How Does Liam O Flaherty Create Suspense In The Sniper

In this suspenseful novel, The Sniper, by Liam O'Flaherty you will see how the author uses words to speed up, slow down the tempo, and use a rapid succession of conflicts in his story to see how he creates the theme of suspense. In his story, a student is waiting on a building in the middle of a war between the Free-staters and Republicans. It tells of how he faces danger many times throughout and what obstacles he goes through like being shot at by another sniper only to find out that the other sniper wasn’t who he thought. The author creates suspense in The Sniper through the order of events.

Depending on what words the author uses in his story, it can create suspense through using words with urgency. In The Sniper he uses words that show urgency and imminence. An example of this is, “He quickly pulled the knife out of the parapet”(O'Flaherty,1) . It shows a sense of urgency because he is wounded and needs to be fast about his actions. If the author uses words like that he shows that things are speeding up and can give the reader a sense of suspense by making things happen fast. …show more content…
He slows down his words and an example of this is, “He cautiously raised himself over the parapet”(O’Flaherty,1). Cautiously is a slowed down word meaning he wants to be careful or vigilant in this case. The author makes it suspenseful by using the words like slowly and cautiously to make it seem slower and more