Natural Empathy: Duty and Responsibility in "Guests of the Nation" Frank O'Connor uses the surnames of the characters in his story "Guests of the Nation" to help develop the characters of the English and Irish soldiers. The characters engage in a struggle between the hidden powers of empathy and duty, and O'Connor shows their first-person perspective on the irony of war similarly to Thomas Hardy's poem, "The Man He Killed ": Yes; war is picturesque and curious! Kill a guy, offer him a reward if you meet him where a bar is, or help for half a crown. Behind the murderous "duty" that lies at the heart of the story, O'Connor has chosen a particular set of names to represent his characters who are all humanized in a way that greatly shocks the reader. Further investigation will show how the use of particular surnames is perhaps significant in O'Connor's "Guests of the Nation." In the opening paragraph a large Englishman is introduced by the name of Belcher. O'Connor immediately establishes a sense of camaraderie between the English prisoner of war and the Irish soldiers holding Belcher and Hawkins captive by using the expression "friends" during a friendly game of poker. Although Belcher is described as a "short" man, or "...shall I say lack? - of speech...," (DiYanni, 46) the meaning of his name is "good humor" or "polished entertainment." So even though these men are held as prisoners of war, or hostages in the case of "Guests of the Nation", their captors have chosen to get to know them and befriend them. Being held prisoner along with Belcher is another Englishman by the name of Hawkins. The name, derived from the patronymic "Hawk", illustrates Hawkins as a sharp and intelligent individual. During the second... half of the paper... I kill and almost manage to prevent Jeremiah Donovan from killing Belcher at the end of the story, preparing to strike Donovan. Throughout the story, O'Connor repeatedly drops hints about how cruel and ironic war can be. By reading the story from Bonaparte's point of view, one is able to understand the feelings of the situation created by O'Connor. Even though Irish soldiers have a natural empathy for their prisoners, or hostages of war, they continue to carry out their duty and responsibilities to avoid being punished and perhaps shot themselves for neglecting duty or aiding the enemy. O'Connor chooses names that have more meaning than is directly evident from the surface content of the story. By choosing these names you can find a deeper meaning behind each character's personal duty and responsibility that influences their actions in the story.