Summary & Main Idea

The Sniper by Liam  O'Flaherty

Summary:

     In Dublin, on a June night, all that was seen was darkness and, all was heard were guns roaring. The Republicans and Free Staters were waging war. Near the O'Connell Bridge, a republican sniper lay watching - on top of a rooftop. After foolishly lighting a smoke he was attack by a bullet. Now the he knew that his enemies were watching, he noticed that his enemies were undercover. Just a few moments later, the enemy car arrived. A lady informer approached the car and pointed to the roof were the enemy laid. Immediately the sniper shot and killed the man who got out of the car and the woman. Not a second to spare, the sniper was shot one his right forearm. Quickly, he nursed his wounded arm and made a plan to escape. After successfully feigning his death (which was his plan), he shoots and kills his enemy who came out of undercover. When he decided to see who he has shot, he turns the dead body and looks at the face of his brother. This short story is about a sniper's experience he has during war.

Main Idea:

     The main idea of the short story "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty is that it is always wrong to kill other people. The author is trying to make us understand that, you should never kill a fellow human being because, whoever it is, it could be yours and somebody's loved one. At the end of the story we find out that the sniper kills his own brother who also is his enemy. Would he have killed his own brother knowing that his enemy was his brother? Probably not. But, the end of the story turns out to be a situational irony meaning that actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended to happen, so that the outcome is different to what was expected. So, in this short story we see that the readers and the sniper do not expect that the dead enemy ends up being his own brother.