The Sniper Analysis
War is a devastating topic, which brings forth much action and devastation. Because of this, Liam O’Flaherty made his short story “The Sniper” based around the Irish Civil War. During the time this piece of literature was written, the Irish Civil War was still in process. This event occurred after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1922, therefore ending the Irish War of Independence. In this war, the Irish Republicans fought against England to gain their independence. The Irish Free State was established by the Anglo-Irish Treaty. After the treaty was signed, the Free Staters and the Republicans had broken out in dispute. The Free Staters supported the treaty while the Republicans did not. While fighting against …show more content…
Throughout the city the Republicans and Free Staters were engaging in war. The main character, a Republican Sniper, lay watching, on a rooftop near O’Connell Bridge. His face was young and thin, but his eyes contained the cold gleam of a fanatic. This young man was used to looking at death. After eating, he contemplated whether to risk having a smoke. He knew that this would be dangerous because the flash could be seen in the darkness, and there were enemies watching. He took the risk anyways. After doing so, a bullet whizzed by. He raised himself up and glanced over the parapet. He saw a flash and a bullet whizzed over his head, making him drop immediately. This bullet had come from the opposite side of the street. He then noticed an armored car coming across the bridge. He began to panic, this was an enemy. He had the urge to fire, but knew that his bullets would not harm the vehicle. From around the corner came an older woman wearing a tattered shawl. She went to the vehicle and started informing the man driving of the Republican sniper. The driver opened the door while the sniper stood and fired, the man fell dead. The woman tried to escape, but then she had been shot