Guests of a Nation

Introduction

Guests of the Nation, the famous short story by Frank O'Connor, was first published in 1931, only a few years after the writer had seen active service in the IRA, first fighting the British and, later, the pro-treaty forces during the Irish Civil War. The story has been widely considered as an expression of repulsion against war, a turning away from armed struggle, a humanist statement: that no cause, no matter how right, can justify killing.

The story, "Guests of the Nation", has four major divisions. The first section is primarily exposition, detailing how the English prisoners, Hawkins and Belcher, came to be guarded by Noble and Bonaparte in a country cottage owned by an old woman. Section two introduces the possibility of the Englishmen having to be executed if the English army puts to death any of the Irish hostages it is holding. In the third section, Jeremiah Donovan, who commands Noble and Bonaparte and also serves as liaison between them and the fighting men in the field, brings the news that four Irish hostages were shot that morning and now the Englishmen must be killed in response. The fourth section is the longest, about a third longer than each of the others. It describes the execution of the Englishmen and its effect on their guards, Donovan, and the old woman. (Tomory, 26)

The plot in "Guest of the Nation" rises to a conflict- Nobles soldiers being killed, which turns to a climax- the execution of Belcher and Hawkins, then falls to a resolution. "Guest of the Nation" is an excellent story of the hardships of war and sacrifice and duty for a soldier's country. The two men were held in a tavern where they would sit down and play cards with the Narrator and Noble, two young soldiers who were assigned to watch Hawkins and Belcher. It was just as if the sound of the shot started a flood of talk in him and he could go on the whole night like that, quite happily, talking about himself". Jeremiah Donavon is another soldier who comes to the tavern just to observe the card playing of the four other men. O' Connor describes Belcher as being very quiet and somewhat mellow, where as Hawkins was abrupt, loud, and rude. Frank O' Connnor's "Guest of the Nation" has an interesting plot and was a pleasure to read. Belcher's and Hawkins attitude's quickly changed after hearing of the execution. The intensification of the story began when talk about killing Hawkins and Belcher had occurred because Noble and the others heard about rumors of some of they're own soldiers being held captive and killed. The denouement and resolution are brought together to make one resolving stage in "Guest of the Nation". Donavon shot and killed Hawkins first. Belcher had made her his friend for life". Just then, Belcher was shot and then the two were buried. The complication stage dealt with the Narrator, Noble, and 2Donavon officially finding out that those soldiers ...