Liam O 'Flaherty's The Sniper'

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Ethan Cook Deanna Gabrielson English 102 4/24. Former U.S. senator George McGovern once said “I'm fed up to the ears of old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.”. This sentiment is equally present in “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty, a short story about a young man in combat and the conflict that he faces As a member of the British Army, O’Flaherty experienced first hand the physical and mental effects that had on individuals. After being discharged due to injury he began writing, these writings frequently displayed anti-war sentiments through the usage of literary devices. In “The Sniper,” Liam O'Flaherty uses elements of the story such as the urban setting, the sniper’s weapons, and the death of the enemy sniper, as commentary on …show more content…

As stated by Encyclopedia Britannica, ”he abandoned his training to participate in World War I and he experienced first hand the events of the war. By using his personal knowledge and experiences, he provides authenticity and realism to his stories such as “The Sniper”. Furthermore, O’Flaherty’s antiwar sentiment only increased after his experiences with the war. He became a strong proponent for progressive agendas at the time, and he displayed this in his writings. O’Flaherty’s works have been described as “Works combining vivid and brutal realism, psychological analysis, poetry, and biting satire with an enduring respect for the courage of the Irish people”. With this information, biographical criticism may be used in order to delve deeper into the meaning of the text and explain the reason behind O’Flaherty’s usage of specific literary devices and symbolism to relay his …show more content…

This factor is used to ultimately deliver O'Flaherty's message on antiwar sentiment and show how trivial war can be with the death of the enemy sniper. In the story, the main sniper feels a sense of relief and joy after successfully eliminating the enemy sniper. After the main sniper successfully hits the enemy sniper, the narrator says “Then when the smoke cleared, he peered across and uttered a cry of joy. his enemy had been hit”. However, he soon realizes the consequences of his actions as he fully recognizes the severity of his actions when “the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face”. This emphasizes how the main sniper was unaware of the potential consequences of his actions and he only truly came to terms with them when they were quite literally staring him in the face This sentiment is similar to the one that many who fight in war face the detachment and dehumanization of one another lead people to hurt others because they are stuck in a war that they can only fight their way out

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