In the novel Burmese Days, George Orwell expresses a view of British imperialism that is critical and pessimistic. The era of British rule in India and related areas is called the raj, and it is this era that is addressed by Orwell in this novel. The main character is John Flory, and he represents what is known as the "pukka sahib," or the British resident who upholds British values and the British way of life to the degree possible in this far off area of upper Burma. Flory is deliberately contrasted with other British residents of the area, however, in that he has a real respect for the local culture and is not bigoted as are the others. The others stand for the more normal course of British imperialism, with the British lording it over a people for whom they have contempt. The strong pessimism of Orwell is seen in the way that Flory is marginalized by the British community precisely because he is not the bigot others are, and in the end Flory cannot survive in this atmosphere and commits suicide.
Flory is distinguished from others in the British community in that he befriends locals such as Doctor Veraswami. He even proposes the latter for membership in the British Club, which is quite counter to the attitude taken by most British citizens toward anyone not European. Doctor Veraswami is the only doctor in the province and also oversees the local jail. He also shows more grace toward the British than they show to him, for he has a high regard for the Europeans in spite of the many insults he and other non-Europeans must endure at their hands. He and Flory have a running joke that suggests that all is not right with the imperialist British: "It was a joke between the two men to pretend that the British empire was an aged female patient of the doctor's. The doctor had enjoyed this joke for two years without growing tired of it" (37). Doctor Veraswami has a pessimistic view of his own chances for achieving any lasting uni...