A Study Of George Orwell’s Anti-colonial Writing

George Orwell is a great writer in contemporary English literature and is recognized as " Conscience of a Generation".In Orwell’s literary creation,anti-colonialism is an important theme and also the starting point of his fictional creation.This paper,based on the anti-colonialism theory and using textual close reading,cultural research and comparative study as interpretation methods,studies Orwell’s works such as Burmese Days,Shooting the Elephant,The Hanging and Marrakesh,and reveals his anti-colonial writing strategies,artistic features and rich connotations.This paper has five parts.The introduction briefly summarizes Orwell’s literary creation and the development of anti-colonial have his anti-colonial consciousness.At the same time,the relevant research results at home and abroad are resolved,the anti-colonial theory and postcolonial theory are identified,and the research scope and purpose of this paper are clarified.The first chapter analyzes the main content of Orwell’s anti-colonialism writing.Anti-colonialism was deeply rooted in Orwell’s mind by his experience in Burma,vagabondage in London and Marrakech.In his works,Orwell not only profoundly condemned the colonial rule of the master country,depicted the miserable situation of the aborigines and the lonely plight of the colonists,but also actively sought solutions to colonial problems,showing his humanitarian concern.The second chapter discusses the image-building in Orwell’s anti-colonial works.After World War I,the colonial power of the British Empire gradually declined,and most of Orwell’s anti-colonial works were built on this background.The British Empire in his works was different from the image of "the empire on which the sun never sets",showing a declining trend.In the late colonial period,colonists took gentlemen and ladies as masks of pretence of civilization.Nonetheless,in fact they behaved badly and were morally bankrupt.Under the illusion of the imperial elite,they were the lesser parts of the vast empire.In Burmese Days,the principal character of the novel,Froly,still had a conscience and was resentful of imperialism,but could not get out to resist.This role was the epitome of Orwell in the Burmese period,embodying Orwell’s criticism and reflection on colonialism.His struggle and death illustrated the colonial cage devouring of individual spirit.The indigenous people who were oppressed by colonialism,Orwell did not reflect the crime of colonialism by depicting their moral nobleness,but by exposing their personality weaknesses,revealing the destruction of humanity and resistance spirit caused by colonialism.The third chapter focuses on the artistic characteristics of Orwell’s anti-colonial writing.Orwell focused on political propositions in his writing and tried to artistically political writing.He used precise language to convey colonial truths,and while pursuing authenticity,he added vividness and philosophy to his works with clever metaphors and cold irony.Orwell’s anti-colonial writings are full of a sense of plight,death and guilt,revealing a strong sense of tragedy.However,the mode of creation from the concept also causes the weakening of artistry,resulting in flat characters,lack of character development,and restricted creative vision in his works.The conclusion is to explore Orwell’s literary character from the significance and uniqueness of his anti-colonial writing.Orwell’s sympathy for the colonial people,his concern for the colonial truth and his thinking on the solution to the colonial problem all showed his humanitarian concern as a writer and an intellectual,which not only infected readers all over the world,but also filled his works with far-reaching significance.