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Throughout the essay Orwell explicitly discusses the nature of British imperialism, specifically the way that he, as a police officer, both represents and internalizes the imperial project. He opens by revealing the brutality of British colonialism in Burma, with images of tortured prisoners, and he discusses his distaste for the empire's impact in Burma. He says that he's on the side of the "Burman," yet he also resents Burmese people for the way they perceive him. Orwell's self-consciousness as the face of British imperialism is central to his internal conflict as he tries to uphold the image of the impenetrable empire while going against his personal inclination, and killing an elephant that he doesn't want to kill.
The actual shooting of the elephant works as an allegory for the British colonial project in Burma. Orwell feels that it's wrong to kill such a large and wild animal. This feeling represents the guilt of attempting to commandeer an entire culture and society. On top of this, shooting the elephant does not kill the elephant; just as policing Burmese society does not put them under the colonizer's control. Orwell puts multiple bullets into the elephant, but in the end he has to leave to bleed to death. This scene reflects the nature of colonial power of Burmese society: the British are incapable of ultimately fulfilling the punitive end of their project in Burma.
