War is a very controversial dilemma, which could be solved in an orderly fashion rather then a callous disaster where young men and women die. This cataclysmic story takes place in a short story written by Liam O"Flaherty, the story takes place in Dublin, Ireland during the 1920"s where a Republican sniper is involved with a terrible accident. He suffers dramatic injury to the soul and heart when someone that he loves dearly is shot. The story"s theme is intensified through situational irony, which shows the pointlessness of armed conflict. Unexpected senseless occurrences happen when situational irony comes to effect....
the lighting of the glowing smoke and how it is abnormal that someone at an altitude so high can be seen with the tiny lighting of a cigarette. Also when something so foolish as a soldier giving away his life by giving himself a death wish which is provoked by hopping out of a protective armor. The most ironic moment is when the republican sniper assassinates his own brother, which strengthens the main theme of this story, which is that war is pointless. Senseless acts and pointlessness actions are perpetrated in a powerful story written by a great writer.