Narrator’s Dilemma in Shooting an Elephant

Activity Overview

Often in literature, characters have to make important choices, even when the outcomes are equally unpleasant. This is called a dilemma, and many students will be able to identify with being stuck “between a rock and a hard place”, much like characters are in their various conflicts in a story. Have students analyze the dilemma the narrator encounters in “Shooting An Elephant” as they read and speculate on the potential outcomes of the narrator’s choices. Have them incorporate their findings into a storyboard like the example below.

Introduction
The narrator sees the elephant has calmed down, and no longer poses a threat, but the crowd behind him is anxious for him to do something.

Problem 1
If the narrator tries to gauge the elephant’s aggression, he could get stuck in the mud, panic, and be killed by the elephant in front of the spectators who will probably just laugh. If he walks away, he will also be seen as a fool and a coward.

Problem 2
If the narrator shoots the elephant, he will be harming the owner financially because the elephant is an important labor animal. In addition, the narrator doesn’t want to kill the animal—he feels guilty for shooting an animal for being an animal, and especially because he no longer poses a threat.