The Sniper by Liam OFlaherty :: Sniper Liam OFlaherty Essays Papers

The Sniper by Liam OFlahertyAs a collectivized society we live in we find ourselves in positions were conflicts arise betwixt friends or family. The Sniper was written by Liam O Flaherty to express a insidious yet powerful aspect on such a conflict. With references this demonstrate will analyse the short story bringing to light the social organisation used to contribute to the theme.The basic plot of the story is based during an change surface within the Irish civil struggles. It tells of a republican sniper sitting on a rooftop and neutralising enemy units as the cross a bridge. When a free-states sniper shows himself on an opposite roof they wage a fierce and innovative war to see who would end up the better. Eventually the republican sniper gains the upper pop off and after taking a bullet in the arm destroys the decorous opponent. After a curious inspection to the identity of the enemy sniper he finds himself looking into the eyes of his dead brother.The story is writt en in third person P.O.V as to give an idea of the setting, and as they waged their war the out of doors person could give unbiased information of which would have been limited if it were to be presented in a 1st person P.O.V. We wouldnt have got an unbiased opinion of the two snipers, which defeats the purpose of the theme. How the setting was expressed is also a live part for the development of the story. The opening paragraph gives a vivid description of the situation as would physically been seen. The long June twilight faded into night. capital of Ireland lay enveloped in darkness, but for the dim light of the moon, which shone through napped clouds, casting a pale light as of approaching morn over the streets and the dark waters of the Liffey.This extract emphasises the lonely, outworld feeling that would have been matt-up living in such settings. This puts into perspective the feeling that will be felt during the coarse of the plot development.