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A Hanging
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Hanging, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Cruelty of Colonialism
“A Hanging” is fundamentally concerned with the mechanisms of imperialism, and it suggests that colonialism is cruel not only for the viciousness of its practices, but also the mindset it encourages among the colonizers. Orwell, narrating the story of the hanging of an Indian prisoner in British-occupied Burma (present-day Myanmar) in the first person, does not question the death penalty or the subjugation of the indigenous people at the beginning of the story: he…
read analysis of The Cruelty of Colonialism
Mortality and Denial
In exploring the death of the prisoner, “A Hanging” suggests that humans’ innate fear of death can make illogical behaviors seem sane. The story revolves around the anticipation and aftereffects of hanging a prisoner, and on either side of the event, Orwell and his comrades behave in ways that allow them to distance themselves from the reality of what is taking place. In the early stages of the story, the superintendent rushes the hanging…
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Bystanders, Guilt, and Avoidance
“A Hanging” investigates the experience of the bystander and suggests that bystanders are avoidant in two ways: they avoid acting in a moment of injustice, and then avoid their feelings of guilt after the fact. Orwell—who at the time was serving as a member of the Imperial Police Force in Burma (present-day Myanmar)—feels both guilt and extreme clarity when he reflects on the humanity of the prisoner who hangs. Orwell, who was in a…
read analysis of Bystanders, Guilt, and Avoidance
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