The Sniper Story

The story “The Sniper” is written by Liam O’Flaherty and it takes place in the civil war in Dublin, Ireland in the 1920’s. The war is between the Republicans and the Free Staters. The other story “Cranes” is written by Hwang Sunwon and it takes place in the civil war in Korea in the early 1950’s . these stories are fairly similar based on the conflicts happen in countries where civil wars are taking place and the main characters have to make difficult decisions between being loyal to their Family, friends or, country.
The first, story the readers will read is the “The Sniper” the main character is the sniper and his situation is that he has to make difficult decisions like having to shot a old lady and the gunman to protect his hidden spot
but this decision got him shot in the shoulder. “Where it lodged in the bone. It must of shattered” (O’Flaherty 263). He knew he couldn't hold the sniper rifle so he decided to put his hat on the end of the rifle when the other sniper shot he flung his limp arm over the ledge making it look like he got shot so that the other sniper would think he got a kill and as soon as the other sniper had come out from his hiding spot he could see the snipers silhouette then he pointed his revolver and bang took a shot startling the other sniper causing him to fall off the roof. After he killed him he cursed the war, himself, and everybody. As soon as he got down from his hiding spot he got a sudden curiosity to go and identify the man he had just killed running across the street in machine gun fire. He isn't ready for what he is about to see. “The sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face” (O’Flaherty 265). This story expresses that in times of war human become mere objects. To further explain it is that they no name, no face. That they are just targets and nothing more, to be shot at from a distance. And some time like the theme of this story you never know who's gonna be on the other end of your gun.
The next, story the readers will read about is called, “Crane” the main character in this story is named songsam and he has to transport his childhood friend tok-chea to jail because he committed a crime that constitutes death.
After being flushed out of his hiding place in his house. And songsam has to pick between letting his friend go or doing what his country wants. His motive for bringing him in was that if he didn't he could be charged with espionage or helping someone on the other side of the war. And this sparked a conflict of whether he should save his friend or bring him to be killed. He eventually lets him go learning that friendship is stronger than war. And after seeing a group of cranes It made him have a flashback of them catching a crane and wanting to save its life by untying the crane and letting it go. This is a direct result that caused songsam to untie Tokchae and said he'll make a “trap to with this rope; you flush a crane over here”(Sunwon 277). Trying to tell tokchae to leave and escape. But Tokchae didn't catch on at first that that Songsam was trying to let him free to let him live on in life and not get killed for his crimes. Only when Songsam said “Go flush the crane!”(sunwon 277). This story show the reader that even in the time of war friendship is stronger than war and that no matter what you should hold loyalty to your friends before your
country.
In the end, The reader may find similarities and differences like how in “The Sniper” he thought about his country before friends or family and in the “Cranes” Songsam thought about his friends and family before his country. Both decisions had different outcomes like how the sniper killed his brother because he was to caught up with fighting for his country and Songsam will get to see his friend another day because he was loyal to his friends and family.