As long as one exists, people will continue to judge and have different perceptions of them.

Although people generally like to seem confident and independent, others perceptions will have an effect on how a person perceives themselves. Sometimes despite ones best judgment, one still lets others different perceptions change their actions. Shooting an Elephant, a short story by George Orwell, shows the conflict between changing or not changing oneself due to peer pressure and others judgments. This is depicted in the story through the narrator, an Englishman serving as a police officer in Burma. Due to the oppressive British rule of Burma at the time, he is hated by the Burmese. However, he wants to win their approval. So when he is pressured by the Burmese to shoot a seemingly harmless elephant, he can either choose to win the approval of the Burmese and shoot the elephant, or follow his conscience. Ultimately, no matter what he chooses, his perception of himself changes.