Overview of O'Flaherty's The Sniper

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During the Irish Civil War of 1922, the Republicans and the Free State soldiers went head to head over the establishment of the Irish Free State. This meant that Ireland would be independent from the United Kingdom, yet still be a part of the British Empire. In the war, Liam O’Flaherty fought for the Republicans at the famous Four Courts rebellion (O'Brien). Due to his experiences during the war, O’Flaherty found inspiration for his short story “The Sniper”. He wrote “The Sniper” a few months after fighting in the war. In “The Sniper”, Liam O’Flaherty uses symbolism to indicate the effects of Civil War. The main characters in “The Sniper” are the Republican Sniper and the Free State Sniper. The Republican Sniper is described as having “the face of a student, thin and ascetic” (“The Sniper”). This makes it seem as though he was a student who was forced to enter the war. Both snipers represent all of the soldiers that were forced into a war they can’t get out of (O’Flaherty). The battle between these two snipers symbolize the battle between the Republicans and the Free State soldiers. In “The Sniper”, the two snipers mirror each other on separate rooftops. (O’Flaherty). Their separation represents the fact that each side has a different point of view. They each see things their own way. In “The Sniper”, all citizens are forced to take sides (O’Flaherty). An old woman comes and tells the Soldier in the Turret about the Republican Sniper’s location on the rooftop (The Sniper 218-19). The Soldier in the Turret is a member of the Free State Army. The Soldier and his army attempt to approach the Republican Sniper, but he shoots both the Soldier and the old woman (The Sniper 219). Their deaths show how the war has dehumaniz... ... middle of paper ... ...impacted O’Flaherty’s life greatly. It is possible that he could have mirrored the Republican Sniper after himself since they both fought for the same side. O’Flaherty mainly focuses on the impact of his short stories on people and how they will respond to them. Due to of his attention to this detail, he is normally referred to as the “greatest Irish short story writer” by many critics (O'Brien). Works Cited O'Brien, George. "Liam O'Flaherty: Overview." DISCovering Authors. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Discover Collection. Web. 27 Dec. 2013. O'Flaherty, Liam. "The Sniper." The Best British Short Stories of 1923 and Yearbook of the British Short Story. Ed. Edward J. O'Brien and John Cournos. Boston: Small, Maynard, 1923. 242. LitFinder for Schools. Web. 6 Jan. 2014. “The Sniper”. Short Stories for Students. Milne, Ira Mark. Vol. 20. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 216-31. Print.

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