How Does Liam O Flaherty Use Conflict In The Sniper

The Blindness of War

In Liam O’ Flaherty’s short story “The Sniper”, two strangers in an irish civil war, embarrass in a conflict between themselves. The story has a more true and deeper meaning, how war can be so blind and numb to the body. How war can bring two strangers completely opposite from each other, together to find out what war actually is. The short story is truing to send out a true message to the world. That war is truly brother against brother and that it is not necessary in the world. Liam O’ Flaherty is trying to put an image in our heads. Imagine life without fighting or any type of conflict between countries or ourselves. War starts off when countries or even ourselves desire more and more of a certain thing. When man gets greedy and selfish. Liam O’ Flaherty really shows the true perspective and reality of war and how it can be so blinding to man. The story begins of in a dark, moody battlefield. Sounds of gun
fire could be heard in the distance, echoing as it comes across the city. Flaherty’s explanation of the environment around the main character creates a very suspenseful mood. The night skies are pitch black with no stars in sight. The sniper could feel eyes upon him, stalking his every move. A sudden flicker from his lighter toward his cigarette could have been seen from many miles away. The sudden glowing of ambers on the cigarette sent of a bullet whistling by the snipers head. The mood of the story has just began to upraise as the main character has just been introduced to an external and internal conflict. Characterization is an important element of literature that Flaherty uses to allow readers to identify the sniper in a third person point of view. An obvious piece of characterization is when Flaherty describes the snipers name, a “republican sniper”. Without a name the author can infer that the reader knows the character. Another form of characterization is when Flaherty doesn’t mention that the sniper had a brother. Without mentioning that the sniper had a brother, the ending turned out to be more ironic and enlightening. The fact that the sniper was fighting against his brother who was fighting for the same reason never entered the readers mind. In war, brothers are killing brothers practically. Liam O’ Flaherty uses conflict to explain who war is between brothers.
Because of Liam’s use of the third person point of view, readers can see the conflict through the sniper’s eyes and thoughts. The first time Flaherty introduces the readers into conflict is when the snipers enemy fires the shot after the sniper lite his cigarette in the dark. “Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof(Flaherty 263)”. This sent the sniper into panic mode so he knew what he had to do. He raised his rifle and fired, hoping he had just hit his enemy. His movement and actions were quick but he wasn’t any type of expert. He didn’t need to know what he was doing, he just did it. With the use of conflict, the author can trap readers with the truth and they wouldn’t be able to get out of it. How war is brother against brother (literally). “Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother’s face( Flaherty 265)”. The irony that the author uses pushes the theme even deeper and how devastating it
is. With the use of conflict, point of view, and mood, Flaherty supports the statement that war is blind to the human eye. A good example in the short story is when the main character finds out that he had just killed his brother. The truth reveals the theme of the story and the author uses it very well. He clearly illustrates how war is so blinding. Therefore, war is not the key to our problems.

Flaherty, Liam O' "Friends and Enemies." The Sniper. London: Jonathan Cape, 1948. 262-65. Print.