An essay I had to write for English. Nostalgia, old folks? But anyway,we had to compare two characters from two different stories. I'm mostly just posting this for my dad to read. Enjoy. Rates not needed.

    Recently, we have read two excellent short stories: “The Man I Killed”, and “The Sniper”, written by Tim O’Brien and Liam O’Flaherty, respectively. These stories, which I have chosen to compare and contrast, were picked by me because for the most part, I am an avid fan of war stories. However, the two protagonists of this story, while sharing many facets, have enough differences to be two dynamic, strong elements in their respective tales. This paper is an analytical essay comparing these two characters, and showing their affinities and dissimilarities.

    Looking at these characters side-by-side will take a short course of review to see how their stories intertwine. The IRA Sniper and Tim O’Brien have one glaringly obvious aspect in common: they are soldiers. Despite both being fighters, they differ greatly in what they fight for. O’Brien, like many other young men, was drafted into service with the U.S. Army, his tour of duty being from 1969-1970, the apex of fighting in the Vietnam War. Many of these young men, while being told they were stopping the spread of Communism and protecting the United States, didn’t identify with those reasons, and opposition to the war was strong. These young soldiers, distraught with the possibility of losing limbs, being mentally scarred, or giving the ultimate sacrifice for something they didn’t believe, often just found themselves fighting to survive until their tour of duty was over. O’Brien seems to fit into this demographic. While he certainly wasn’t a coward, killing the NVA soldier was an action of instinct, probably brought on by the fear and anxiety of being made to fight and risk his life in a foreign country.  

    The Sniper, on the other hand, is a fighter in the Irish Republican Army.  The IRA fought extensively to overthrow both the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland, and to re-instate the Irish Republic. This often involved activities that were terrorist in nature. Urban warfare was common, and tore apart communities and families, as evidenced by the Sniper killing his brother at the end of the story. Unlike O’Brien, however, the Sniper had to kill this man to survive, and in the course of the skirmish, killed a machine-gunner and an elderly woman.
   

    Fighting for the IRA was a choice. Being drafted was not. The IRA Sniper was a volunteer, doing what he thought was right. Tim O’Brien was conscript, trying as hard as he could to survive in the jungles of Vietnam. This is very evident when we start analyzing their thoughts and reactions to having killed for their country. The Sniper is indifferent to having shot the machine gunner and old woman. He seems hardened to this kind of thing, knowing that this is what he chose to do, and he fought and killed for what he believed in. O’Brien on the other hand, appears extremely shaken and remorseful about having killed the NVA soldier. Staring extensively at his corpse, and analyzing his mutilated face, torn to pieces and reduced to disfigurement by O’Brien’s grenade, which was thrown out of instinct, only to make the soldier “evaporate”. O’Brien thought deeply on the kind of past the young man he killed might have; the Sniper regards killing as something that had to be done and goes about his business killing the counter-sniper.    

    Whether or not it was right for them to kill whom they did, it happened. And it will continue to happen. But, we can see how this killing affected them. Both these stories demonstrate the futility and horrors of warfare: the Sniper killed his own blood, and O’Brien killed a man who most likely posed no threat to him or his comrades. When men take aim behind ironsights and scopes, and pull the pins on their grenades, their enemy isn’t the only person that dies. The lead and shrapnel cut scars into their conscience. You’ll always wonder what ideal you pulled the trigger or pin for, and you’ll always think about that man you killed.