Previous
Quotes
Orwell
Orwell is the essay’s author and narrator. Orwell narrates “A Hanging” without revealing whether the events of the morning actually took place. It’s true that the author was serving as a member of the Indian…
read analysis of Orwell
The Prisoner
The prisoner is a Hindu man who faces execution on the morning the story takes place. He is quiet and surprisingly submissive, despite the guards’ obvious nerves as they restrain him. He does not fight…
read analysis of The Prisoner
The Superintendent
The superintendent is a British man who runs the prison. He is both Orwell’s superior and the man who orchestrates the hanging. At the beginning of the essay, the superintendent appears impatient to get…
read analysis of The Superintendent
Minor Characters
Francis
Francis is the indigenous liaison between the prison and the British colonizers. He tells one of the unfortunate stories of condemned prisoners which the rest of the prison workers laugh at.
