Humanity and Remorse in "The Sniper" and "Cranes"
This essay compares Liam O'Flaherty's "The Sniper" and Hwang Sun-won's "Cranes," two short stories set in different wartime contexts that share common thematic ground. The paper examines how both works portray the dehumanizing effects of war, the remorse experienced by soldiers for their actions, and the perseverance of characters under extreme adversity. While both stories explore these themes, the essay identifies key distinctions: "The Sniper" centers on individual psychological conflict, while "Cranes" foregrounds communal impact, relational loyalty, and the bonds of friendship that persist across political divides.
- Introduction: Thesis introducing three shared themes across both stories
- War and the Loss of Humanity: How war dehumanizes individuals and communities
- Remorse and Moral Conflict: Characters' guilt over wartime actions and deaths
- Perseverance in the Face of Adversity: Characters press on despite injury and danger
- Conclusion: Shared themes of humanity, remorse, and perseverance
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay maintains a clear parallel structure throughout, consistently pairing textual evidence from both stories before identifying meaningful distinctions between them.
- Direct quotations from both primary texts anchor each analytical point, demonstrating close reading rather than broad generalization.
- The use of transitional signals such as "Similarly," "However," and "Likewise" guides the reader smoothly through the compare-and-contrast argument.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates the block-then-contrast method of comparative analysis: for each theme, the essay first establishes a shared quality between the two texts using supporting evidence, then isolates a meaningful difference. This technique allows the writer to move beyond surface-level comparison and highlight how context shapes meaning differently in each work.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a thesis introducing three shared themes. It then proceeds through three body-section pairings — humanity, remorse, and perseverance — each following a similarity-then-difference pattern supported by quoted evidence. A brief concluding paragraph ties the themes together. The structure is symmetrical and well-suited to a short comparative essay at the high school level.
Introduction
Despite being set in different contexts and time periods, The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty and Cranes by Hwang Sun-won share both similarities and differences in their portrayal of the themes of humanity, remorse, and perseverance. Both stories use the backdrop of armed conflict to explore how war tests and transforms the individuals caught within it, while also distinguishing themselves through their focus on the personal versus the communal dimensions of that experience.
War and the Loss of Humanity
Both stories depict the effects of war on humanity and how conflict can lead to dehumanization. In The Sniper, the main character struggles with the moral implications of killing another human being, highlighting the loss of humanity in times of war. The narrator describes: "The lust of battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse" (O'Flaherty, 1923). Similarly, in Cranes, two old friends on opposing sides of a conflict share a moment of humanity and connection despite their differences, showing that even in war, people can still empathize with one another. The narrator notes: "The blood that had surged up in the old man's heart subsided once again. The two old friends felt tears gather in their eyes" (Sun-won, 1953).
However, while The Sniper focuses on the internal struggle of the individual, Cranes highlights the broader impact of war on communities and relationships. As the narrator in Cranes states, "For two days, the village had been bustling with the sound of farewells and departures" (Sun-won, 1953), demonstrating the widespread effects of wartime conflict on an entire community.
Remorse and Moral Conflict
Both stories also feature characters who experience deep feelings of remorse for their actions during war. In The Sniper, the main character is consumed with guilt after he discovers that the person he killed was his own brother. He reflects: "He looked at his enemy falling and he shuddered with the terror of himself" (O'Flaherty, 1923). Likewise, in Cranes, the soldier escorting his friend to be executed feels remorse for his role in the war and for his part in his friend's fate. The narrator describes: "The image of the young man, who had called him hyung so affectionately, lingered in his mind, and he couldn't help feeling a deep sense of remorse" (Sun-won, 1953).
However, in The Sniper, the remorse is focused entirely on the individual's own actions, whereas in Cranes, the soldier's remorse is tied to his larger role in the war and his participation in the execution of his friend. This distinction reflects how each story situates moral responsibility — one within the self, the other within a broader system of social and political conflict.
Conclusion
Despite being set in different contexts and time periods, both The Sniper and Cranes powerfully illustrate the shared human experiences of moral struggle, guilt, and endurance that define individuals caught in the machinery of war. Where they differ is in scale and motivation: O'Flaherty's story turns inward, tracing the psychological cost borne by a single soldier, while Sun-won's story looks outward, finding meaning in the bonds between people that war strains but cannot always break.
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