The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty

In "the Sniper", by Liam O'Flaherty, a young sniper was caught in the turmoil of an Irish civil war. The sniper lay on the roof engulfed in the dark night of Dublin as the sounds of civil war echoed around him. He decided to take the risk of lighting a cigarette; as soon as the match flickered into light, a bullet hit the parapet that he was hiding behind. He carefully gazed around the parapet and another bullet came whizzing at him; this time he saw the flash, but his enemy was undercover on the opposite roof. When an armored car rolled along the street below, an informant ran across the street to point out the sniper's position to the men in the vehicle. In one smooth movement, the sniper ended the lives of the man in the turret and of the informant. Moments later, a shot fired from the opposite roof hits the sniper in his right forearm. Because the bullet had penetrated deep into the bone of his right arm, the sniper's rifle was useless. He moved undercover to tend to his wound and used his field dressing to make a quick bandage, clenching his teeth to fight the pain. The sniper knew that he could not allow himself to be found on the roof come morning because he would then be an easy target, so he devised a plan to kill his enemy. He held his hat on the tip of his rifle above the parapet. After the enemy fired, the sniper first allowed his hat to fall to the street, then used his good arm to hold the rifle over the edge of the parapet and drop it to the ground. "His ruse had succeeded." The enemy, thinking he had killed his mark, left the safety of his hiding place, giving the sniper a clear shot with his revolver. He steadied his left arm and took the shot. As he watched his enemy fall from the roof, the Republican sniper became filled with a feeling of remorse. He threw his smoking revolver to the ground and when it discharged a bullet past his head, he was frightened back to his senses. The sniper decided to leave the roof and report to his commander. After reaching the street, his curiosity overcame him and he wanted to know the identity of the enemy who had put up such a challenging fight. He ran to the body, through a hail of lead fired by a nearby machine gun, which caused him to dive to the ground. When he turned over the corpse, he found his brother dead in the street

War reduces human beings to mere objects. They have no names and no faces. They are targets, nothing more, to be shot at from a distance. To support this theme, OFlaherty refrains from naming any of his characters. War knows no boundariesage, sex, location, time of day, family ties. The theme is brought out through the sequence of events. It gives an insight into the evils of war. The fighting takes place in the heart of a city after sundown. This atmosphere is the appropriate setting for this kind of action. The dark night, the thin clouds, the dim moonlight and the terrifying gunfire around is sufficient for the reader to visualize the mindless violence, reckless action, remorse and revulsion that is experienced during a war. Shooting an old unarmed woman is the snipers most shocking act. It brings out the brutality of war. It makes the reader realize that war is senseless. It is destructive for both the killer and for the killed.

Shooting the enemy and finding out that he had killed his own brother brings out the horror of war where one does not know who the enemy is. It demonstrates the cruelness and senselessness of war. War is a very controversial dilemma. The sniper appearing to be the triumphant killer and a lucky survivor brings home the bitter truth that victory in war is only an illusion. The so called victory turns into defeat when a fighter feels empty and guilty. This is exhibited when the Sniper cursing him and the war after he realizes with disgust and guilt that he has killed his brother. This emotional conflict can destroy both the body and mind of a person and have terrible psychological effects.