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The Prisoner
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 the execution over with so that he and the rest of the prisoners can eat breakfast. But after the dog treats all the men equally and the prisoner steps onto the gallows and begins to chant, the superintendent allows him to do so for a prolonged moment. Orwell doesn’t portray his hesitation as cruel but instead as reflective, as though the superintendent regrets being the one who must order the prisoner’s death. At the end of the essay, the superintendent and all the other hanging witnesses drink some of his whisky together.
The Superintendent Quotes in A Hanging
The A Hanging quotes below are all either spoken by The Superintendent or refer to The Superintendent. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
A Hanging
Quotes
We looked at the lashed, hooded man on the drop, and listened to his cries—each cry another second of life; the same thought was in all our minds: oh, kill him quickly, get it over, stop that abominable noise!
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
We all began laughing again. At that moment Francis’ anecdote seemed extraordinarily funny. We all had a drink together, native and European alike, quite amicably. The dead man was a hundred yards away.
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The Superintendent Quotes in A Hanging
The A Hanging quotes below are all either spoken by The Superintendent or refer to The Superintendent. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
A Hanging
Quotes
We looked at the lashed, hooded man on the drop, and listened to his cries—each cry another second of life; the same thought was in all our minds: oh, kill him quickly, get it over, stop that abominable noise!
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
We all began laughing again. At that moment Francis’ anecdote seemed extraordinarily funny. We all had a drink together, native and European alike, quite amicably. The dead man was a hundred yards away.
