“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a short story written by American author, Ambrose Bierce that was published in 1890. This American Civil War story is about Peyton Farquhar, who is is summoned to be hanged by the Union army after trying to burn down Owl Creek Bridge. This short story is divided into three sections, with each one using its own distinctive narrative technique. Ambrose Bierce uses several language strategies as distractions to take the reader by surprise at the end of the story. By shifting the narrative point of view for each section, Bierce manipulates reader (perception) to reflect what the main character is feeling, allowing us to take part in his hallucinations” and remain surprised at the end of the story. In “An Occurrence …show more content…
During the flashback, the story switched from Farquhar as the focalizer to a third person narrator as the focalizer as well. The third person narrator then explains how Farquhar ended up in his predicament on the bridge. A spy from the North tricked Farquhar into attempting to burn Owl Creek Bridge, which would have prevented the Union from crossing it. Unfortunately, Farquhar agreed to the task, and the Northern soldiers took Farquhar into captivity to be hanged. At the end of part 1 directly before Farquhar falls to his death, the narrator says, “As these thoughts, which have here to be set down in words, were flashed into the doomed man’s brain rather than evolved from it the captain nodded to the sergeant. The sergeant stepped aside.” This quote marks an important turning point in the …show more content…
Farquhar can vividly see and describe the eyes of the men shooting at him. Farquhar is also able to avoid every bullet shot at him thanks to the help of the current taking him away. Farquhar’s outrageously strong senses are another distraction to the reader. It is unreasonable to believe that Farquhar could avoid a shower of bullets as he was swimming in a river as well as have an impressive vision to be able to see the eyes of his shooters. Then, Farquhar is able to escape from the Union soldiers. He leaves the river and begins on a thirty-mile journey back to his family. He went on through the day and night in the direction of his home. He then fell asleep, then woke up to his house just as normal as ever. His wife “stands waiting, with a smile of ineffable joy”. However, as he went to hug her, Peyton felt a pain in his neck. The story was then harshly concluded with “Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken
kicked off the car, he was left a far distance from everything. He reached a
Bierce broke this story down into three parts. The first part of the narrative creates an atmosphere with the setting at Owl Creek Bridge. Great detail is told here as to who is present at the scene, what is happening, what the scene looks like, etc. But the reader only receives ideas and thoughts from one person, Peyton Farquar. The first part as like the other two parts of this story is written very systematically and clear. Even with such a structured set up, the author still manages to put great anticipation and fearsome emotion into the near end of the first part of this story. At this point the author makes the reader think Peyton is devising a way to set his hands free from the rope thereby beginning his journey to escape home.
The short story starts by creating curiosity with the revelation that a man will be hung in the owl creek bridge. At that moment the reader does not know the reasons for which the man will be sentenced. In the second section, the name of the man who will be hanged is mentioned, the motives for his crime and how he was captured. The final section illustrates the struggle Peyton Farquhar was facing and the events that went through your mind at that moment. He imagined/dream that he escape and peaceful return to their home. But the reality is another and his life ends in darkness and silence. (Bierce 201-209)
My first example is Cpl. Barger who is constantly using the least benifical primitive defense mechanism
Ignoring the pain of his neck and the “circle of black” on his neck, Farquhar runs to his beloved wife. Just a few more steps and he would be in the arms of his love. In a flash Farquhar is dead, by the “circle of black”, underneath the Owl Creek Bridge. Peyton Farquhar, the main character of the historical short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” written by Ambrose Bierce, is being hanged by the union army after being set up by the federal soldier. The reader is misled by Bierce to think that Farquhar escapes and survives. In reality Farquhar is being hanged and was imagining himself surviving. The author uses many subtle hints during Farquhar’s “escape” to show that. Using literary techniques: imagery, preternatural plot elements, and allusions, Bierce foreshadows the true fate of Peyton Farquhar.
After his foot healed he had the option of going to any fort. He chose to go west, to the plains. He left with one of the peasants from the fort he was in, to a post out in the plains. When he arrived there was no one there. He decided to stay and sent the peasant back.
Ambrose Bierce, the author of a short story titled, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". The southern plantation owner Peyton Farquhar, searches for hope deep within the realization of his soon to be last breath. Observing his surroundings, standing upon on that Northern Alabama bridge he was there to destroy. Only moments before was he then was captured for trespassing. He is now caught standing upon a plank held down by the soldiers weight. Waiting for the exact moment to step off the board, he closed his eyes envisioning his wife and children that one last time. Peyton then fell through the bridge, only to awaken at the bottom of the stream. I believe that hope gave him the strength to awake after the fall. No longer unconscious from the rope around his neck, the beaming light far in a distance caught his eye.
... breaks, leading him to fall into the water beneath the bridge that was to be the sight of his death. The story follows Farquhar as he escapes the barrage of bullets flying at him, even making it far enough to nearly embrace his wife. It is then, unexpectedly, that Bierce introduces the truth to the audience; it was all in Peyton’s head. “Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.” The innovative narration by Bierce, who wrote hundreds of works during his life, marks this tale as a true classic.
The plot structure allows the mind to wonder and ask itself questions as to why Farquhar is being prepared to hang, or how it was so easy for him to escape down the river. The central theme adds extra interest into the setting, plot structure, and point of view. The fictional elements used in the story help the readers to better understand the events and the order of which they occur. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” used the setting, point of view, and plot structure to setup the unique theme that the story holds of its free flowing nature of
The few seconds’ right before Farquhar feels the tugging at his throat is when he begins to fantasize. Farquhar begins by envisioning himself in a timeless realm. After Farquhar possesses control of time, Farquhar is able to fabricate the ending of his hanging in any way he wants. As quoted, “As Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the bridge he lost consciousness and was as one already dead. From this state he was awakened. (Bierce 90)”. By manipulating time, Farquhar has used the setting of Owl Creek Bridge to give himself life instead of death. Farquhar’s resistance to time and reality with illusion shows how he constantly struggles for what he wants to exist. However, Farquhar cannot recognize that illusions will disappear, reality will decide, and that reality is
Ambrose Bierce wrote "The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" during the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth century. During this time period the two writing styles of romanticism, and realism were coming together. This melding of styles was a result of the romantic period of writing and art coming to an end, just at realism was beginning to gain popularity. "The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a perfect example of this transition of styles as it combines elements of both romanticism and realism to create a story that can be far-fetched while still believable at times.
"Short Stories :An occurence at owl creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce." 2009. Web. 2 Dec 2009. .
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is written by author Ambrose Bierce. It is a short story that takes place during the Civil War time period. In the story, Confederate supporter, Peyton Farquhar, is caught tampering with a bridge that is being used by Union soldiers. As punishment, the Northern soldiers sentenced him to be hanged from the bridge until death. Leading to Farquhar’s death, Ambrose Bierce uses multiple types of literary techniques to create an immense amount of suspense for the reader throughout the story.
Life can be stressful, difficult, and worrisome. It is nearly impossible to avoid the struggles of the real world. However, the mind does give people a tool to temporarily elude them -- the imagination. If used properly, the imagination can allow a person to temporarily escape the harsh reality of life. Ambrose Bierce, a Civil War veteran, displays this in the short story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” Bierce uses the “Owl Creek Bridge” and the “Owl Creek” to symbolize the perception of the imagination. He displays the gap between reality and imagination by changing his style of writing throughout the story. He transitions from a basic style of writing, that represents the constraints of real life, to an intricate one, that represents the freedom of imagination.Within this imagination, Bierce plays with irony to show how it can be a defense mechanism against death itself.
wife nor does he fight back, just as he did not fight in the war. Or, was this his war he was battling? When