My last Orwell book, for now !

 So I finished reading George Orwells Burma Days last night. Its a revealing story he wrote about his time spent in service over there. I had my own preconceptions about empire, but I had no idea how convoluted the relationships were  between the different races. For starters some Burmese held the Europeans aloft as an archetype that could do no wrong and the Europeans were openly civil to the Burmese, but in times of trouble each sided automatically with their own as a rule.

I found it amusing to learn that single women who couldnt find a husband in the UK were often sent to relations who lived in small Burmese villages to see if they could fare better there as white women were in short supply. Of course back then a womans only hope of not living in poverty was marriage and being kept... so marriage was a huge deal then, unlike today.

Orwell was ashamed of his actions and attitudes as a young man serving in the military police. Especially the way a blind eye was turned to injustices. I sometimes wondered if I was seeing certain aspects of dubious people in the novel being drawn from his own views at the time.

The final few pages actually had me shaking a little, I was so shocked at the final plot twist when the main character commits suicide as he cannot have the woman he wants despite coming so close twice. It says a lot about the bleakness of empire life when it is stated as a fact that suicide was common and raised no eye brows amongst white Europeans. Have you ever read a story where the ending is suicide ? It is most unusual and disturbing.

Well I finally finished the book having being interrupted by illness, just like the last book I read of his before Christmas. I dare not read another of Orwell one ...lol