What is the tone and setting of "Shooting an Elephant?"

In a clever and typically British wry remark, the
introductory sentence of "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell indicates the
relationship between the Burmese and himself, a relationship that extends to the one
between the British and the Burmese people:

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In Moulmein, in lower Burma, I was hated by large
numbers of people--the only time in my life that I have been important enough for this
to happen to me.

Later in the
passage, Orwell writes,

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Theoretically--and secretly, of course--I was all
for the Burmese and all against their oppressor, the British.  As for the job I was
doing. I hated it more bitterly than I can perhaps make
clear.  In a job like that you see the dirty work of Empire at close
quarters.

Thus, it can be
deduced from statements such as the above-mentioned that Orwell resents his post with
what he calls as a "despotic government."  For close
readers, those words that indicate the author's feelings are what determine the author's
attitude or tone toward his subject. And, of course, Orwell's actions, such as his
reluctance to perform his assignment suggest as well that he is not in agreement with
what his duties demand.