What kind of character is the sniper?

The main character in the "The Sniper" is the Republican sniper. Very little direct characterization is done by the author, so much of the reader's impressions of him come from how he acts. Physically, we know that the sniper is male.

Similarly, you may ask, what are the characters in the sniper?

Characters. The main character in the short story “The Sniper” by Liam O'Flaherty is the IRA sniper. Secondary characters are the enemy sniper, the informer old woman, the man in the enemy car and the one behind the machine gun.

Secondly, who is the protagonist of the sniper? O'Flaherty makes a Republican sniper the protagonist and focus of his story. The protagonist, who goes unnamed, is described as "thin and ascetic" with "the cold gleam of the fanatic." He is positioned on a Dublin rooftop during the Battle of Dublin in June and July of 1922.

Thereof, what is the character's motivation in the sniper?

Through the story the character's motives are to get off the rooftop by morning and to fight for survival. By the end of the story, this character learns that life is not fair and we live in a world of trouble and sorrow. By developing a plan and succeeding by killing the enemy sniper the conflict is resolved.

Is the sniper a static or dynamic character?

Static/Dynamic: The sniper is a static character. Other then when "he became bitten by remorse" for one and a half paragraphs (after which he reverted to his original state) he remains almost completely unchanged.

29 Related Question Answers Found

What is the conflict of the sniper?

The conflict in The Sniper arises out of the Irish civil war, where, literally the fight in Ireland was brother against brother. It is difficult to know who the enemy is in a fight of this kind. In the story, a sniper is perched on a roof, watching for enemy activity in the town below.

What is the theme in the sniper?

The theme of the short story “The Sniper,” is that war reduces human beings to mere objects. To further explain it is that they have no names, no faces. That they are just targets and nothing more, to be shot at from a distance. To support this theme Liam O'Flaherty refrains to any of his characters.

What is the point of view of the sniper?

Liam O'Flaherty's short story "The Sniper" is written in the third-person limited point of view, which is when the narrator only knows or expresses the thoughts and feelings of one character.

Why hasnt the sniper eaten since morning?

The story tells readers that the sniper had not eaten, because he was too excited to eat. He was eating a sandwich hungrily. He had eaten nothing since morning. He had been too excited to eat.

What is the climax of the sniper?

“The Sniper” is a story about the Irish Civil War by Liam O'Flaherty. The climax to the story occurs when the main character tricks the enemy into exposing himself and is able to shoot him dead. At this point, the main character has resolved his primary conflict.

What is the setting of the sniper?

Liam O'Flaherty's short story "The Sniper" takes place in Dublin during the Irish Civil War. The author tells us it is specifically set on the rooftops near the Four Courts, an important government building. The Liffey River, which runs through the city, is also nearby.

What is the foreshadowing in the sniper?

Foreshadowing is portrayed in this short story when "he felt a sudden curiosity as to the identity of the enemy sniper whom he had killed." This quote shows that the republican sniper was wondering about the person he had just killed, he felt as if he knew the man. Symbolism is also shown in this short story.

What is happening as the story begins the sniper?

When the story begins, the Sniper is described as someone "used to looking at death." He functions like a machine, overcoming the pain in his wound; he has become desensitized to pain and killing. He does whatever is necessary to kill rather than be killed, so he fakes his own death.

Why do you think the author chose not to give the main character a name?

One reason O'Flaherty does not use the sniper's name in the story is to increase the universal reach of the story. A significant part as to why "The Sniper" is such a powerful story is because it can be applied to any military conflict.

What sort of man was the sniper at the start of the story?

At the beginning of the story, the sniper is described as a young man, trained as a soldier. O'Flaherty provides a sharp contrast between the innocence and naivety of youth with the graphic violence and desensitization soldiers experience in war.

What kind of internal conflicts does the sniper face?

The internal conflict in Liam O'Flaherty short story about the Irish civil war "The Sniper" is patriotism versus morale. Here we have a soldier, who is a sniper, in a typical monitor duty while he is having a snack to eat. Noticing that there might be enemy fire coming his way, he gets in position to attack.

What is a simile in the sniper?

A literary device found in this short story is simile. "Here and there through the city, machine guns and rifles broke the silence of the night, spasmodically, like dogs barking on lone farms." This example of simile compares the sound of rattling machine gusn to the loud sound of barking dogs on a quiet farm.

What is the irony of the story the sniper?

The irony is that the sniper kills his own brother. The story is set during the Irish civil war in the 1920's. Each brother has chosen a different side on which to fight. During his battle with an enemy sniper, the author foreshadows the ending by showing how similar each shooter is.

What is the author's message in the sniper?

The central message of "The Sniper" lies in the agonizing middle of the story and is illustrated by the blood chilling conclusion of the story. The message is that war dehumanizes people. It dehumanizes people to such an extent that they completely overlook their unity of human fellowship.

What conflict does the old woman cause for the sniper?

Irish Civil War

Who is the antagonist in this story?

The antagonist is in direct conflict with the main character in a story, or the protagonist. The protagonist usually undergoes some significant internal change in a story, but not always. However, because the protagonist has been in conflict with the antagonist, his or her character grows.

How does the sniper specifically resolve his conflict?

The republican "resolves" his conflict with the enemy sniper by shooting him. The smoke gives away his position and the enemy fires in his direction. Then an old woman informs an enemy solider in an armored car of the republican sniper's location. He decides he must shoot the soldier and the woman to protect himself.