The Sniper-Short Summary Essay Example

This is a story written by Liam O'Flaherty

The story is about a civil war taking place in Dublin between the Republican and Free States forces, battling throughout the city. The sniper is the main character. It is night time, when he was eating a sandwich and drinking some whiskey. He risks lighting a cigarette for a quick puff. The light from his cigarette alerts an enemy soldier to his presence. A bullet flies toward the sniper's rooftop. He puts out the cigarette and switches position. The sniper realizes that his enemy also has taken cover. An armoured car pulls up fifty yards ahead; he does not shoot at it, realizing that bullets will not pierce heavy armour. An old woman stops to inform the car’s turret gunner of the position of the sniper. When the gunner emerges from his dome, the sniper kills him, then the woman. The armoured car speeds away.
Gunfire from the opposite roof wounds the sniper in the arm. He drops his rifle as blood oozes from his wound, although he feels no pain. His arm is numb. He opens a first-aid kit and drips iodine onto the wound. He feels a lot of pain. Then he places cotton on the wound, bandages it, and thinks about his predicament. He could no longer handle his rifle. He only had his revolver to defend himself. If he would try to get off the roof, he would be an easy target for the gunman across the street.
A plan occurs to him, and he executes it immediately, to fool the enemy. Placing his hat on the muzzle of his rifle, he pokes the barrel over the roof of the parapet. A bullet zings through the hat. The sniper tilts the weapon so that the hat falls onto the street. Then he hangs his left hand limply over the roof. A moment later, he drops the rifle to the street and slumps to the roof, dragging his hand back over the parapet. His plan is executed successfully. He sees his enemy standing up and looking across, apparently believing he killed the man. Then, the sniper brings his revolver into position, holds his breath,