Sniper

Have you ever heard the tale of a sniper' This book is called “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty. The book tells the tale of a sniper during a war. Snipers have guns, and in war people get killed. The main character is the sniper on the roof. In the book the sniper learns that war creates chaos and destroys family ties. As each soldier is shot, “The Sniper” shows how chaos is a major aspect of war. For example, when the sniper gets shot in the arm, “His forearm was dead. ‘I am hit,’ he muttered.” (The Sniper 112). I believe that he should not have been shot. The sniper shows great mental integrity when he continues to fight even though his arm is shot, and he eventually kills his enemy. In addition, the two parties should have tried to solve the conflict in a diplomatic and peaceful way instead of a warring manner, “Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil war.”(The Sniper 110). A reason why they should not have been warring is because an Irish farmer became a cold hearted sniper, and he was never meant to be a soldier. His life became enriched with chaos because of this. The events that he went through and what he saw in the war really affected his life. The job of being a sniper is an extremely tough one. For example, in the book it says the sniper was a farmer, which would require him to hunt for food. In order for him to survive on a farm, he would need to be an expert marksman, “The distance was about fifty yard-a hard shot in the dim light.” (The Sniper 113). With poverty plaguing his land at the time, he was probably using an iron sight. This would make him exceptional with a scope. Furthermore, his time as a sniper would have given him both good and bad traits, which would stick with him for the rest of his life. One of those traits is being cold hearted; this was picked up when he saw violence and destruction, “They were the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death.” (The Sniper 110). Another trait would be the mental and physical strength given to him by battle. Finally, in war family ties are sometimes broken or separated, and “The Sniper” is a very good example of this. He and his brother were unintentionally put in a gun battle against each other. In the end one brother kills the other, “The sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother’s face.” (The Sniper 114). This war showed the sniper what can be lost and gained in war, from your brothers to your heart. War is horrible and separates people. “The Sniper” illustrates this in a tragic, emotional way through the sniper’s injury and the death of his brother. The sniper has definitely learned that war creates chaos and destroys family ties. This story shows us the tragic and horrible nature of war. The Sniper' is a short story written by Liam O'Flaherty. The story is about a civil war taking place in Dublin. The Sniper' is the main character, and is hiding on the rooftop of a building near to O'Connel Bridge. The war is between the Free states and the Republicans. The sniper is on the side of the Republicans. I intend to discuss how tension and a sense of horror is created by O'Flaherty. Furthermore, I will also discuss how effectively he reveals the main character in the story.