Fighting your family to the death over a political dispute seems unfathomable, but it was a historical reality. The Irish Civil War began when the Irish had to decide whether to accept partial freedom from Great Britain or fight to become a republic. After fighting among themselves against Britain, the Irish army split and fought against each other. During civil wars, like the Irish one, countries are divided and find themselves fighting with their other halves. The damage caused by civil wars to families and soldiers is often forgotten. Most families are able to support each other; however, in some cases families split up and even end up fighting on opposite sides of the battle. This quality of dedication to a war that affects citizens personally appears in Liam O'Flaherty's “The Sniper,” a short story about a sniper in the Irish Civil War who fights on the republican side. During the night, his eagerness to fight shows how inexperienced he is in warfare; however, his calm actions and quick response contrast this, indicating that he is quite logical. Although the Sniper is enthusiastic about combat at the beginning of the story, he later finds himself shocked by the gruesome nature of his own actions. The Republican sniper in "The Sniper" describes how fanatical devotion in the Civil War affects soldiers personally because the character is no longer able to perceive people as anything more than allies or enemies, loses control of his emotions, and kills his Brother. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At first, the sniper's fiery violence shocks his ability to understand that his actions harm real people, not just enemies. After a long day waiting for combat, the sniper lies undercover on a Dublin rooftop drinking whiskey. When he comes close to lighting a cigarette, a Free State sniper on a rooftop opposite takes aim at him, but the republican remains unharmed. The sniper sees an elderly woman informing the driver of an enemy vehicle of her location and immediately takes the opportunity to kill them both without a second thought. The sniper's undaunted thirst for violent action is confirmed when he “wanted to shoot” at the vehicle but held back because he “knew it would be useless” due to the car's armor (263). The sniper's excitement and struggle to refrain from shooting, and his impulsive killing of enemies, are a sign that he is fascinated by the glory of war and violence and has repressed his integrity enough to justify killing two people. The reader is able to decipher that the Sniper believes that the Free Staters do not deserve to live. Because of his dedication to war, the sniper looks forward to violence and is happy when he kills people. This shows how cruel humans can become when thrust into the world of war. It also symbolizes the inner need of many humans to kill, which is justified and even respected in war. Society normally refuses to accept hatred and violence, but war is an excuse for cruelty against other human beings. This isn't the only time the sniper's emotions are affected by his dedication to war. Furthermore, the sniper's dedication to war has subjugated him to a state of emotional detachment; when he is released from this state, his emotions rush over him with unbridled force. After shooting the informant and the driver, the sniper's counterpart in Free Stateidentifies his location and targets the sniper from the opposite rooftop. The sniper's forearm was injured by the enemy sniper's bullet; although he manages the situation by diligently dressing the wound, he is seriously injured. Still excited by the prospect of shooting the Free State sniper, he creates a ruse for his enemy and takes him down. The sniper's lust for glory is evident as he "trembled with impatience" waiting to shoot his enemy (264). Seeing the silhouetted figure of his enemy “crumple and fall forward” causes the sniper's enthusiasm to fade, and his remorse is visible when the author uses words like “shuddered,” “remorseful,” rebelled,” and “slurred.” ” (264). The sniper truly expresses his newfound hatred of war when he begins to "curse the war, curse himself, curse everyone" (264). The Sniper is surprised and returns to reality, “he looked at the smoking gun in his hand and with a curse threw it onto the roof at his feet. The revolver exploded with a violent shot and the bullet whizzed past the sniper's head” (265). The sniper chooses to blame alcohol for his outburst. When the sniper's emotions get out of hand, the author forces drastic measures to be taken to break the emotional barriers used by soldiers in battle. Throwing the gun to the ground represents the character's remorse for his actions and his intention not to repeat them. However, his decision to blame alcohol for his grievances allows him to move forward with the war, giving him the opportunity to achieve his goals and meet the expectations of others. The sniper's opposite actions demonstrate that the emotional influences of war only cause confusion and panic in a soldier's mind. When the defense mechanisms used by soldiers can no longer withstand the tests of death and pain, men in combat experience severe panic and stress. The sniper may have overcome his panic attack, but his emotional battle with the war isn't over yet. Moving forward, the personal repercussions of Civil War on a combat-oriented character like the sniper are evident when it is revealed that he killed his own brother. After recovering from his collapse of remorse, the sniper ignores his feelings of distress and intends to report to his commander. Be that as it may, an instinct convinces him to investigate the identity of his enemy before doing so. After nearly being hit by a machine gun trying to reach the man, the sniper realizes he has killed his brother. The author leaves the reader shocked when "the sniper turned the corpse over and looked into his brother's face" (265). The division between brothers in battle indicates that the choice to join the republican army or that of the free state was a challenging one. Since the author provides the reader with no background information about the story and no emotional reaction from the sniper, the reader is left to draw their own conclusions. This ambiguity gives the reader more opportunity to reflect on the author's intentions. The author implies that, with or without realizing it, the sniper and his brother have chosen opposite sides of the war. Perhaps the sniper and his brother were aware of the decision to fight on opposite sides in the war. In that case, Liam O'Flaherty points out that the dedication to the civil war can become so strong that it turns family members against each other. The death of the sniper's brother demonstrates the hardships that families endure during the Civil War and how this affects people personally. The Republican character in "The Sniper" reminds us of the personal challenges of the Civil War caused by strong devotion when he kills an elderly woman without.