Introduction
“Burmese Days” is apparently a semiautobiographical story of John Flory, British expatriate with large birthmark on his face who observes wood camps in kept away Kyauktada, Burma. Flory is the weak and lonely person. He recedes to the European Club for having a drink and doubtful friendly relations of others expatriate residents who share his outpost. Flory has the only friend, native doctor Veriswami whom he supports. He competes to the villain of the novel, U Po Kyin, for an entrance card to the Club. When the British debutant Elizabeth Lekerstin comes in Kyauktada, Flory immediately falls in love with her, creating weakness to U Po Kyin to maintain.
Main text
This novel shows that Orwell didn’t support the idea of British colonization. “Burmese Days” shows us another Orwell, quite different from that one whom we know through such novels as “1984” and others. There he shows his political beliefs and ideas. They were caused by his military service in Burma. Orwell was writing “Burmese Days” for several years. He was thinking of the plot in 1928 and the book was printed for the first time in 1934.
When reading the book it is hard to miss that each word and each page hide behind something more than words we can see for the first time. The book arouses many associations and images in our minds. This book is full of small observations that people usually miss. For example, the description of how “a tuktoo clung to the wall, flat and motionless like a heraldic dragon”1 is a description of a small living creature, a representative of Burmese local flora and fauna. He describes the beauty of them.
The plot of the book is centered on poignant character of John Flory. He is a manager of logging company, situated in the non-real town of Kyauktada in Upper Burma. Flory has been living there for already eight years. He has fluent Burmese and Hindustani languages. Besides, he possesses rare admiration from the side of local people. Though there live a small quantity of British residents in the colony except Flory, he feels alienated and a stranger to them because of his appearance and attitude towards local people. “Can be at ease in a foreign country only when they are disparaging the inhabitants.”2
That’s why Flory almost doesn’t speak his mind during daily obligatory visits to the Club of only white people. There all the residents gather every day to drink some alcohol and to damn local population for being insolent and unthankful.
Flory has only one real friend – doctor Veraswami, an Indian doctor, whose enthusiasm about the British rules seems to Flory funny, but a little bit unbearable. When U Po Kyin, a corrupted Burmese official, tends to destroy doctor’s career telling some gossips about him, Veraswami asks Flory to save him by making him a member of the Club – an unbelievable act in the eyes of all other members.
Flory becomes more and more satisfied with his existence in solitude. And suddenly his solitude is interrupted – Elizabeth Lackersteen, young niece of one of the British residents comes to the Kyauktada. And Flory falls in love with her. Suddenly, realizing that his feelings will find no response in Elizabeth’s heart, Flory despairs. Because of his absence in England, he is slowly becoming a stranger to his family and friends, and his tiny bridges to his land seem to be destroyed. In spite of the fact that Flory feels comfortable in Burma he tries to show that any affection to the land or its people is considered to be treason among small community of the residents, who spent most of the time remembering their motherland.
Flory believes that Elizabeth is far from being the same as other residents; he thinks that she can share his secret life. Unfortunately, his attempts to arise in Elizabeth interest to the Burmese environment lead to nothing. And ignoring his wishes and attempts she chooses the closed European community, which is symbolized by the Club. Flory’s tragic love led him to the shameful end.
The biggest part of the beauty of the book comes from bright descriptions of details provided by Orwell. His description of Burmese bazaar is wonderful, detailed and gives a full impression of it as if the reader were present there. Perhaps, this is due to thought-provoking phrases that Orwell gives to his characters. It can be clearly seen in the dialog between a member of the Club and the butler of it:
“Butler!”
“Yes, master?”
“How much ice have we got left?”
“’Bout 20 pounds, master. Will only last today, I think. I find it very difficult to keep ice cool now.”
“Don’t you talk like that, damn you—‘I find it very difficult!’ Have you swallowed a dictionary? ‘Please, master, can’t keeping ice cool’—that’s how you ought to talk. We shall have to sack this fellow if he gets to talk English too well. I can’t stick with servants who talk English. D’you hear, butler?”3
When Orwell was trying to have his “Burmese Days” printed for the first time, his attempts lead to no success. His manuscript was rejected in England by some editor. That made Orwell suppose that the government tried to suppress him. In reality, the editor was warned by his lawyer that the novel was likely to cause some court issues. Orwell took his manuscript and leave to America. There his work was finally published in 1932 by Harper’s, though after making some modifications. For example, he was asked to change the occupation of some of his characters. He changed from officials to businessmen.
It effectively reduced his accusations of the British colonial system. The book gained success in USA and British editors finally agreed to publish it in their country, but also after some more changes in the book. Among the second round of changes in the book, an attempt was taken to de-localize the story away from Katha, the city that became a prototype to the fiction town of Kyauktada. To show to the British reader the changes that were made, Orwell made a map of Kyauktada and then described that this fiction town had many distinctions from the real city of Katha:
“With reference to the possible identification of the imaginary town of Kyauktada with the real town of Katha. I have been unable to obtain a map of Katha, but I have searched my memory and made out a fairly clear picture of it. It was something like my description of Kyauktada, except that
- I had put the cemetery beside the church, which it was not in Katha,
- I had put in a pagoda which did not exist at Katha, and
- I had described the Club as having a garden that ran down to the river, whereas that at Katha, as well as I can now remember, was not actually on the river, though near it”.4
This quickly drown map that Orwell drew was published in the Penguin’s edition of the novel. And due to this map any traveler who will find himself or herself in Katha, can easily find all the main locations described in the book: the bazaar, the Club, the church, the hospital, etc.
This book, being rather thought-provoking helps to understand the situation and the environment in which lived people in former British colonies. It is really terrible when invaders come and show no respect to the established culture of the place. The book shows how native population of invaded countries was getting accustomed to terrible conditions, provided by colonists. As this book is semi autobiographical, it can be referred to as a political intended novel. Orwell’s criticism of British colonists’ culture can be easily seen there. The book was written based on the experience of Orwell, as he served in military service in Northern Burma. He was shocked and terrified by what he saw. Perhaps, Orwell tried to open eyes of the British people, to make them see and feel as if they were the invaded nation.
Conclusion
When I was reading “Burmese Days” I realized that this is the book I will reach out for to read when I have free minute. It impressed me by its vividness and small details giving the opportunity to drawn in the fabula of the book.
Bibliography
Orwell, George. Burmese Days. Fairfield, IA: 1st World Library – Library Society, 2004.
Footnotes
- Orwell, George. Burmese Days. (Fairfield, IA: 1st World Library – Library Society, 2004), 16.
- Orwell, George. Burmese Days. (Fairfield, IA: 1st World Library – Library Society, 2004), 19.
- Orwell, George. Burmese Days. (Fairfield, IA: 1st World Library – Library Society, 2004), 103.
- Orwell, George. Burmese Days. (Fairfield, IA: 1st World Library – Library Society, 2004), 315.