George Orwell published “Burmese Days” in 1934. It is at least somewhat autobiographical, reflecting his experiences as an English policeman in Burma for a period in the 1920’s. The book draws a picture of life in colonial times that is both very real and deeply analytical.
The book is essentially a third-party narration. The main protagonist is John Flory, the factor for a teakwood plantation in Burma. He has “escaped” there, feeling rejected by British society due to a birthmark on his face. He felt social rejections as a child and youth. He more or less has an automatic place among the other British expatriates at the European club as he is white.
He remains something of an outsider, however, due to his interest in the locale – the landscape and the people, both of which he enjoys immensely. The other expats celebrate their Britishness through the club, where they routinely curse everything that is Burma and Burmese.
Into this, Orwell introduces two main subplots. One is into the presence of Elizabeth Lackersteen, who comes to Burma, to visit her aunt and seek a husband. Initially, focusing on Flory, she soon turns to Lt. Verrall, who has come to crush an “uprising”. Intertwined is the struggle between Dr. Veriswami, an Indian, and U Po Kyin, a local strong man and villain, over who will become the first native member of the club.
Orwell’s depiction of these struggles between Flory and Elizabeth and Dr. Veriswami and U Po Kyin is very real and reflects life among the colonials. The book ends poorly for a number of the main characters, but in ways highly reflective of a society Orwell himself had come to believe was a failure.
