Over the course of Liam O’Flaherty’s “The Sniper,” the reader experiences what it is like to be in a war. He reveals to the reader the struggles of being in a war, such as the physical trials not to mention the emotional turmoil that …show more content…
accompanies killing. While also telling the readers about the hardship of war, the reader infers his motivations. “A Republican sniper lay watching . . . his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic” (O’Flaherty 262). Here it is suggested that the sniper believes in what he is doing and he might also believe that it is his duty to his country. Although war in itself is a conflict, other complications arise in “The Sniper” that the main character has to deal with. For example, when he must figure out a way to stay alive after he discovers an enemy who is shooting at him. Also when the man is shot in the arm, he has to determine how to proceed in such a dangerous position. After the sniper fixes up his arm and tricks the enemy shooter into thinking that he is dead, the man then kills his opponent. Going back to the aforementioned emotional turmoil, the main character is feeling mixed emotions and wants to see the enemy shooter that he has killed. It turns out that the shooter was his brother, helping further the theme where civil wars separate families and friends.
Throughout the story “Cranes” the readers are introduced to a village near the thirty-eighth parallel, where the main character, Sŏngsam, lives. Sŏngsam is a young man who has escaped the suffering of war and has come back to the village from his childhood. The second main character is Tŏkchae, Sŏngsam’s childhood best friend. Tŏkchae is in an important position in the Farmers Communist League, and a prisoner of war. Now, he is awaiting transport to Ch’ŏngdan for his punishment due to the war. Sŏngsam, passing through the village while reminiscing on simpler times, passes the area where Tŏkchae is tied up. Naturally he is curious as to why his friend, whom he hasn’t seen since they were children, is in this position and offers to be his escort.
On the journey to Ch’ŏngdan, Sŏngsam tries to start a conversation with Tŏkchae and finds out that his father is ill and that he is married and expecting with someone from their shared childhood. Sŏngsam starts remembering better times when they were close and war hadn’t separated them. One such event was when twelve-year olds Sŏngsam and Tŏkchae trapped a crane. They kept the crane until they had to set it free. Sŏngsam then passes a field where cranes are resting and makes a decision.
“ ‘Hey why don’t we stop here for a crane hunt?’ Sŏngsam spoke up suddenly .
. . having untied Tŏkchae’s hands . . . Only then did Tŏkchae catch on. ” (Sunwŏn 277). The fact that Sŏngsam unexpectedly brought up the idea of a crane hunt hints he wasn’t thinking about it before then. “ A couple of Tanjŏng cranes soared high into the clear blue autumn sky, fluttering their huge wings. ” ( Sunwŏn 277 ). Cranes or birds in general in literature are symbols of freedom, which means that instead of escorting Tŏkchae to Ch’ŏngdan, Sŏngsam most likely set him free. Even though they were separated by the war, they reunited and Sŏngsam couldn’t see his friend dead.
War separates friends and families, but it can also form new bonds while testing the one’s already existing, the worst part of war though, is that people will face things they can’t control. The sniper didn’t get the chance to save his brother, but Sŏngsam was able to save Tŏkchae and if the sniper had a chance he probably would’ve saved his brother that is the thing with war often there are not any
chances.