The Sniper's Dehumanization

O’Flaherty represents the process of the sniper’s dehumanization with the car and the revolver. When the armored car had come across the bridge, his initial thought was to fire; therefore it shows that the sniper is desperate to survive even if he has to kill in order to do so. He had also called the car a “gray monster” (O’Flaherty 2), which helps emphasize the fact that his mindset has changed to survival mode. When he had lost his rifle, he had realized that “He must kill that enemy” and that “He had only a revolver to do it.” (2). The two quotes maintain the concept of the sniper killing to survive. Because the sniper thinks that he must kill his enemy, it helps represent the loss of humanity. O’Flaherty establishes the Sniper’s thought