety of different social subgroups, each with its own traits and beliefs (Meyers & Pacheco 39). This New
Historicism analysis paper is taking into account two key assumptions: (1) “an individual is necessarily a ‘transindividual subject’ who represents a larger, collective group characterized as a ‘subject position’” and (2) “a society is constituted by complex hierarchical interrelationships of groups and forces which are in a continuous state of flux” (Meyers & Pacheco 43). These assumptions will be expounded upon within the analysis of the transindividual subject, the lack of agency, and the lack of subject position. "Shooting an Elephant" and "The Sleeping
Dictionary" similarly present the transindividual subject as a representative of the British Empire
1 Beer Kylene & Odell Lee. Elements of Literature. Texas: Holt, Rinehart and Wiston Publishers. 2003

and the desire of one to transcend into another culture; however, when comparing Orwell's
"Shooting an Elephant" and Jenkin's film "The Sleeping Dictionary" they differ in the way that each main character asserts authority over their imperial subjects, illustrating the lack of agency and subject position.
Within Jenkin’s and Orwell’s works, similarities are noted within the “transindividual subjects” who represent the predominant social groups within “The Sleeping Dictionary” and
“Shooting an Elephant” as the characters represent “larger cultural group[s]” (Meyers & Pacheco
41) illustrating the hegemonic ideology of dominating the other. There were different ways in which the British took advantage of various tribes and wanted the population to work for them.
This phenomenon was imprinted within the lives of the native populations under the British authority. As such, each individual native united themselves against the oppressor within their own tribe, which depicts their “transindividual subject”. This can be seen in the movie “The
Sleeping Dictionary” when John Truscott, takes part in the welcoming ceremony as he was asked to entertain the tribe: Belansai says: “You must make us entertainment . . . . You are a very funny
Englishman” (The Sleeping Dictionary). Moreover, it is illustrated in the literary work
“Shooting an Elephant” when the community made fun of the British policeman, as he tried to integrate himself in both cultures by playing soccer. The act of acquiesce of both main characters reflect their own morals and values. They have to take certain decisions that affect their inner desires and worldviews. This is depicted when John Truscott is debating against his own values and beliefs to avoid premarital sexual relationships with Selima, the main female character in the movie “The Sleeping Dictionary”. In the movie, the Iban tribe believes that an Englishman has to sleep with a native woman as part of their tradition, with the purpose of learning the native Iban language. Similarly, Orwell’s literary work presents the act of acquiesce in the moment that the

policeman has to shoot the elephant. He is struggling between his beliefs and the pressure of the people: -"And it was at this moment, as I stood there with the rifle in my hands, that I first grasped the hollowness, the futility of the white man’s dominion in the East" (Orwell 3). It is in this dramatic situation that his obligation, as an British officer, becomes clear even if it went against his moral beliefs:-"I had got to shoot the elephant. To come all that way, rifle in hand, with two thousand people marching at my heels, and do nothing – no, that was impossible. The crowd would laugh at me. And my whole life, every white man’s life in the East, was one long struggle not to be laughed at." (Orwell 3). Both the film and the literary work demonstrate oppression in regards to how the British culture pushed upon the native population their laws and language. This can be seen as the British Empire used their laws and language as vehicles to impose its authority over its subjects. In Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant”, the narrator’s position as a “sub-divisional police officer” (Orwell 1) provides the narrator with the possibility to exercise control to some extent over the Burman crowd. It did not matter how much the Burman mob hated the officer as they were never ruthless enough to attack him at close quarters: “As a police officer I was an obvious target and was baited whenever it seemed safe to do so” (Orwell
1). A similar situation can be perceived within the film “The Sleeping dictionary”, in which language is used to subjugate the native population, nonetheless if a native managed to learned the laws and official language of the ruling power then he/she may rise above other natives in the eyes of the hegemony to apposition of power- not as a british officer but as a form of liaison between the two cultures. Belansai, a young leader of the Iban tribe, was recognized and respected by the British because he was able to speak English; however Belansai pointed out that
English was not of real importance for him. These main hegemonic points both language and law

represent not only the points in which Imperial authority relied to assert authority , but also the points in which rulers and subjects collide.
The challenging of the beliefs or practices that is depicted from both of the main characters in each story remark a different necessity of struggling the hegemony presented.
Orwell’s pronouncement about shooting or not the elephant was inferred by Burma’s tribe. His
British authority was dared and tested for the group of anxious natives; acknowledging that each decision has different moral and cultural implications. According to Begley (2006) throughout the country elephants are omnipresent; their cultural and historical importance as well as economic significance in Myanmar (known as Burma) made them sacred animals. On the other hand, Orwell carried over his shoulders the law and order of the British Empire; he thought that by shooting that raged elephant he would gain his respected position as an officer. “And it was at this moment, as I stood there with the rifle in my hands, that I first grasped the hollowness, the futility of the white man’s dominion in the East.”. (Orwell, 4) As well as he was pressured by the rest: “I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly”.(Orwell,4).
Moreover, the oppression is presented in the movie “The Sleeping dictionary” when the
Englishman Truscott is learning the way the English officer and his wife govern the tribe. They take advantage of their social and military positions in order to make people from the tribe to do what they wanted. A clear example of this situation is seen in a scene when the Truscott goes to talk with the English officer’s wife and she shows an interesting way to make the kids to work in the ground. Aggie Bullard says: “I’m clearing the jungle for a cricket lawn when Cecil, my daughter comes out . . . . Is much we can get than a working party from jail” (The Sleeping
Dictionary). In this scene, Aggie makes the kids think they are playing a game, but she is making them to work in the ground and she is not doing anything, but throwing some coins for the kids

to go and find them. While they are looking for the coins, they have to cut the plants they have in the area. This exemplifies the influence the British Empire has in the tribe and how they act to have benefits from the Ibans. Truscott is part of this influence and he uses it in favor of the
British Empire to show the authority. This authority is showed in a different way in the literary work “Shooting an Elephant”, because Orwell does not want to be part of the oppression from the Empire and he expresses a negative point of view about British: “For at that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing . . . I was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British” (Orwell 1). Another difference related to both Jenkin’s and Orwell’s works is depicted as how the subject position in both main characters is presented according to the hegemony in which they are immersed as a part of an established social system.
In Orwell’s work the subject position it is represented against the position of the narrator, something that later would take more relevance when he makes the decision of shooting the elephant over the sacred matters previously mentioned about elephants in Burma. Furthermore, this is supported by the very first sentences of the literary work: “In Burma I was hated by large numbers of people . . . . I was sub-divisional police officer, and in an aimless, petty way anti-
European feeling was very bitter” (Orwell 1). In contrast, in Jenkin’s work the Iban tribe was open when accepting Truscott into their society, allowing him to participate in some of their traditions and practices. This reflects the Iban hospitality when receiving a foreign man in contrast to the Burma tribe hostility against an outsider.
Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” and Jenkin’s “The Sleeping Dictionary” differ in their lack of agency under the British Empire’s authority over the individual. After the Victorian period, countries overseas were added as new British colonies: “Britain's overseas Empire took shape in the 17th century as a result of the country's great commercial, financial and maritime

power. More territories were added throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and so, many
Englishmen traveling ” . Some Englishmen were sent abroad to govern, teach, and serve as their nation, by applying the rules under powerful Great Britain Kingdom. As a Britain officer in
Burma, Orwell must follow that imperialistic rules, even though his beliefs were against of them:” irresistibly. And it was at this moment, as I stood there with the rifle in my hands, that I first grasped the hollowness, the futility of the white man’s dominion in the East. ( Orwell, 4) In order to put in practice. It is well known since the beginning of the movie “The Sleeping
Dictionary”, for Truscott it is part of what he believes not having sexual intercourse before marriage; but as part of the Iban culture, that a foreign man learns the language by having a woman at home as a couple. For Truscott, it is difficult to accept a woman living with him and maintaining sexual relationships before marriage: “I don’t sleep with you because of my beliefs, the spirits of my country forbidden it” (The Sleeping Dictionary). Even against his beliefs,
Truscott accepts that tradition and allows the woman to live with him. At first, there is only one condition from Truscott and it is to sleep in separated rooms. The woman (Selima) and Truscott never imagine that they were going to fall in love with each other. Here is when love appears in the story. The social and military positions within the movie determine that an Englishman like
Truscott has to get married with an Englishwoman, and in the movie this woman is the governor’s daughter, Cecil. The search for love becomes harder because the young man does not know what to do. On one hand he realizes he is in love with Selima, but on the other hand, he knows that he cannot have a serious relationship with her because of his culture and the political situation. The passion he has for Selima is more than the passion he has for Cecil, but he has to obey the British rules and he marries Cecil. The lack of agency presents in this case the forbidden love of Selima and Truscott, because they are not allowed to love each other and have

an official relationship. By the end of the story, he comes back to the tribe with his wife Cecil, decides to leave her (with her permission) and elope with Selima and his son. When thinking about duty and taking the premise of Vivekananda2 it is referred as a struggle in which one must strive in order to live up according to his or her own ideals. Holding an hegemonic position provide people with a great power that allows them to keep order and law, as we could see in both works, but at the same time this position comes with a great responsibility. This means that in many cases the individual will face moral struggle when choosing between their duties and their condition to act freely. Nevertheless, in the present case both works differ in the sense that at the end Prescott was able to elope with Selima the girl he really wanted to live with at first. In contradiction with Orwell’s acceptance of his duty. Therefore, the lack of agency is differently underlined from both works, since the main characters are enforced to subjugate their agency in favor of their duties as agents of the British Empire portraying their incapacity to do what they really wanted while keeping their hegemonic position.
The works of George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" and Guy Jenkin's "The Sleeping
Dictionary" portrays how a few people exercise hegemony over others. The hegemony from the
British Empire presses and changes the behavior of its subjects as in the stories mentioned. The reason of this phenomenon relays in the presence of the lack of agency, subversion and oppression lived by many people under the British rule. They both show a common type of self struggle that arises when it comes to choose between duty and feelings. This struggle is present in our daily life since we may face a problem of this sort at any moment. Taking into consideration the situations both main characters faced, it is possible to see the two likely
2 Swami, Vivekananda. 15 laws of life: What You Need to Keep in Mind. About.com, 2012

options a person has in regards to this dilemma to choose duty over feelings or the other way around, to choose feelings over duty.

Works cited:
Beer Kylene & Odell Lee. Elements of Literature, Sixth Course. 2003. Texas: Holt, Rinehart and Wiston.
2003
Begley, Charles. "EleAid." October 2006. www.eleaid.com. nd.. 20 November 2012.
Meyers, Kari and Gilda Pacheco. The Perceptive Process: An Introductory Guide to Literary Criticism.
Costa Rica: Editorial Universidad de Costa Rica, 2003.
Myanmar. www.myanmartravelinformation.com. Elephant Camps. August 2011. Myanmar Travel. n.d..
Web. Nov. 20 2012.
Spenser, Timothy. British Empire 20 century. 2002. www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk. nd.. Web . Dec.
2012 .
Swami, Vivekananda. 15 laws of life: What You Need to Keep in Mind. www.About.com. About.com
2012. nd..Web. Nov. 21 2012.