The Execution of Criminals in Burma

The Execution of Criminals in Burma

George Orwell once observed an execution of a criminal in Burma when he was serving in the British Imperial Police. The execution is definitely not a pleasant scene to watch, but the much more unpleasant thing that bothers Orwell is the inhumanity of the people who carry out this kind of job. Orwell used all of what he experienced there to write the story “A hanging” in which he examines the inhumanity through the exposition, the plot of the story, and especially through the conflict between the warders and the dog.
From the beginning of the story, the prison, observed through the eye of the author, seems to be the place where the humanity does not exist. The prisoners are kept in “a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages” (1). They are not treated like living men but animals which are supposed to be killed soon. One Hindu prisoner, the protagonist, has been brought out of his cell in order to be executed in the morning. Orwell states: “He was a Hindu, a puny wisp of a man, with a shaven head and vague liquid eyes.” (2) It is hard to say if he is still alive or not. It seems like this is a body without a soul. However, the author does not say anything about the condemned man’s name, or the criminal that he has committed. As the warders bring him to the gallows, they treat him in such a way it shows that they do not care about his feelings: “”For God's sake hurry up, Francis,” he said irritably. “The man ought to have been dead by this time. Aren't you ready yet?”” (3) They talk about the prisoner as if he cannot hear what they are talking. Maybe he had done some terrible things therefore deserves the death, but this is too cold and heartless. They even chat, joke, laugh, and drink after ending a life of a human just like them. Orwell writes at the end of the story:
“Pulling at his legs!” exclaimed a Burmese magistrate suddenly, and burst into a loud chuckling. We all began laughing again. At that moment Francis’s anecdote seemed...

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