Liam O 'Flaherty's The Sniper'

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In the short story by Liam O'Flaherty "The Sniper," the theme is that war has no rules or requirements2, conflict is expressed by the brutality of the war which is used to make his point stronger. The authors theme throughout the short story is that conflict takes tolls on everyone not just the people on the front lines. When thinking about war you usually think about the soldiers fighting but what about the people at home trying to provide from their families and the war. Having to deal with the losing of a family member or a friend, knowing once they left they may never come back. Although O’Flaherty doesn’t focus on this point it is clearly there they are fighting in Dublin a very populated city the people most likely the people had to evacuate leaving everything behind. “Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms. Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil …show more content…
“ O’Flaherty does not describe such incidents as the raging battles, the Four Courts seizure and bombing, or the assignations of major leaders on both sides of the conflict.” (Korb 226). That quote means that as brutal as O’Flaherty describes it, it was much worse. The conflict is not only a physical enemy but also a mental enemy inside of the soldiers. “While the civil war holds all the Irish people in its clutches, the fighting has a much greater effect on the combatants, significantly dehumanizing them.” Even when the last shots have been fired there will be lasting effects on the soldiers who have seen the horrors of war. “Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face” (O’Flaherty 1). When it said they would have a mental effect it is nothing like realizing you killed your brother, someone you grew up with. War has its tolls but if it is something worth fighting for then you must do

Liam O 'Flaherty's The Sniper'

In the short story, The Sniper, written by Liam O’Flaherty is an effective short story that guides the reader through the theme of war. The author guides the reader’s journey through this theme by using a grasping climax through the story that has a great sense of suspense, an intriguing title that grasps the attention of the audience, and a twist to conclude the story. By using these techniques throughout The Sniper, the reader’s view and opinion is transformed on war and encouraged to believe in…

Words 724 - Pages 3

Liam O Flaherty's The Sniper

the short story “Sniper,” by Liam O'Flaherty, the theme of the story is the war destroy families and lives. “Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face.” (O’Flaherty 208). In the book, the Republican sniper was facing another sniper. The Republican sniper didn't know that the other sniper he was facing was his brother. The other sniper was tricked by the Republican sniper into thinking he was dead by dropping his hat over the roof so the other sniper would come out…

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Sniper In Liam O 'Flaherty's Short Story The Sniper'

The Republican sniper in Liam O’Flaherty’s short story “The Sniper” is reckless because he risks his life in order to fulfill unimportant desires. “The Sniper” states “He paused for a moment, considering whether to risk a smoke… He decided to take the risk.”(1) Smoking a cigarette at that particular moment was dangerous because an enemy sniper could’ve seen the flames and inferred the sniper’s presence. This risk shows that the sniper’s risks are reckless and uncalculated, an enemy did see the flame…

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Liam O Flaherty The Sniper Analysis

In the article written by Liam O’ Flaherty’s “The Sniper,” explains how our societies can be divided due to the war. The Main Character is a sniper who is hostile in Ireland for the state side. He is attacking the rebels. The Sniper shows us that confrontation is tough. The Sniper shows us in what way war has force. ‘’Perhaps he had remained in his own business by the difference in the army.’’ Friends in the army attacked for anything they thought was right. They had to murder their own friends…

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The Sniper Compare And Contrast Essay

there really are never two individuals alike. “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty and “Lather and Nothing else” by Hernando Tellez are two very different stories in most aspects ranging from plot to setting, however, through comparing the main characters in both stories we are able to find a few similarities. When analyzing Flaherty’s character of the sniper, the first thing that comes to mind is his cleverness. In contrast to the cleverness of the sniper, Tellez’ barber is a very deep thinker who considers…

Words 1096 - Pages 5