Analysis Of The Sniper By Liam O Flaherty

In The Sniper, written by Liam O’Flaherty, the main character is trying to avoid getting killed, but the man wanted a smoke the man’s plan was working, but his carelessness turned a quite night, into the worst night of the man’s life. The man was reckless and his brothers’ death was his fault.
The man was reckless and clumsy to everyone around him at the scene. First of all, he only should of done what he needed to, to get in and out alive, but later in the story, he got really reckless. He had let it show too much and decided to light up a smoke, in the middle of the night, in the middle of enemy territory, possible surrounded by enemies: “Placing the cigarette between his lips, he stuck a match, inhaled the smoke hurriedly and put out the light” (O’Flaherty 01). A gun goes off and a bullet whizzes bye, the man ducked for cover and fires a return shot. The man missed, but got hit himself, a bullet to the arm practically mobilized his whole arm. He could have avoided this tragic mistake if he had stopped and thought about the situation, and the possible consequences of what could happen

If the man had actually considered what would happen if he lit the cigarette he could have avoided the whole situation and being able to get out alive without killing anyone, he could have done it.

He had his chance to escape when he lifted his cap and pretended to be shot. But he didn’t, he tracked his opponent and shoots him, ensuring the enemy is dead. This enemy was the mans brother, the recklessness of the man lighting a cigarette killed his brother. As O’Flaherty writes, “The sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brothers face.”(02) If he had smoke off of the building then his brother would still be alive and he wouldn’t have had to risk his life to eliminate opposing sniper. When he ran across the street to find out the identity of the sniper, a machine gun opened fire upon him. The man should have safely left when he had the

chance.
In conclusion, the man was reckless and the death of his brother is entirely his fault. He should have called it quits when he knew that it was safe to leave, after he fooled his brother with the hat over the gun barrel trick, this way both of them would have lived, and the man wouldn’t have to live with the burden of his brothers death on his shoulders.