The Sniper

by Liam O'Flaherty

A trained sniper doing his job during the Irish Civil War faces a shocking turn of events, after killing an enemy.

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, School, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, War

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1923

About the author

People know Irish writer Liam O'Flaherty especially for his short stories, collected in Two Lovely Beasts (1948) and The Pedlar's Revenge (1976).

This significant novelist, a major figure in the literary renaissance, also wrote short stories. Left-wing politics involved him as was his brother Tom Maidhc O'Flaherty (also a writer), and their father, Maidhc Ó Flaithearta, for a time.

Reviews

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

🇮🇪 I read it for the first time at 14. We have Irish family. The story cut right through me. It’s short and hits hard 🇮🇪

[Kushagri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, I just reminisced about this story today. I read it in school, and have given it five stars just for the nostalgia. Perhaps as a conscientious reader (and reviewer) I should read it again but there must be something about this story that even after a decade whenever I think about literature on spoils of war, this is the first story that comes to mind and tugs at my heartstrings!
A gut-punch of a story!

—————————————————————————————-
Revisited review:

The title itself evokes a stark image – a lone figure perched precariously, a world reduced to the sights through a rifle scope. But this story is so much more than a wartime thriller. It’s a gut-punch, a haunting echo of the brutality that war inflicts on not just bodies, but on the very soul.

I first encountered this story in the confines of a classroom, yet it transcended the dusty textbook and burrowed deep into my psyche. Yes, nostalgia can be a powerful drug. But for “The Sniper” to hold such a prominent place in my memory after a decade speaks about the story’s enduring power. There’s a certain comfort, wouldn’t you say, in revisiting a cherished book from our youth? It’s like stepping back into a familiar world, one where the characters and their struggles feel etched into our very being. Five stars for nostalgia alone? Absolutely. But here’s the thing – “The Sniper” transcends nostalgia. It taps into something primal, a raw understanding of the human cost of war, specifically the brutal Irish Civil War (1922-1923).

This conflict erupted after the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921), a fight for Irish freedom from British rule. The Sniper is a Republican soldier, one who opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty that partitioned Ireland and ended the fight for a fully unified nation. This context adds a layer of tragedy – the sniper isn’t just fighting an enemy, he’s fighting a former comrade, a fellow Irishman caught on the other side of a bitter ideological divide.

The story unfolds against the backdrop of Dublin, a city once a symbol of unity, now fractured and scarred.
The narrative is deceptively simple. We’re thrust onto a rooftop with the Irish Republican sniper, a nameless protagonist locked in a deadly game with an unseen enemy across the street. The tension is palpable, the city a cacophony of distant gunfire and the ever-present threat of death. But O’Flaherty doesn’t just focus on the mechanics of the kill. He delves into the psychological toll, the gnawing hunger, the desperate thirst, the agonising wait for an opportunity. The story becomes a desperate dance between hunter and hunted, a chilling display of human resilience and the chilling ease with which life can be snuffed out. But O’Flaherty’s brilliance lies in the final twist. The protagonist’s victory, the silencing of the enemy rifle, is met not with triumph, but with a wave of nausea and a chilling emptiness.
It’s not just about the adrenaline rush of the fight, but the devastating aftermath. It forces us to confront the absurdity of war, the way it twists humanity, and the enduring cost of violence.

It’s a story that deserves to be revisited, to be pondered, and to continue tugging at our heartstrings.

[AB · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really good short story. I really liked the way the author wrote the story!

[Hákon Gunnarsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you would ask me why I like short stories so much, I could say it is because of stories like “The Sniper” by Liam O'Flaherty. Stories that say so much in so few words. Reading this story probably takes less than ten minutes, but in that time the reader gets a good sense of the brutality of war, and the futility of it.

Is anybody any better off after what happens in the story? I don’t think so. And for most parts war doesn’t make things better. The story takes place during the Irish Civil War, and the ending of this story is probably strongest in relation with civil war, but in a sense it applies to war in general as well.

To think that this is the first story O'Flaherty got published is interesting. To begin a career with such a strong story, that is amazing. To my view, this story is definitely worth a read and a re read.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set and written during the Irish Civil War, this short story is a powerful depiction of the horrors of civil war.

[Hossein Sharifi · Rating 1 out of 5]

O'Flaherty


ترجمه داستان کوتاه تک تیرانداز
غروب طولانی ژوئن جای خود را به شب داد. دوبلین در تاریکی فرو رفت و تنها پرتوی ضعیف ماه بود که از میان نرمه
ابرها میتابید و روشنایی پریده رنگی همچون طلوع سحر بر خیابانها و آبهای تاریک میپراکند. دور تا دور محوطه
محاصره شده شهر، تیربارها میغریدند. اینجا و آنجای شهر، مسلسلها و تفنگها گاه به گاه مانند سگهایی که در
مزارع دور افتاده پارس کنند، سکوت شب را میشکستند. جمهوریخواهان جنگ داخلی راه انداخته بودند.
روی پشت بامی نزدیک پل اکانل، تکتیرانداز جمهوریخواه دراز کشیده بود و تماشا میکرد. کنار او تفنگش بود و روی
شانهاش یک جفت عینک صحرایی انداخته بود. چهرهاش چهره یک بچه محصل بود، لاغر و باریک، اما در چشمانش
برق غروری سرد میدرخشید: عمیق و اندیشناک همچون چشمان مردی که عادت دارد به تماشای مرگ بایستد.
ساندویچی را با ولع میخورد. از صبح چیزی نخورده بود و حالا برای خوردن خیلی اشتها داشت. ساندویچ را تمام کرد و
قمقمه ویسکی را از جیبش در آورد و جرعهای نوشید، بعد بطری را دوباره در جیبش گذاشت.
لحظهای درنگ کرد، اندیشید که آیا میتواند سیگاری روشن کند؟ خطرناک بود، شاید آتش سیگار در تاریکی جلب
توجه کند و دشمن آن را ببیند. تصمیم گرفت که خطر کند. سیگاری بین لبهایش گذاشت و کبریت زد. دود را با
شتاب پایین میداد. ناگهان صدای شلیک گلولهای باعث شد که پشت سنگر روی پشت بام، بر زمین دراز بکشد.
تکتیرانداز پک دیگری زد و سیگار را خاموش کرد، سپس به آهستگی به سمت چپ خزید. با احتیاط سر بلند کرد و از
بالای سنگر نگاه کرد. نوری درخشید و گلولهای صفیرکشان از بالای سرش رد شد. فورا روی زمین دراز کشید.
درخشش نور را دیده بود، از سمت خیابان مقابل بود. روی پشتبام به سمت لوله دودکشی که پشت سرش بود غلتید و
به آرامی خودش را پشت آن پنهان کرد تا جایی که چشمانش با سطح بالایی سنگر هم سطح شد. چیزی دیده نمیشد،
فقط طرح مبهم پشت بام روبرو و تقاطع آن با آسمان آبی. دشمن او را زیر پوشش داشت. همان لحظه یک زرهپوش از
روی پل عبور کرد و آهسته آهسته در طول خیابان پیش آمد. زرهپوش در طرف دیگر خیابان توقف کرد فقط پنجاه یارد
آنطرفتر. تکتیرانداز می توانست صدای موتور آن را بشنود. قلبش تندتر زد، این زرهپوش دشمن بود. خواست شلیک
کند اما میدانست که بی فایده است، گلوله او بر بدنه فولادی آن هیولای خاکستری اثر نداشت.
چندی بعد، از گوشه خیابان مجاور زنی مسن پیش آمد، سرش را با شالی مندرس پوشانده بود. پیرزن با مردی که در
جایگاه تیربار زرهپوش نشسته بود شروع به حرف زدن کرد و به پشت بامی که تکتیرانداز روی آن دراز کشیده بود
اشاره کرد. پیرزن، خبرچین بود.
در فوقانی جایگاه تیربار باز شد و سر و شانههای مردی پیدا شد که به سمت تکتیرانداز نگاهی انداخت. تکتیرانداز
تفنگش را برداشت و شلیک کرد. سر مرد محکم روی بدنه جایگاه تیربار افتاد. پیرزن با سرعت به خیابان مجاور
گریخت. تکتیرانداز دوباره شلیک کرد، زن چرخی زد و با جیغی بلند توی جوی آب افتاد. ناگهان از پشتبام روبرو
صدای تیر بلند شد. تکتیرانداز دشنامی داد و تفنگش را انداخت. تفنگ محکم به کف پشتبام خورد و صدا داد، صدایی
که میتوانست مرده را بیدار کند. تفنگ را بر نداشت. نمیتوانست آن را بلند کند. بازویش زخمی شده بود. بریده بریده
». خدای من! تیر خوردهام « : گفت
روی پشتبام افتاد و سینهخیز به سمت سنگر رفت. با دست چپ بازوی راستش را که آسیب دیده بود لمس کرد. خون
از آستین کتش میچکید. درد نداشت فقط کرخت و بی حس شده بود انگار که بازویش قطع شده باشد. فورا چاقویی از
جیبش بیرون آورد و آستینش را با آن شکافت. در سمتی که تیر وارد شده بود سوراخ کوچکی دیده میشد اما در سمت
دیگر سوراخی نبود. گلوله در استخوانش فرو رفته بود و باعث شکستگی شده بود. بازوی زخمیاش را جمع کرد، بازو به
راحتی به عقب جمع شد. دندانهایش را به هم فشار میداد تا بر درد غلبه کند. لباس رزمیاش را در آورد، جیبش را با
چاقو پاره کرد. سر بطری ید را شکست و گذاشت تا آن مایع تلخ روی زخم بچکد. تمام تنش را درد فرا گرفت. پارچهای
کتانی روی زخم گذاشت و آن را بست. لبههای آن را با دندان گره زد. سپس در پناه سنگر دراز کشید و چشمانش را
بست و تلاش کرد تا بر درد غلبه کند.
در خیابان زرهپوش به سرعت به سمت پل عقب نشینی کرد در حالی که سر تیربارچی هنوز پشت تیربار به حالت بی
جان معلق بود و جنازه پیرزن هنوز در جوی آب افتاده بود.
تکتیرانداز لختی دراز کشید و به زخمش رسیدگی کرد و در ذهنش نقشه فرار ریخت. نباید صبح او را مجروح و زخمی
روی پشتبام پیدا میکردند. دشمن از پشتبام مقابل مراقب او بود. باید او را از بین میبرد اما نمیتوانست تفنگش را
دست بگیرد. حالا برای کشتن دشمن فقط میتوانست از هفتتیرش استفاده کند. پس نقشهای کشید. کلاهش را
برداشت و آن را بر دهانه تفنگ گذاشت و آرام آرام تفنگ را از پشت سنگر بالا برد به طوری که کلاه از آن طرف
خیابان دیده شود. طولی نکشید که گلولهای وسط کلاه را سوراخ کرد.
تکتیرانداز تفنگ را رو به جلو کج کرد و کلاه به خیابان افتاد. سپس تفنگ را بر زمین گذاشت و دست چپش را به
حالت بی جان از لبه پشت بام آویزان کرد و بعد گذاشت که تفنگ هم از بالا به خیابان بیفتد. بعد از وسط پشتبام خزید
و گوشهای پناه گرفت. نقشهاش گرفته بود: دشمن، افتادن کلاه و تفنگ را دید و گمان کرد او را کشته است. اما او حالا
کنار کلاهک دودکش ایستاده بود و اطرافش را نگاه میکرد در حالی که سرش به وضوح در مقابل آسمان سایه انداخته
بود. لبخندی زد و هفتتیرش را از لبه سنگر بالا برد. فاصله حدودا پنج یارد بود: شلیکی سخت در نوری ضعیف، با
همان دستی که خیلی درد میکرد، دشمن را نشانه گرفت. دستش از شوق م��لرزید. لبها را به هم فشرد و نفس
عمیقی از منخرینش بیرون داد و شلیک کرد. از صدای تیر گوشش کر شد و بازوی مجروحش به شدت عقب پرید.
وقتی که دودها خوابید، با دقت نگاه کرد و از شادی جیغ کشید: دشمن مورد اصابت قرار گرفته بود و از درد تلو تلو
میخورد و در سنگرش به خود میپیچید. سعی میکرد روی پا بایستد اما نمیتوانست. تفنگ از دستش رها شد و به
تابلوی آرایشگاهی که در خیابان مجاور بود برخورد کرد و بعد با صدا روی سنگفرش خیابان افتاد. مرد در حال مرگ
چندی به خود پیچید و سرانجام نقش بر زمین شد. بدنش به خود پیچید و تابید تا این که آهسته بر زمین افتاد.
تکتیرانداز نگاهی کرد و بر خود لرزید. شوق جنگ در او فرو مرد و پشیمانی وجودش را فراگرفت. قطرههای عرق روی
پیشانیاش نشست، در اثر جراحت و خستگی دچار ضعف شده بود. از منظره بدن متلاشی شده دشمن مرده روی
برگرداند. دندانهایش به هم میخورد، شروع به حرف زدن با خود کرد و به جنگ، به خودش و دیگران لعنت فرستاد. به
هفتتیری که در دستش دود میکرد نگاهی انداخت و با غیظ آن را پرت کرد. هفتتیر محکم به زمین خورد و صفیر
گلولهای از پشت سر تکتیرانداز رد شد. وحشتزده به پشت سر نگاه کرد. عصبهایش خشک شده بود. ابرهای وحشت
از اطراف ذهنش پراکنده شدند و او خندید. قمقمه ویسکی را از جیبش در آورد و لاجرعه نوشید. بی پروا و نترس شده
بود. تصمیم گرفت که فورا پشتبام را ترک کند و به مافوقش گزارش دهد. تمام دور و اطراف ساکت بود، خطری در
خیابانها حس نمیشد. هفتتیرش را برداشت و در جیب گذاشت و زیر نور آسمان به سمت پایین خانه خزید. وقتی به
کوچه باریکی رسید، حس کنجکاوی غریبی برای دیدن دشمنی که کشته بود، وجودش را فراگرفت. با خود گفت که هر
کس بود، تیرانداز قابلی بود. در شگفت ماند که مبادا او را بشناسد. شاید از دوستان قدیم خودش قبل از آنکه به ارتش
ملحق شود، باشد. تصمیم گرفت خطر رفتن و دیدن او را بر خود هموار کند. به همه زوایای خیابان اکانل با دقت نگاه
کرد. بالای خیابان آتش عظیمی شعلهور بود اما دور و بر ساکت و خاموش بود
تکتیرانداز در طول خیابان دوید. تیرباری خیابان را به رگبار گلوله بست و سنگفرشها را از هم شکافت اما او گریخت.
خود را با صورت کنار جنازه بر زمین انداخت. تیربار متوقف شد. سپس تکتیرانداز جنازه را برگرداند و نگاهش به چهره
برادرش افتاد.

Summary

“The Sniper” relates an encounter in downtown Dublin, near the O’Connell Bridge, between
a sniper for the Republicans and a sniper for the Free Staters. Guns roar in the distance as the
Republican sniper lies on a rooftop. He is a young boy. “His face was that of a student—thin
and ascetic , but his eyes had the cold gleam of a fanatic . . . the eyes of a man
who is used to looking at death.”
It is a June evening, and the sniper, who has had nothing to eat since morning, hungrily wolfs
down a sandwich and takes a short drink from the flask of whiskey he carries in his pocket.
He desperately wants a cigarette and finally risks showing his position by igniting a match
and lighting one. Instantly, a bullet hits the wall near him. He takes two puffs of the cigarette
and snuffs it. He raises himself to look over the parapet , but another bullet whizzes
by his head, and he flattens himself against the roof.
An armored car crosses O’Connell Bridge and stops just below the sniper’s position. An old
woman with a tattered shawl around her head comes out of a side street to talk with a man in
the turret of the armored car. The sniper wants to shoot at the armored car, but he knows that
his bullets will not penetrate its fortified exterior. The old woman points in the direction of
the sniper, who now realizes that she is an informer. When the man inside opens the turret to
talk with her, the sniper shoots, and the man slumps over lifeless. The woman hurries toward
the side street, but the sniper shoots again. The old woman shrieks and falls into the
gutter . The car speeds away, the man in the turret still slumped there. More shooting
is heard, and the sniper knows that it is coming from the roof across the way. He has been hit
in his right arm, in which he has lost all feeling.
The sniper takes out his knife and uses it to rip open his shirt. He sees that a bullet has gone
into his arm but has not emerged from the other side. He takes out his field-dressing kit,
breaks off the top of the iodine bottle that he pulls from it, and pours the dark liquid into his
wound. Then he applies the bandages from his kit, using his teeth to tie the knot.
The sniper knows that he must get off the roof by morning or else the enemy sniper will kill
him. He realizes that the sniper on the roof across the way is watching him every minute and
will not let him get away. Taking his rifle, which is useless to him because his wounded arm
makes it impossible for him to fire it, he puts his army cap on the muzzle and raises it slightly
above the parapet. A shot rings out and the cap falls to the earth far below. The sniper lets his
left arm hang lifelessly over the parapet, holding his rifle in it. Then he lets the rifle fall and
rolls over.
The opposing sniper, assuming that his enemy is dead, relaxes his vigilance and stands up on
the roof. The Republican sniper aims his revolver at his opponent and fires. The enemy sniper
reels over the parapet in his death agony, then falls to the earth. The Republican sniper is
suddenly revolted by what he sees and by what he has done. “His teeth chattered. He began to
gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody.” He drains his
whiskey flask in one draft.
The sniper leaves the roof. When he gets to the street, his curiosity overcomes him and forces
him to steal over to see whom he has shot. He attracts machine-gun fire as he goes toward the
dead sniper, but he is not hit. He flings himself down beside the body of the man he has
killed, then turns it over. He finds himself staring into his own brother’s face.



Characters:

1.The Enemy Sniper:

The Enemy Sniper is the Sniper’s main opponent in the story. A member of the Free State
army, he still shares similarities with the Sniper. The two men are engaged in the same role.
The Enemy Sniper, too, is a good shot, enough so that he wins the respect of the Sniper by
the end of the story. His physical presence, on a rooftop across the street, further reinforces
the idea that he is a mirror image for the Sniper.
The Enemy Sniper wants to kill the Sniper. He appears to have the advantage after shooting
and injuring the Sniper. He makes a fatal error, however, when he falls for the Sniper’s ruse.
Once he thinks he has killed the other man, the Enemy Sniper stands up on his rooftop, thus
making himself a clear mark. The Sniper shoots him, and he falls to the street below, dead.
After that, the Sniper—along with the reader—discovers that the two snipers are brothers.

2.The Old Woman:

The Old Woman points out the Sniper’s location on the rooftop to the Soldier in the Turret.
The Sniper shoots and kills her.

3.The Sniper:

The Sniper is the main character of the story. This young man is a member of the Republican
army and his eyes have “the cold gleam of the fanatic.” A hardened fighter, the Sniper has
become a man “used to looking at death.” In his role as a soldier, he functions efficiently and
automatically. For instance, when he gets shot, he applies his own field dressing despite the
excruciating pain.



Setting

......."The Sniper" takes place in Ireland's largest city, Dublin, on the country's east coast on Dublin
Bay, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The time is nightfall in June after the establishment of the Irish Free
State in 1922. The sniper posts himself on a rooftop in central Dublin near the Four Courts building,
which houses the high courts of Ireland, and O'Connell Bridge, which spans the River Liffey. The
Liffey divides the city into two sections as it runs eastward to Dublin Bay.
Point of View
.......O'Flaherty wrote "The Sniper" in limited third-person point of view, in which he presents the
thoughts of the IRA sniper but does not present the thoughts of any other character. He wrote "The
Sniper" while Ireland was embroiled in sectarian conflict.

THEMES

War reduces human beings to mere objects. They have no names, no faces. They are targets,
nothing more, to be shot at from a distance. To support this theme, O’Flaherty refrains from naming
any of his characters.
War knows no boundaries—age, sex, location, time of day, family ties. The IRA sniper is a young
man, and the informer is an old woman. The fighting takes place in the heart of a city after sundown.
The IRA sniper unwittingly shoots and kills his own brother.

Climax

.......The climax occurs when the IRA sniper discovers the identity of the enemy sniper.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of the story 'The Sniper' is the dreadfulness of a civil war. It is the worst type of war where brother rises against brother and a neighbour turns against his neighbour. Even army and police get divided and take sides according to their views. The cause of a civil war may be ethnic, political or social -- the country is ruined nevertheless. There is distrust and people attack one another only out of trepidation or suspicion. Houses, bridges, school, hospitals are destroyed. All types of activities come to a standstill. Innocent people are killed. Their houses are destroyed. All the resources are used up in war and there is no productivity.

The writer has very dexterously created the horrifying atmosphere prevailing during a civil war in Ireland.

It is a atrociously dark night. The eerie silence is shattered by the terrifying sounds of gunfire. The two snipers are trenched against each other on the rooftops of opposite houses across the street. An armoured car arrives. The sniper kills the soldier whose head falls heavily on the turret wall. He kills the old informer woman with a tattered shawl. She whirls round and falls with a shriek into the gutter. He also kills the enemy sniper who sways unsteadily over the parapet in his death agony and falls over on the pavement. Though the sniper kills his enemy yet he is human after all. He is filled with remorse, sweat stood out in beads on his forehead. His teeth chatter and he mutters senselessly.

Such descriptions bring out how horrible civil war is. The final shock comes when the sniper discovers that he has killed his own brother. The theme is brought home in a shocking and stunning manner.

Though the narrative is dramatic, there is no conversation or dialogues because there is only one character, alone on the roof-top. Only once, when he is shot in the arm, does he speak to himself. The sentences are simple and short. There are a few compound sentences too but they too sound like simple sentences joined by 'and' or 'but'. The story is action paeked and there is hardly any description of scenes or people. The arrival of the armoured car, the woman informer lighten the suspense. Bullets whiz past the sniper's head. The description of his bandaging his wound and the trick he plays on the enemy sniper are so graphic that we can easily picture them as we read the story.

[gi✩˚꩜｡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

« ֪ ׅ ֹ =͟͞ ♡ 3.0 🌟

2/6 of the short stories i have to read this semester for english😭🫶🏻 it was pretty mid🤷‍♀️

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty

4 stars

The Sniper follows a young man in the Irish Civil War. O'Flaherty uses imagery and the atrocity of war to convey the dehumanization of a young man in a world pitted against itself. The students loved the last line (and I did to!). It's always fun to read a twist in the last line of a short story. It proves the mark of an excellent writer, especially since the buildup and the foreshadowing points to it as a possibility, but it's far too dark for even the main character to consider outright. Highly recommended!

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was brilliant. It says in a few pages exactly why war is brutal and devastating.

[Suvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was rather good for being only four pages long. Although it was quite a quick read, it felt like an entire novel in just a few short pages. I would definitely recommend reading this (especially if you struggle to find motivation to read/finish entire books).

[Brock Brunner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response
I thought this short story was very enjoyable. It was somewhat suspenseful, and the ending really threw me for a loop. I give this story 4 out of 5 stars because it was a little too short.

Summary
This story is about a sniper during the civil war in Ireland. He was perched atop a building when he came under fire by another sniper across the street. The sniper tried to return fire, but was pinned down, so he moved to a different part of the roof and perched himself on a parapet. There he was able to get off a shot, but missed. This time, the enemy had hit him in the arm. The sniper reeled back in pain, and tried his best to heal his bullet wound. After a while, the sniper made a distraction that made it seem like the enemy had killed him. The enemy had believed the ruse and got up from his hiding place. It was then that the sniper pulled out his revolver and shot down the enemy. Content with what he had done, the sniper decided to check the dead body to see who it was he had killed. When the sniper arrived at the corpse and flipped it over, he was starring at the face of his brother.

Characterization
At the beginning of the story, the sniper was excited to be out ready to snipe any enemies that happened to come his way. But at the end, he no longer wanted to be a sniper, for he had killed his own brother without even realizing it.

Recommendation
I would recommend this short story to anyone who enjoys stories about war. I say it's more for older kids because it contains killing.

[Annie K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This was... interesting.

[Simone]

Read for school so no rating

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAT WAS THAT ENDING????!!!! MY JAW IS ON THE FLOOR!!!!!!

[alex (winter break!)]

this one was okay but the ending was good

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

war could even make the best people turn against each other and they'd never know that..

[Brenden Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

In “The Cog”, by Charles Fritch, and “The Sniper”, by Liam O’Flahtrey the roles of the main characters seem very different, yet can be so similar.
In “The Sniper”, the protagonist is a sniper in a civil war between republicans and free-staters. He is on post on a roof, and he hasn’t had any food or water for about a day. He spots an enemy on a roof and outsmarts him, killing the enemy. He looks at the dead body on the other roof, and reveals the face of his now dead brother. This takes the book from hardship to dread, and makes the reader sad for the protagonist.
In “The Cog”, the main character James Maxwell is watching the launch of the spaceship President to Alpha Centauri. He reflects on how he wanted to become an astronaut, and how his best friend acted upon that and actually became an astronaut. He illustrates how everyone has a role in society --- a cog in the machine. At the end, the story reveals that he is the president of the world order, yet he is still unhappy with his decisions. “The Cog” and “The Sniper” show how even in a dystopian war, or the happiest situations, there is always something you care about and would be said if it left.
That theme is shown a lot through both short stories, each with a twist that changes it at the end. At the end of “The Sniper”, the protagonist reveals that the man he killed was in fact his brother, and at the end of “The Cog”, the announcer reveals James Maxwell is the president of the “New World Order”. In “The Cog”, the main character is longing the whole story on opportunities he missed, and in the end, the reader realizes he has a good thing going. In “The Sniper”, the character doesn’t realize what he is missing until the end --- when he kills his brother. In both stories, they long for something by the end, whether it be a missed opportunity to become an astronaut, or a missed opportunity to make amends with your brother over political beliefs, both characters missed an opportunity. Maxwell in “The Cog” could’ve became an astronaut, but he chose a more sensible option, law, and still regrets it when he is in the best position there can be. The protagonist in “The Sniper” could’ve not fought in a civil war, and instead been at home with his family instead of fighting for his political beliefs. They both missed opportunities, and will forever be unhappy about it.
The protagonist in “The Sniper”, and James Maxwell in “The Cog” are very different people, but they still share one thing --- despair. They both missed opportunities were they could’ve been happy, but they went for the more sensible choice. Are you going to strive for your dreams, or are you going to waste your life away with the “sensible choice”?

[Maximus · Rating 2 out of 5]

The short story is called “The Sniper” by Liam O’ Flaherty. The story was okay based on the literary elements used in the story.

The story is about a man in a civil war. He was on a roof by a bridge waiting for the other sniper to show up there so he could kill them.

A good short story should include action , a good introduction, and suspense. Liam O’ Flaherty, effectively uses action in the beginning of the story when the character heard gunshots and fighting. There was a war going on. A good intro should capture the reader's attention. The story did not include enough background information on the sniper. I would have liked to know how the sniper got to the rooftop.The story did not build up enough suspense to guess on who the other sniper was.
The short story ‘The Sniper’ by Liam O’ Flaherty can be considered an okay story. It doesn't include enough details for the good intro, action, and suspense.

[Janet Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Sniper' is a popular short story set during the Battle of Dublin, a series of street fights that occured between June 28th and July 5th 1922, which marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War. It was published in a socialist weekly while the war was in progress.

The protagonist is a sniper who takes a calculated risk; the consequences of that decision are lethal - but for whom?

'The Sniper' is a fascinating story, with great detail and descriptive language that is excellent to teach to any group of English and / or History students. The plot twist ending is iconic and a real testiment of the realities of civil war. A must read for any Irish History enthusiast, a lover of war literature or for anyone who loves a good, descriptive, gripping short story.

[Kier Scrivener · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms. Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil war."

I read this twice in high school. Once in grade nine and another in grade 12. Both times I was mesmerized by it. It tells the heart of realistic fiction. The price of war.

Rereading it again in 2020, I am struck by the wordplay of this three page story. Every word is used beautifully to describe the setting, feelings, themes and advance the plot and character. It is a story, I will continue to come back to again and again through the years and be marvelled still.

[Federico DN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh.

It was good, but not worth reviewing.

For the moment at least.

-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1923] [8p] [Fiction] [2.5] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------

Meh.

Estuvo bien, pero no vale la pena reseñarlo.

Al menos por ahora.

-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1923] [8p] [Ficción] [2.5] [No Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------

[Lev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set during the Irish civil war, a sniper is stationed in Dublin, Ireland. He first kills and elderly woman who discovers his position, then an enemy soldier. He then is spotted by an enemy sniper, who shoots him once in the arm. He tricks the other sniper into thinking he is dead, by allowing his hat to be shot and dropping his gun. He then, using a revolver, kills his opponent. He, curious to see his enemies face walks up to his dead body and discovers that it was his brother,

[Lunetune · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essentially a less well-written version of Ambrose Bierce’s “A Horseman in the Sky”, if you know what I mean. Decent, but not nearly as good and thus not nearly as shocking or emotional. It does not get its point across with such beauty and tact, but it still gets the point across, and it’s a short read. Meh. I’d recommend it.

[Shaikha]

this short-story really shocked me!!

[Ámbar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our literature teacher gave us this short story as an assignment. I liked it because it has not only an ironic ending but also a deep message.

[Ubaid Talpur · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazingly surprising & tragic end of the story.

[Kevin Alfaro · Rating 1 out of 5]

to many pages and because my teacher told me to read it

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have arranged my takeaway thoughts into a haiku:

"Not all lessons taught
Under tutelage of war
Emphasize one's skills."