“War is like love, it always finds a way” (Bertolt Brecht). Although one is pure and the other evil, the forces of both love and war influence the best stories. A more interesting topic emerges when a character must choose between loyalty to a loved one and devotion to government. In “The Sniper” and “Cranes” the main character is involved in a civil war that calls for allegiance to the government despite his feelings for a loved one who fights for the opposite cause. “The Sniper” and “Cranes” share similarities and differences in the plot, the characters, and the theme.
Although, these stories are two similar pieces of literature and share many similarities, they both are unique from one another and consist of many differences. In both stories the plots are similar; nevertheless they are different. Both stories take place in civil war times. The main characters undergo great effects of war involving family and friends. “The Sniper” takes place during the 1920’s, war time in Dublin, Ireland and “Cranes” takes place in a village along the thirty-eighth parallel in Korea at the time of the civil war.
In “The Sniper” the plot begins in a war zone, the main character is on a rooftop facing a life or death situation. His enemy must be killed in order to escape. Him and the enemy sniper exchange gun fire and he comes out on top, killing who is later recognized as his blood brother. In “Cranes” the story begins in a village during the Korean civil war, It explains that two men from opposite sides used to be friends in their childhood. Songsam is to escort his old friend Tokchae to his death.
In the end Songsam frees his old friend, knowing that he will face great consequences when he returns. In both plots the main characters are faced with either dying themselves or killing a close friend or family member. Also, both plots end after the main characters make their decision to live themselves or kill a loved one. In both plots that civil war has harmful effects on people both internally and externally. The two plots are similar in these ways, they differ however, when it comes to… DIFFERENCES The characters in both stories are similar, but they also have many differences.
Normally, soldiers fight against strangers, but in both stories the main characters fight against a close friend or a family member. In both “Cranes” and “The Sniper” the main characters deal with many hardships of war. The characters are tested for strength, loyalty, and kindness. They have to choose between their allegiance to the government or loyalty to family and friends. Both stories show realistic hardships of war that the main characters must surpass. In “The Sniper” the main character fights against another sniper, his brother.
In “Cranes” the main character does not fight a family member but he is tasked with escorting his childhood friend to a prison where he will be killed. In both “Cranes” and “The Sniper” the main characters are forced to kill a family member or a friend. Another similarity between the main characters is both changed their views on war at the end of the story. In “The Sniper” the main character realizes, after looking into his dead brother’s eyes, that he doesn’t want to be a killer anymore, and in “Cranes” Songsam changes his views on the war and decides to release his old friend, betraying his cause.
Though the main characters in both stories are similar they have their differences, in “Cranes” the main character chooses compassion for his childhood friend over his cause showing strength in what he truly believed in. However in “The Sniper” the main character is consumed by the persuasions of war and devotion to his cause that he instinctively shoots and kills his brother. Liam O’Flaherty writes, “His [the sniper’s] face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic.
They were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death” (212). This shows, the pervasive war transformed this young man, once innocent and rational into a heartless killing machine. Then “the sniper… shuddered. The lust for battle died in him. He became bitten by remorse” (214). As the sniper dismounted the rooftop he ran to his lifeless enemy and discovered that his lust for battle had caused him to do the unthinkable, kill his brother. Realizing the measure of his mistake the sniper leaves the battle.
The difference is clear, Songsam from “Cranes” choose his childhood friend over his cause, but the unnamed sniper lets war consume his rationality and chooses his devotion to government, later regretting his decision. The major difference between the two main characters is the sniper let his emotions and strive for survival effect his decision and Songsam was able to think clearly and realize that his childhood friends life was more important than his cause. Though, the characters have many similarities in the end they are each very unique and have many differences.
THEME PARAGRAPH “The Sniper” and “Cranes” are both very different pieces of literature; nevertheless they show many similarities. Although, the stories “Cranes” and “The Sniper” are similar in the plot, the characters, and the theme they also show many differences, within these categories. Even though the main characters experienced only a portion of the effect war has on people, they both have learned a lesson. But, war is like love, although one is pure and the other evil, the forces of both love and war influence the best stories. Both love and war, you can’t have one without the other they are opposites and always will be.
