Burmese Days

Description

Burmese Days

In his novel Burmese Days (1934), George Orwell scrutinizes the contradictions of both Burman and European values, attitudes and aspirations, denouncing the disruptive effects of imperialism. In Kyauktada, upper Burma, Flory, a lonely and rather cowardly British timber merchant, feels alienated and stifled by the Europeans’ conduct and conversations. U Po Kyin, a corrupt, unscrupulous, and extremely powerful Sub-divisional Magistrate, seeks the privilege of becoming the first native member in the European Club, and so he plots to ruin his rival, Dr. Veraswami. Flory commits suicide, for he cannot withstand the humiliation he is publicly subjected to by Ma Hla May, his former Burmese mistress, as part of U Po Kyin’s schemes against the protagonist.
George Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair in 1903 in British India, and he served in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. He expressly condemns the British imperial system; however, he often exhibits an ambivalent attitude towards it. He died in 1950