Liam O Flaherty The Sniper

War is something that can change the very principles of a person, it can change a person and leave multiple effects that can last for their entire life. The sniper is fighting in a civil war where friends and family can turn into enemies at a moment's notice. The fight is between the Republicans and the Free Staters, the protagonist is a sniper for the Republicans. Throughout the story, we go into the state of mind of the main character and learn some ramifications that he gained in the war. The text, “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty shows us the physical and psychological results of war, that happens to people.

The sniper is undoubtedly a dynamic character. The author displays this through the plot, the sniper’s thoughts, and even states it directly. Liam O’ Flaherty wrote of the sniper being overwhelmed with penitence after defeating his opposition. In the story, the author directly stated how the sniper’s feelings had changed. Liam O’ Flaherty did this again when he wrote about the sniper feeling reckless after drinking from the whiskey flask.

There are many ways of thinking of military snipers. They can be compared to predators in the wild, a skillful killing machine that kills out of necessity and has the respect of their companions. Snipers can also be thought of as prey. They are given a challenging task that requires skill to elude the enemy and often preys upon their mental toughness. In Boyden’s book Three Day Road the author uses many passages to compare the role of a sniper to the role of both predator and prey in the wilderness. These comparisons help the reader relate to the experiences of two indigenous boyhood friends, Elijah and Xavier as snipers in World War 1. Instead of shooting caribou back home in Canada as boys, they are now shooting German soldiers in the trenches

War can destroy a man both in body and mind for the rest of his life. In “The Sniper,” Liam O’Flaherty suggests the horror of war not only by presenting its physical dangers, but also by showing its psychological effects. We are left to wonder which has the longer lasting effect—the visible physical scars or the ones on the inside?

Being daring is a trait often seen in young people. For example, during the Winter, I chose to go walk out on the ice on a lake even though I knew it was dangerous. This is just one time where I have been daring as a young person. The trait is also shown in the short story “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty, and The Saints, by Lex Thomas. The Sniper and Gates are both very daring through how they take risks and complete daring acts.

The sniper is a short story written by Liam O’flaherty set in the time of the Irish civil war. Two brothers unknowingly have different ideas of the war and each go on to divergent sides (Republican and free state). The republican sniper extirpates two enemy targets up until he was shot in the arm by a free state sniper. He was inadequate to use his sniper so he creates an elaborate plan to escape and kills the free state sniper with his revolver. Once he killed him, he began to fade away into the shadows of Dublin, but his curious mind exploited his logical, and he went over to see who the sniper was who he had decimated. He went up to the body with horror already brewing inside. He stares into the cold, lifeless eyes of his brothers face.

When someone first enlists in the war, they are fresh,new, and ready to fight for their country. As the years go by, war breaks the soldiers down and turns them into rugged, motionless men. The generals mold them into killers with no feelings and only designed to kill without content. This is true in The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty. The theme of war brings out the worst in people turning them into monsters is developed through three types of conflict: man vs man, man vs himself, man vs circumstances.

Through literature, Liam O’Flaherty, the author of the short story The Sniper, clearly illustrates how horrific and destructive war really is. He illustrates the appalling agony of the Irish civil war through a dramatic story of two brothers against each other in the war. Through the the author's writing, readers can conclude that the theme of The Sniper is that war destroys families. O’Flaherty sets emphasis on this theme by using many strong literary devices. The literary devices used that apply the most emphasis on the theme are situational irony, setting, and the author's use of direct characterization .

Liam O’Flaherty’s realistic fiction story, “The Sniper,” takes place in Dublin, Ireland during a civil war. In the story, a Republican Sniper is stuck on a roof with enemy snipers surrounding him. He shoots two enemies down before he is shot in the arm causing his rifle to brake. Now he must find a way to make a hard shot in order to kill the enemy with just a revolver and a hurt arm. By using word choice and sensory details O’Flaherty demonstrates the theme that actions have serious repercussions.

During the times of war, lines are blurred and deaths arise where guilt has no room to wrap itself around a soldier’s head as they choose between killing and being killed. Under the summer evening and heavy artillery fire of Dublin, Ireland, a republican sniper lays waiting, in a fanatical haze, behind the parapet of a building’s roof. He decides to light a cigarette, despite the risk of exposure, and encounters an enemy sniper opposite the street from his position. Promptly after, an enemy vehicle approaches, met by an informant, who divulged the sniper’s location. Having to execute the informant and a soldier exposed in the open turret, the marksman seeks upon the rival sniper, killing him by a ruse of playing dead along with an arm shot and feebly. Following a moment of hysteria, he evades the bullets of a machine gun, throwing himself aside the corpse only to find it to be his brother. In “The Sniper”, Liam O’Flaherty suggests the

In the story The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty is about a Republican sniper watching over Dublin, Ireland. The story is set in the Irish Civil War. The author uses mood and foreshadowing to show and tell that war tears families apart.

The main character in The Sniper was in a fire fight. He shot and killed 3 people. After the fire fight he started to dwell on what he did .In the story it said, “The lust of battle dies in him. He became bitten by remorse.” As a result, “he looked at the smoking revolver in his hand, and with an oath he hurled it to the roof at his feet. The revolver went off… The bullet whizzed past the sniper’s head.” Because of him dwelling, he almost killed himself.

“Wars never hurt anybody except for the people who died” -Salvador Dali, leader of the Surrealist Movement. In both stories men who are at war are described, both of these men have killed a man who are known as their foes. Both of the men realize that the man they killed could've been a friend, and were someone who really wasn't the enemy. The relationship between these two stories is that war can tear families apart. In Liam O'Flaherty's “The Sniper” and “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy both show similarities and differences in plot, irony, and theme.

Back when I was younger, my parents had tried to teach me how to ride my bike but I could never found out how to, when they weren't with me, I had tried to ride my bike alone, and I had successfully rode it down my road and back without them realizing it. From riding a bike to killing enemies to be able to survive a war, there is no difference. independence is the biggest trait someone needs to be able to get further in life and to be able to succeed. Connor from Unwind and the IRA Sniper from ¨The Sniper¨ are both independent because of them being able to overcome rough obstacles by themselves.

This short story was interesting to read, and the ironic ending was surprising. The main character unknowingly shot his own brother. Despite the fact that numerous relationships are severed through war, I was still startled by the abrupt ending. Humans rarely think twice about their actions, resulting in catastrophic consequences. The story portrayed the main character as a Republican sniper who would carelessly act, such as trying to light a cigarette in the darkness during war. He never thought about the results of pulling a trigger on a person, and the outcome was atrocious. I would recommend this short story for people who prefer surprising plot twists. Although, this book was enjoyable to read, on a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the highest,