The setting of Liam O'Flaherty's "The Sniper " is very important to the story as a whole. The setting (time and place) is openly defined in the initial paragraph of the text. It is a summer night in Dublin. The limited light of the partial moon is clouded....
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These descriptions are important given it sets the scene as one with limited views and secrecy. The characters in the play are also clouded, symbolically. None are given names, so as to illuminate the importance of the cloudy and limited light.
The protagonist is set upon a rooftop, taking aim at a sniper on another building. Neither know the identity of the other, which compounds the setting's blindness. By the end, the protagonist's shot has succeeded at killing the enemy sniper--his brother.
Here the setting becomes even more important. The fact that the setting is limited in light and dark encompasses the idea that the sniper has killed his brother. If it would have taken place during hours of light, the sniper may have been able to identify the enemy sniper as his brother. Unfortunately, the setting added a sense of masking and the unknown. Therefore, the setting's dark atmosphere adds, not only to the suspense of the actions described, but the dark murder of one brother by another.
How does O'Flaherty use setting in the opening paragraph of "The Sniper" and throughout the story?
The Irish Civil War was extremely violent and turned families against each other, in many instances. The use of snipers was prevalent, even in the cities, large and small.
The fact that the story occurs at night sets the tone, which is one of foreboding and dread. The reader can sense that something bad will happen in the story very early on. Also, it is very quiet, which adds to the foreboding tone. Snipers also have to be camoflauged because theirs is an attack of surprise with one bullet, so the darkness also is appropriate for the premise of the story.
How does O'Flaherty use setting in the opening paragraph of "The Sniper" and throughout the story?
The first paragraph of "The Sniper" is a very poetic description of the conditions surrounding the civil war in Ireland. He uses vivid images like:
"long June twilight faded into night" (O'Flaherty)
"Dublin lay enveloped in darkness but for the dim light of the moon that shone through fleecy clouds," (O'Flaherty)
He compares the sound of gunfire with dogs barking, which tends to make it appear ordinary. The familiarity of the setting helps the reader understand that the story concerns a fight between brothers.
The setting helps the reader to feel the intimacy of the battle, like a family argument that turns violent, it is very personal, it is indeed a fight between brothers.