The Sniper is a short story by Liam O'Flaherty that tells about the civil war that took place in Dublin, Ireland. There are two characters in the story, both of whom are snipers from each side of the war. However, the main character in this story is a republican sniper. He is a very clever sniper and tries to survive so he doesn't get killed. The way republican snipers defend themselves is a form of thought control that exists in every human being. These thought controls are called the id, ego, and superego.
According to Freud's personality theory (1923) the psyche structured into three parts, the id, ego and superego, all developing at different stages in our lives. The id, ego and superego work together in creating patterns of human behavior. The id gives demands to natural needs, the ego limits it to reality, and the superego adds moral values to every action taken. Just like what the Republican snipers did, all the actions he took were actions created by the pattern of human behavior that was attached to him. There are several actions, which represent that he acts according to the pattern of human behavior in this story.
The first action was when the republican sniper had to risk lighting a cigarette. Even though he knew that the flash of a match could be seen in the dark and could harm him. However, he decided to do it anyway. As in the story, "Placing a cigarette between his lips, he struck a match, inhaled the smoke hurriedly and put out the light. Almost immediately, a bullet flattened itself against the parapet of the roof." [page:1], which shows that he took the risk to light a match because of an inner urge to do so despite knowing the consequences. This is an action that is driven by the behavior pattern of the Id, in which the republican sniper does it because of his natural needs. The id operates on the pleasure principle (Freud, 1920), which means that every impulse must be fulfilled immediately, regardless of the consequences.
The second act performed by the main character of the story is that he shoots the man getting out of the armored car and the woman who points out the presence of a republican sniper to the man. As in the story, "Then round the corner of a side street came an old woman, her head covered by a tattered shawl. She began to talk to the man in the turret of the car. She was pointing to the roof where the sniper lay." [page: 1], in which he must choose between kill or be killed. In my opinion, the sniper's actions were driven by the behavior pattern of Id. Because he did that without thinking about morals and conscience. All he thought about was how he would stay alive despite having to kill a woman who wasn't involved in the war.
The third action is when the main character does clever things in manipulating the enemy. He tried to trick the enemy by putting his hat over the muzzle of his rifle and pushing the rifle over the parapet as if to creep forward to fire. As in the story, "Taking off his cap, he placed it over the muzzle of his rifle. Then he pushed the rifle slowly upward over the parapet, until the cap was visible from the opposite side of the street." [page: 2], which shows that he did this because of the impulse of the ego behavior that was in him. According to Freud (1923, p. 25) the ego is "that part of the id which has been modified by the direct influence of the external world." Which means he performs the action using his reason, whereas the id is muddled and nonsensical.
The fourth action that the main character performs is when he shoots at enemy snipers. He shot it after successfully tricking his enemy. As in the story, "He took a steady aim. His hand trembled with eagerness. Pressing his lips together, he took a deep breath through his nostrils and fired." [page: 2], which indicates if he did the action because of the impulse of the Id. He felt the urge to kill his enemy in order to escape from that place. Without thinking and considering it, he shot straight away and found pleasure within himself.
The main character's last action driven by human behavior is when he feels sorry for killing his enemy and tries to find out who he killed. Did he know him, did his enemy have been in his own company before the split in the army. And he took the risk of seeing his enemy's face by turning his body. He was shocked and felt deep regret when he saw that the enemy was his own brother. As in the story, "Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face." [page: 3], which he does this because of the impulse of the superego's behavioral pattern. He did what he had to do, he felt guilty, and earned his conscience when he condemned the civil war.
There are behavioral patterns of id, ego, and superego in this short story. But most of the main characters are controlled by the id. He must carry out the demands of his id so that he is not killed during the civil war. However, there is also an ego and a superego in his actions. He still has humanity. But because of the demands of war, he had to throw away his conscience.
References:
Freud, S. (1920). Beyond the pleasure principle. SE, 18: 1-64.
Freud, S. (1923). The ego and the id. SE, 19: 1-66.
