British imperialism:

Throughout the essay Orwell explicitly discusses

the nature of British imperialism, specifically the
way that he, as a police officer, both represents
and internalizes the imperial project.
Fear of humiliation:
Orwell's fear of humiliation can represent the
motive of the broader British colonial project. The
imperial police officer is willing to sacrifice his
sense of what is right, and to fulfill the role of
oppressor and tyrant, in order to save face. The
fear of humiliation is one of the most important
motives in Orwell's essay.
Colonial resentment:
One of the central themes threaded through the
essay is the latent resentment of the colonized
people of Burma for the British occupiers who aim
to control their society, yet cannot fully do so.
The performance of power:
Orwell discusses the ways that he must uphold the
performance of power by not appearing to
hesitate in shooting the elephant.
Police power:
The experience of the imperial police officer is an
experience of representing the empire as a whole.
As the face of the British empire, Orwell is
personally subject to the Burmese peoples'
derisions of the empire.
Natural life:
When we see the elephant grazing in the paddy
field, we see the naturalness of its existence.