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How Does Liam O Flaherty Use Conflict In The Sniper

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How Does Liam O Flaherty Use Conflict In The Sniper
The Blindness of War

In Liam O’ Flaherty’s short story “The Sniper”, two strangers in an irish civil war, embarrass in a conflict between themselves. The story has a more true and deeper meaning, how war can be so blind and numb to the body. How war can bring two strangers completely opposite from each other, together to find out what war actually is. The short story is truing to send out a true message to the world. That war is truly brother against brother and that it is not necessary in the world. Liam O’ Flaherty is trying to put an image in our heads. Imagine life without fighting or any type of conflict between countries or ourselves. War starts off when countries or even ourselves desire more and more of a certain thing. When man gets greedy and selfish. Liam O’ Flaherty really shows the true perspective and reality of war and how it can be so blinding to man. The story begins of in a dark, moody battlefield. Sounds of gun …show more content…
Because of Liam’s use of the third person point of view, readers can see the conflict through the sniper’s eyes and thoughts. The first time Flaherty introduces the readers into conflict is when the snipers enemy fires the shot after the sniper lite his cigarette in the dark. “Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof(Flaherty 263)”. This sent the sniper into panic mode so he knew what he had to do. He raised his rifle and fired, hoping he had just hit his enemy. His movement and actions were quick but he wasn’t any type of expert. He didn’t need to know what he was doing, he just did it. With the use of conflict, the author can trap readers with the truth and they wouldn’t be able to get out of it. How war is brother against brother (literally). “Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother’s face( Flaherty 265)”. The irony that the author uses pushes the theme even deeper and how devastating it
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