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The Decisions In William O 'Flaherty's The Sniper'

521 Words3 Pages

One of the major influences in how the protagonist handles their problem is that the decisions that they make will affect at least one person which could indirectly affect many. In the short story “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty, the protagonist, or the main character, is a Republican sniper in the civil war taking place in Dublin, Ireland against the Free Staters. The author states that “He took a steady aim. His hand trembled with eagerness. Pressing his lips together, he took a deep breath through his nostrils and fired.”(O’Flaherty) The lead character, the Republican sniper, had to account for knowing this shot was going to kill his enemy when he shot the bullet from his revolver, but because he was in a life and death situation, he decided that he had to kill him. …show more content…

“Just Lather, That’s All” is about a barber who has become a covert operative for a band of rebels, and when the military captain comes into his shop and asks for a shave, the barber must decide whether or not to end his life. Making this decision is putting a lot of stress onto the barber as throughout the story he is weighing all of his options and the future consequences of his actions. The barber says “I can turn my hand a bit more, press a little harder on the razor, and sink it in. The skin would give way like silk, like rubber, like strop. There is nothing more tender than human skin and the blood is always their, ready to pour forth. A blade like this doesn’t

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