Cultural Differences In The Sniper And The Sniper

We live on a planet of sin, where humans will constantly be in conflict, whether it be a war between two countries, two religions, or two people. Regardless of the specifics, it’s the people involved, their choices, and every loss of life that ultimately determines the outcome of the conflict. Take two men from opposite sides of the world. Different cultures. Different lifestyles. Both trapped in exasperate countries with grave conflict. A sniper in one story, a barber in the other. The two have the chance to commit reprobate actions that will change the course of their life and have crucial, possibly detrimental effects on their countries. Although the short stories are about distinct individuals, these separate tales of raw emotion, …show more content…
With weapons in their hands, both of these tenacious, loyal men are devoted to their beliefs. Their countries’ circumstances are excruciating, wars have divided the people, even families. Because they have chosen a side, both the sniper and the barber are put in a situation where they have the ability to take away a life, or lives for the greater good of their cause. This tells you a lot about who they are as people. It takes quite the man to take away a life, risking everything to make things right, at least, in their mind. In addition to their similar circumstances, they’re both seeking to alter their country's government’s systems. The sniper wanted Ireland to stay a part of the UK and the barber wanted to prevent a tyranny take over of his country. The sniper’s targets were free staters and the barber’s target was Captain Torres, a leader of the opposition who has taken and …show more content…
Although these men may be living in similar scenarios, the outcome is drastically different. Of course, their biggest difference is the fact that the sniper was willing to kill several people but the barber did not kill a single soul. Not even a drop of blood fell from Torres’ face when the barber was shaving him. This is due to another one of their key differences. The barber is an overthinker. It took the entire time from when Captain Torres sat in that chair to the moment he got up with a freshly shaven face for the barber to understand the consequences and backlash of his actions. On the other hand, the sniper killed without a wince or second thought to his actions. He was quite the quick thinker actually, this was most accurately depicted when the sniper dropped his wounded hand over the ledge to make it seem like he was dead. And finally, the barber is much more fearful than the sniper. The story describes the barber trembling as Torres walks in, sweating, nervous, anxious, you name it, whereas the sniper had no problem shooting several people, including an elderly woman, and unbeknownst to him at the time, his own brother. Another thing worth pointing out is, the sniper lit a cigarette, well aware the light could draw attention, putting himself in a risky position. He took the chance and was shot at, resulting in his arm