Irony in history: a comparison between two works “Desiree's Baby” and “The Sniper” are two different stories, written by two different authors, in two different time periods, in two different geographical places. A common thread can be found, however, when tracing certain attributes across the stories. Both stories feature interesting character development, traces of undeniable irony and end with an adrenaline-filled cliffhanger ending; they also have a rebellious undercurrent, which speaks out against a tragedy. In "Desiree's Baby" Kate Chopin weaves a story set in pre-Civil War Louisiana about an unsuspecting young mother who finds her strength when her racist husband disowns her because she is black. The irony appears when Armand, the husband, finds proof that it is not his wife who is Black, but it is him. “The Sniper” by Liam O'Flaherty depicts the story of an emotionless young assassin who begins to see the horrors of war when he defeats his opponent on a rooftop. The irony manifests itself in the last sentence of the story, which states that the sniper shot and killed his own brother. These two stories, while different, can be tied together by several overarching themes such as irony and the ideals of nationalism and racism taken too far in their respective stories. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty, published in 1923, the author explores the irony and horrors of the civil war in Ireland in 1922. The story centers on a republican sniper sitting on a roof; the hungry sniper watches his enemy with fanatical eyes. The sniper shoots an informant on the ground, only to be shot from the opposite roof by another sniper. The Republican sniper then devises a plan to kill his enemy. The plan works, but the sniper later realizes what a terrible thing he has done and throws the gun to the ground “cursing the war, cursing himself, cursing everyone.” The sniper is then brought back to reality by the accidental firing of his weapon and empties his flask of whiskey. Coming out of the roof, the sniper's curiosity conquers him and he decides to verify the identity of the rebel sniper who was a very good marksman. The sniper wonders if he knew the man, if they were in the same company before the army split. As he dodges machine gun fire and falls to the ground next to his enemy's corpse, the sniper comes face to face with his brother. This irony is a clear message about the fallacy of war; what started as an attempt to unite people and bring them together, ended up driving them apart. The author, Liam O'Flaherty, was directly involved in the Irish Civil War of 1922. O'Flaherty joined the Irish Republican Army to push for independence. The war broke out due to nationalistic disputes between the Irish Free State and Great Britain. After the signing of the peace treaty between Ireland and England, the Irish troops split into two groups. Those who supported the treaty were the "Free State Army" and those who opposed the treaty were the republicans. O'Flaherty fought for the Republic of Ireland and the ideals of keeping the country together. Fighting for a cause, no matter how noble, can have negative effects on a soldier. The sniper with eyes that had “the cold glint of the fanatic” was emotionless. When it came to killing, the Republican sniper only showed remorse when he killed his enemy sniper. This young man with the “face of a student, thin and ascetic” was a hardened soldier with “glieyes of a man accustomed to looking at death." The fact that the sniper is so young, yet already accustomed to war, shows the atrocity of the Civil War that O'Flaherty must have seen. It was not uncommon during the Civil War for young soldiers to be left psychologically damaged by the horrors they saw fighting for their country. When an ideal like nationalism is pushed too far, the result is unnecessary bloodshed and the transformation of young students into hardened soldiers. This tragedy is what O'Flaherty strives to speak out against in the story. The sniper shows this injustice when he throws the gun away in disgust. As soon as his enemy dies, the thirst for battle abandons him and he is "bitten by remorse". The sniper, in this newfound weakness, is “disgusted by the sight of the shattered mass of his dead enemy.” After an entire career of killing without objection (including a gunman in a turret and an informant in the story) the sniper finally discovers that the cause he fights so valiantly for is flawed, leading to the loss of precious human life. The Sniper's Epiphany The question of the horrors of war deepens as he discovers the identity of the rebel sniper and faces the truth that he killed his brother. The discovery of this truth is the final irony. The fact that the only enemy who forces the sniper to curse himself and the cause he fights for is the sniper's brother shows the grave injustice that O'Flaherty is rebelling against. The sniper must have realized the enormous extent to which his family had been destroyed. The war had torn his family apart to the point that two brothers had united on opposite sides and were "forced" to kill each other. This irony would have a drastic effect on the sniper's mind, as only killing a family member could. The theme of irony connects the story of "The Sniper" with Kate Chopin's story "Desiree's Baby". Kate Chopin, an active feminist, published the story of Desiree's traumatic experience as a mother in 1893. The story begins by describing Desiree as an orphaned child, left on the doorstep of the wealthy "Valmonde" estate. As Desiree grows up, she is noticed by the young Armand Aubigny who immediately falls in love with her. Armand falls in love "as if struck by a gunshot" and anticipates the day when he will be able to marry her. The two soon have a baby and Armand's overall character changes drastically. Where Armand was once a stern and domineering slave owner, once the child is born Armand is content with the punishment of his slaves. At this time, Desiree's adoptive mother (Madame Valmonde) visits and immediately notices something peculiar about the child and even "picked him up and carried him with her to the brightest window (and) ... scrutinized the child carefully" to better discern the problem. Everyone in the family ignores the issue or pretends to ignore it for Desiree's sake. Desiree, overjoyed to have her son, is completely unaware of any complications with her son. It takes Desiree three months before she wakes up feeling like something has gone wrong, with the “belief that there was something in the air that threatened her peace. At first it was too subtle to understand. It had only been a disturbing suggestion; an air of mystery among blacks.” At this moment Armand also changed, slowly ignoring his wife with an “averted gaze from which the old light of love seemed to have gone out.” It was during a particularly hot day that Desiree's confusion and sadness came to light. In this startling moment, Desiree realizes the obvious truth; his son is black. Shaken by hysteria, Desiree confronts her husband about the issue. Armand, after ignoring Desiree for months, is no moreemotional than before and promptly explains, in light tones, the situation to his anguished wife “...the child is not white; it means you are not white. Once the initial shock of the accusation has passed, Desiree writes a letter to Madame Valmonde, asking for clarification in a desperate attempt to deny the truth. Desiree's fears are not allayed when the only response she receives is “My Desiree: go home to Valmonde; go back to your mother who loves you. Come with your son." After receiving the letter, Desiree asks Armand for an answer on whether or not to leave. Armand callously, in as few words as possible, asks her to leave and so she does. Without another word, Desiree she grabs her son and walks into the reeds, never to be seen again The next scene is set several weeks later, where Armand is building a bonfire to get rid of whatever remains of his wife and their child to be burned is a letter from Armand's mother to his father, in which she speaks of her love for him. The irony of the story is revealed in this final sentence: "'But above all,' she writes, 'night and day, I thank the good. God for arranging our lives in such a way that our dear Armand will never know that his mother, who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the stigma of slavery.'" Armand is faced with the irony of belonging to the race he despises. Racism is hinted at several times within the story through some notable foreshadowing. It all begins when the entire family, except Desiree, realizes that there is something "wrong" with the baby. Everyone knows it, but no one has the courage to interrupt Desiree's happiness or Armand's kind compassionate hand. The slaves say nothing about the obvious difference between son and mother. As soon as the child is born, Armand transforms from a stern and domineering slave owner into one who hardly raises his hand against his slaves. There are also several references to Armand's "dark face" and, as Desiree points out, the fact that he is darker in color than his wife. Once Armand's secret is revealed at the end, it is thought that perhaps Armand knew the truth all along but remained shrouded in denial. Armand's denial is the product of his racism taken to the extreme. Ultimately, it is Armand's racist views that forces Desiree to leave the house. Armand is so stubborn that he “no longer loved her, because of the unconscious damage she had done to his home and his name.” This further fuels the irony that Armand's stubborn racism cost him his family. Just like the Republican sniper, Armand is too proud to come to terms with what he is, what he has done. Both characters fight hard for their beliefs, but ultimately must reap the tragic consequences of loss. Unlike the sniper, Armand's reaction to his loss is explained; he burns everything except the letter that caused his misfortune. Armand's reaction to his loss is extreme. Armand is shown burning everything that held a memory of Desiree, except the letter of accusation. As O'Flaherty did, throughout the story Chopin shows a dramatic change in the personalities of his characters. We see Armand go from the stern slave-owning dictator before the baby, to a more relaxed and ridiculous master after the baby, back to the angry and loveless man when he accuses Desiree of her racial difference, and finally to the strong and emotionless needed to burn. he burns all the memories of his wife and son to ashes. Armand's transformation is no more significant than Desiree's. Desiree is seen transforming from a helpless and unaware young woman, into a strong-willed woman who accepts her fate as never.