Every day a war is waged, not in foreign countries, but in small neighborhoods and in capitals around the world. A timeless battle to retain individual thought and action in an increasingly conformist society. The concept of a unanimous groupthink society can be seen throughout history in the form of political controversies over pop culture and trends, to subtle influences in everyday life. The short story “Shooting an Elephant” written by George Orwell is a perfect example of groupthink which implies that to be accepted into these societal groups one must do what is right for them, not the individual. Throughout the story, the author is influenced by increasing pressure from the crowd to shoot the elephant, even though it goes against his own personal beliefs. The author desires to be accepted into the lives of the natives; no longer a social pariah. However, with this desire comes the knowledge that the group may or may not be right in their brutal quest for blood. George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant" demonstrates one man's moralistic battle between his own belief in the preservation of life and that of the crowd. natives who incite him to kill the beast. The author is pushed into his action by the large and unanimous crowd that impatiently looms behind him. The sheer size of the Burmese indigenous group can create an illusion of numerical strength that can be difficult to combat. The author knew, on the one hand, that shooting the beast was immoral, but from a social point of view, agreement with the group meant survival on its territory. Failure to do what is expected could result in punishment in the form of embarrassment. The author writes “going all this way, rifle in ...... middle of paper...... 2013. Web. .Lassila, Kathrin. “A Brief History of Groupthink.” Yale Alumni Magazine. Jan.-Feb. 2008. Yale Alumni Publications. October 28, 2013. Web..Lickerman, Alex. “The wisdom of crowds”. Psychology today. February 6, 2011. Psychology today. October 28, 2013. The web. .Surowiecki, James. The wisdom of crowds: why the many are smarter than the few and how collective wisdom shapes businesses, economies, societies and nations. New York: Doubleday, 2004. KindleOrwell George Edition. “Shooting an Elephant” English Composition II, Writing About Your World: Global Sociocultural Awareness, 3rd Edition; Jacksonville, Florida. 2011 p. E-book publishing.