Orwell’s Ambivalence In Attitude

George Orwell has been acknowledged as one of the greatest British writers during the twentieth century. Burmese Days, based on his experiences as an imperial policeman in Burma, has been considered as one of the greatest colonial texts during the early twentieth century. This novel reveals a self-examination and criticism of the colonial dominance of British Empire. This paper studies Orwell’s attitude toward Burmese culture and the people presented in his work Burmese Days from the perspective of postcolonial theory.This paper points out that Orwell’s attitude toward Burmese culture is ambivalent: he is attached to Burmese culture, yet he inevitably describes the people as the "Other". Apparently, Orwell is sentimentally attached to Burmese culture. Not only does he love Burmese scenery, religion, custom, but he also likes to make friends with Burmans. Furthermore, Orwell has a good knowledge of Burmese society and its system. He is able to perceive the social segregation existing not only between Burmans and the British but also among Burmans. However, Orwell is politically trapped in the ideology of Eurocentrism and his descriptions of Burmese culture are deeply influenced by the westerners’traditionally stereotyped view on the Orient, so he characterizes the natives as the "Other". Under his pen, Burmans are almost uglified and racially discriminated. What’s more, Burmans are subordinate to the British in social status. As to Burmese women, they are basically marginalized. In essence, Orwell cannot get rid of Eurocentrism. Therefore, we can learn from the study of Burmese Days that in the today’s world of multi-cultural coexistence, the real and equal communication between Easterners and Westerners can be realized only if Eurocentrism is got rid of completely.