The Sniper

Anonymity is a consequence of war. No one is recognizable to the sniper nor to the reader, who is at the mercy of the sniper’s limited third-person narration. Even stereotypical identities are blurred. The old woman—who would seem unthreatening during peacetime—is an informant. The protagonist’s brother appears to be his enemy.

O’Flaherty doesn’t name the sniper or the other characters. This reinforces the impersonality of war. Individuals are only identified according to what side of the war they are on: Republicans or Free Staters. Anonymity allows the sniper to kill without remorse. The final scene, in which the sniper recognizes that his most recent victim is his brother, is symbolic: all of his victims might have easily been his kin. Any Irishman might be his brother and any war casualty is a member of the human race.

Anonymity allows the combatants to suppress their humanity. O’Flaherty suggests that dehumanization is a consequence of war.

Rifles are used when there is distance between shooter and target. By virtue of being a long-range weapon, rifles are especially impersonal: they permit fighters to kill opponents without knowing or even seeing them. The rifle makes the sniper’s job possible. It allows him to dehumanize his victims.