Burmese Days Extra Credit

The novel Burmese Days is a historical fiction piece written by George Orwell. The work
has a vast majority of material taken from Orwells personal experience in Burma so it can be
safely assumed that the novel is an accurate representation of the conditions of Burma (now
known as Myanmar) under British rule. While the storyline is intriguing, the deeper themes and
historical context of this book are paramount to understand. Orwell paints a beautiful picture of
the terrible elements that took place under British Imperialism, such as flawed gender roles,
magnitudes of racism, the corrupted administration and the altered culture in Burma, in the form
of an engaging manuscript.
Right off the bat, it is paramount to understand the time period that this novel takes place
in, which is towards the end of British rule in places such as India and Burma. It is seen
throughout the book the attitude of nationalism the white British men toward the crown. These
men have lived their entire lives in the atmosphere of British rule over other nations and it is
shown in their behaviors the deep extent imperialism had on the common man. Orwell himself,
like many others at the time have mixed thoughts on the imperialistic rule. On one end of the
spectrum, it can be viewed as an excellent improvement on the current society. The British come
in and modernize the nation, providing a mass of enhancements such as public education and
railroads, mentioned by the character Dr. Veraswami. He says that the worst parts of British
culture an uplift to the Burmese, showing his regard for the natives as lowly and uncivilized
while, as expressed throughout the entire novel, the British as saviors and legendary to create
such a vast empire. The opposing viewpoint of imperialism is provided by Flory in this novel,
emphasizing the lies and corrupt intentions that European imperialism renders. An important and
incredibly significant quote told by Flory is the lie that we're here to uplift our poor black
brothers rather than to rob them. By saying this Flory means that colonizers and the government
tell the citizens back home that they perform imperialism in an orderly fashion and it is the
white mans burden to uplift the black and uncivilized people. In reality, this is just the face of
imperialism, while the real intention is to steal their resources and push these same people further
into the ground, both by means of stealing their property and making them labor for the
Europeans. The true intentions of the British is to make money off of the Burmese. When this

money stops coming in and poor rule is in play (as it is in this period of British imperialism), the
white men will just pack their bags and send the natives into a wealth deprived anarchy.
Another major element in the novel is the idea of inequality between genders and races.
Woman are consistently treated as unequal in this time period. When U Po Kyin is speaking
about reincarnating in the next life, he hopes to return as a man since women are at the same
status as frogs and rats. This shows the inequality formed in the Burmese society itself, without
influence of the British. Woman throughout history are treated unequally and here especially they
are of equal status as common pests. Woman in the white society also adhere to the gender norms
of the time period all around the world. Similar to the play The Glass Menagerie, written in
1930s America, this novel shows the idea that woman are something to be cared for and married
off. Elizabeths main wish is to escape poverty and marry into a rich and easy life. She, like
almost every white living at the time, also has a keen taking to racism. The idea of white
supremacy has been around forever and is clearly demonstrated by Orwell in this piece. The
level of this racism varies greatly from person to person though, with some being so xenophobic
that they consider any human without white skin to be an inferior life form. Others have slightly
less harsh views, thinking of them as uncivilized but not barbaric. These people usually keep
their opinions quiet and occasionally find a commendable quality within their culture. Without
racism, imperialism would not play such a large role in history, as it helps push along ideas such
as Social Darwinism.
While reading the novel, many questions come to mind as to the nature of Orwells
writing and its relation to the historical question. One underlying question is why Orwell chose
to tell the story from Florys perspective, a character that eventually commits suicide, while it is
based on his experiences in Burma? Another inquiry that can be made is the impact Orwells
view of imperialism shaped the viewpoints of the characters. A theory behind this might be that
Orwell split his mixed viewpoints into the characters Flory and Dr. Veraswami, giving Flory his
anti-imperialistic views and the Doctor his pro views. The biggest question that I had was the
impact of imperialism on British citizens lives, who moved to a colony such as Flory. It is
shown that Flory loves Burma but struggles to find someone who shares this passion. If there are
truly British who had a strong affection for their host country, what was the impact when
imperialism came to an end?

For those who take the time to read this novel, it is evident that it is a piece that
challenges British imperialism. It has many underlying themes that reflect the social norm of the
time period that are questioned by Orwell. It takes the reader back to the era, painting a mental
image of the hardships, challenges and day to day lives of people living under British
imperialism, both the natives and the whites. I myself enjoyed the book and the insight that it
gave me into the various issues that were present in Burma and the rest of the British colonies at
the time. It was an easy read with not too confusing vocabulary, a work Orwell meant to use to
deliver information to a broad audience, rather than inadvertently create the classic that he did.