On the one hand, his guilt makes him feel sympathy for having disowned and mistreated the natives he grew up alongside. However, this guilt is caused by his loyalty to his job, even though he knows firsthand the evils of imperialism. This makes Orwell hate his job, imperialism, and the Burmese people who oppress him. Upon further examination of “Shooting an Elephant,” it is clear that Orwell uses an abundance of symbols in his writings. He uses specific objects or people to represent ideas and qualities that have symbolic meaning such as the rise and fall of the oppressive imperialist British Empire, but mainly himself and his battle against his deranged and unbearable mind.