As he looks back at the events narrated in "Shooting an Elephant," Orwell admits that he shot the elephant because he did not want to appear foolish or weak in front of the crowd.
Orwell realized that he had been compelled to shoot the elephant because of his position as a colonial military officer. With a Burmese audience watching, he felt obligated to shoot the elephant and uphold his place in the colonial system, even though he did not particularly care to shoot the elephant.
