preview

Short Story The Sniper

Decent Essays
Open Document
Two brave men who have bought the enemies and persevered the horror that laid ahead of them. “The Sniper” a short story by Liam O’Flaherty, takes place during the irish civil war. A trained sniper is given a mission to kill. Where as Private first class paul berlin the protagonist in “Where have you gone charming Billy” by Tim O'Brien, he is a young soldier drafted and sent off to fight in the vietnam war where he must face inner struggles and the violence during the 1960s. Though they both are two different people, the two protagonists have similarities and differences in their own unique ways.
“ Oh where have you been billy boy, billy boy oh where have you gone charming billy” (O’Brien 64). This is a nursery rhyme that was sang by the soldiers to forget the catastrophic loss of Billy Boy, a member of their troop. The mental state of Berlin shows his fear of being in the war. “He pretend he was not a soldier” (O’Brien 64). These were the words spoken by Berlin to show how frightened he was of dying of a heart attack after Billy boy died. On the flip side the Sniper was completely relaxed. “They were deep and thoughtful, eyes of a man that was used to looking at death” (O'Flaherty 164). This explains that the Sniper is a experienced and Potent marksman who is not afraid of being in the civil war or just thinking about it.
The physical reaction to death is similar however at one point in the story.The Sniper in this case is very calm throughout most of the story. “He had
Get Access
Related
Get Access