Compare And Contrast The Sniper And A Horseman In The Sky

The main characters from the short stories “The Sniper” and “A Horseman in the Sky” have numerous similarities and differences. Both of these short stories take place during a civil war and are told from the perspective of a man fighting in it. In “The Sniper,” it is told from “the sniper’s” point of view, while in “A Horseman in the Sky,” it is told from young soldier Carter Druse’s point of view. Another major difference is the sniper is fighting in the Irish Republican civil war, while Carter Druse is in the American civil war. One way the two men are similar is they both kill a family member on the opposing side of the war. The sniper killed his brother in the Irish civil war, and Carter Druse (indirectly) killed his father in the American

He became bitten by remorse… he revolted at the sight of the shattered mass of his dead enemy. His teeth chattered. He began to gibber to himself, cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everybody.” This quote shows after he shot the enemy sniper, for a few seconds, he seems to feel remorseful and have a change in mindset. In “A Horseman in the Sky,” Carter Druse goes back and forth on his decision of whether or not to kill his father may times. One such example is when the author writes, “At that instant the horseman turned his head and looked in the direction of his concealed foeman-- seemed to look into his very face, into his eyes, into his brave, compassionate heart.” Another example of when Carter’s emotions seem to override his sense of reason and responsibility is when the author writes, “His hand fell away from his weapon, his head slowly dropped until his face rested on the leaves in which he lay. This courageous gentlemen and hardy soldier was near swooning from intensity of emotion.” This shows Carter is very tentative on shooting his father. This is because he knows it is his responsibility, but most likely feels like it wouldn’t be right. One difference I noticed between the two characters is their morals and

I view the sniper as arrogant and big-headed. Carter knows his responsibility is to kill the enemy to keep his Union Army safe, but feels anguish and guilt in doing so, as the enemy is his father. An example of when Carter is clearly indecisive in his decision is when the author writes, “But no-- there is a hope; he may have discovered nothing-- perhaps he is but admiring the sublimity of the landscape. If permitted, he may turn and ride carelessly away in the direction whence he came.” But, I believe his internal conflict is meaningful, and he eventually goes with reason and responsibility. But the sniper is much different. He is very arrogant, as he is eating a sandwich and risks a smoke ‘because he can.’ Even after he is shot, he still retains a sense of arrogance and entitlement. Also, he risks crossing the street to see who the enemy sniper was that he killed, even though it is extremely dangerous. His arrogance is portrayed in the passage, “The revolver went off with a concussion, and the bullet whizzed past the sniper’s