English Literature

In the short story, Guest of the Nation, the writer potrays the conflict between friendship and duty. The narrator, which is the main protagonist, is faced whether to conform to his role as a combatant or to consider the humanity of their enemies, which in the process of captive became his pals.

Guest of the Nation is a short story written by Frank O Connor, an Irish author of over 150 masterpieces which includes short stories and memoirs. The short story apparently portray the execution of the two Englishmen, Hawkins and Belcher, held captive by a small group of rebels  during the War of Independence. The short story has four sections, wherein each section takes a different tone and mood. In the first section, the writer reveals the surprisingly real sense of camaraderie between the English prisoners and their two Irish captors. They play cards and argue about different topics such as politics, religion and the capitalist system. In the first part, one can see human attachment even if they come from opposing groups. In the second section however, Bonaparte, the narrator, discovers that if some Irish prisoners being held captive by the British Army are shot, he together with Noble will have to shoot their English friends in retaliation. This news truly disturbs Bonaparte and in the next morning, he has a difficulty facing his prisoners. A few days later, an intelligence officer for the rebels arrives with the news that four Irishmen were executed or shot by the English. As a form of revenge, it is inevitable that the rebels will have to kill and execute Hawkins and Belcher in the evening. Bonaparte and Noble, whom the prisoners became friends, are the one assigned to do the retaliation. The tension is clearly manifested as the two Irishmen struggle between duty and friendship. When they have to transfer the two prisoners, they make up a story but Hawkins does not believe them. However as the truth settles in, Hawkins tries to persuade the Irishmen rebels not to kill them, arguing that, if their positions are reversed, he would never shoot  a pal   Though the narrator regards them as a man rather than an enemy , his duty goes first due to the inevitability of the situation. In the last section, it ends with the two Englishmen being killed. The final part of the story describes the consequences of the narrators betrayal within himself. After the killings, he looks up at the dark sky feeling very small and lost.

Noble says he saw everything ten times the size, as though there were nothing in the whole world but that little patch of bog with the two Englishmen stiffening into it, but with me it was as if the patch of bog where the Englishmen were was a million miles away, and even Noble and the old woman, mumbling behind me, and the birds and the bloody stars were all far away, and I was somehow very small and very lost and lonely like a child astray in the snow. And anything that happened to me afterwards, I never felt the same about again (OConnor).

The main theme in the story is duty. The narrators perception of duty is established on submission to the orders of someone higher than he in position. His interpretation and his fulfillment of duty however brings him guilt as his conscience continuously disturbs him. But at the same time, his duty absolves him to decide for himself on what to next to the prisoners. The short story can apparently be regarded as an expression of revulsion against war, a call to turn away from armed struggle.

Ultimately it is a humanist statement that no cause, no matter how right, can justify killing. The short story is somehow a subtle social movement during the writers times that discourages wars and political conflicts since the sense of humanity of the main participants, the soldiers, is at stake. Just like any other writers, OConnor uses literature as a significant medium to give the readers a glimpse of social reality that is often ignored. War makes soldiers prisons of their own ghosts.  The question revolves in whether duty is more important than human attachment.