George Orwell- Burmese Days

There is a pattern in Orwell's books: the main character is a pathetic guy, fatally flawed from birth, but basically good (unless it's autobiographical, in which case the main character is awesome); the other characters are criminals at heart, and the one exemplary, saintly character gets dragged through the mud and usually dies at the end (kind of like Jesus). The main character takes a feeble stab at saving himself and "Jesus" but ultimately fails due to circumstances that capitalize on his numerous weaknesses (again, unless it's autobiographical, in which case, the main guy has no weaknesses and solves problems by moving to another country).

Burmese Days is not a huge exception! I read it to get a pseudo-historical perspective on the British occupation of the Irrawaddy delta region, since Orwell was stationed there for a while and the novel would undoubtedly be a loose disguise for his personal observations and opinions. Which it was.

As an early novel, it isn't very good. The plot is silly (most likely intentional) and smacks of allegory. The main guy, Flory, is a lone (and silent) voice of dissent in a sea of imperialistic bigotry. He hates his mediocrity but manages to perpetuate it with every action, except for his friendship with a saintly Indian doctor, the one guy he can talk honestly with. Then a girl shows up, a girl whom he falls in love with and dreams he can share his silent opinions with, but she turns out to be a horrible bitch, a female copy of the other white guys. This is not to deter Flory. Her approval, by either boosting or deflating Flory at critical junctures, determines how well he defends his Indian friend, whose status hinges on his relationship with the white guys, and who has come under attack by a corrupt Burmese magistrate.

Orwell never waxes pedantic, opting instead to sound less like commentary and more like observation (one of his main strengths, and probably a large factor in avoiding the banning of his books). He never says outright, "the only smart character is the corrupt Burman, the only decent character is the gentle Indian doctor, the white guys and Burmese slaves are sniveling, terrified bastards." But...that's exactly what the book tells you. Racism is put into context, the smart guy wins, the gentle guy loses, and all in all, the book ends up being as silly as it is realistic.

Please no snarky comments about Orwell's real name. 'George Orwell' is a way better selection than Eric-name-so-mundane-I-already-forgot.