The Sniper

The author of The Sniper is very successful in using a range of literary techniques to create atmosphere and suspense. This includes the employment of many words that relate to the way the story ends. When the sniper finds that he has killed his brother, the story ends and therefore we do not witness his reaction. Instead the author uses descriptive language that creates tension and also depicts the shocking discovery the sniper makes.

In his first description of the sniper, the author he tells us he has “the face of a student”. This is significant because it implies youth, vulnerability and lack of experience. We assume this of the sniper and from this we can infer that the young sniper is likely to be ignorant of something important, such as his enemy’s identity. He uses the term “fanatic” to portray the sniper’s youthful excitement at being part of the civil war. However, the most significant part of this initial description is when the author says: “The eyes of a man who is used to looking at death”. This makes the reader aware that the sniper is willing to kill without empathy and we do not expect him to feel remorse after defeating his enemy. It suggests a strong character who is not concerned by the deaths that are caused by war. This is relevant because it informs the reader that a death is likely to take place but it should not be of great concern to the sniper.

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Due to this introduction of the sniper’s character, we are surprised when the author tells us “The lust of battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse”. We are already aware that this reaction to the enemy’s death is unusual and unexpected. The author has used this phrase, along with many others, to convey the consequences of shooting a sniper whose identity he was unaware of.

The author frequently uses language that could be interpreted as referring the final discovery we make at the end of the story. Several of these words and phrases foreshadow the ...

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