Three Fictional Elements of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
In the fictional short story of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” the author Ambrose Bierce does a superior job of making the mind of a reader wonder. Throughout the story, the reader is able to watch and experience the hanging of a local plantation owner Peyton Farquhar. The story contains three parts that show the present, a flash back to the past, and into an altered reality of Farquhar’s “getaway.” The story of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” demonstrates the theme of how the nature of time is free-flowing. Bierce uses three elements of fiction to successfully support the story in its free flow of time. Ambrose Bierce uses the setting, point of view, and plot structure to help organize the theme and the story’s unique elements.
The setting of the story is in a small area of Northern Alabama, but the setting has multiple locations within the different scenes of the story. In the first section of the story, Farquhar is in preparation to be hung at Owl Creek Bridge. Before Farquhar’s dreadful hanging, Bierce takes the audience back to the past where Farquhar seems to be the owner of a plantation. In this scene, Farquhar is consulting with a spy from the union who has effectively disguised himself as a thirsty confederate soldier. The
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spy, or the supposed confederate soldier, tells Farquhar of the Union’s location at Owl Creek Bridge. In the third and final section, Farquhar seems to have escaped due to the rope around his neck breaking. Following the flow of the river, he supposedly escapes and journeys to his plantation. Finally, Bierce reveals that this escape is just a break in reality. Farquhar has actually been hung, and his lifeless body hangs from the bridge. Bierce provides a third person point of view throughout the story. It’s as if the audience watches the actions of Peyton Farquhar’s from a distance. The audience is able to follow him from the present to the past, and eventually back to the reality of Farquhar’s lynching death. Even though the story is told in third person, the view of Farquhar’s fall and journey in the getaway could betray a first person point of view. In the third part, however, the reader’s experience the fall of Farquhar from the bridge into the river as if it is told from a first person perspective. The flow of time gives the point of view a peculiar, but fascinating, twist to the story. The free flowing time that the story portrays, gives the plot a superior twist and lets the reader’s mind journey and wonder. In the beginning scene, the possibilities of why Peyton Farquhar is being lynched stimulates the reader’s thoughts. The structure of the story allows the reader to journey to the past and see the Union spy’s set up for Farquhar to burn the debris below the bridge. The event of the supposed get away by Farquhar leading into reality of his hanging gives a nice twist at to the end of the story. The plot structure gives great support to the free flowing time theme of the story. The story of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” provides a superior theme with its free flowing nature of time.
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
time.
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” takes place in the south during the civil war, in which a man named Farqhar experiences illusions before his execution. In these illusions he is dreaming of escaping from the Northerners and continuing with his life, however his dreams are abruptly cut short. Ambrose Bierce relies on incongruity and imagery to suggest the theme of naturalism in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”
Hopkins, Ernest Jerome. The complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce. Nebraska: University of Nebraska, 1970. 305-319. Print.
In both “Chickamauga” and “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” Ambrose Pierce paints vivid images of both fantasy and reality. It seems that Bierce’s goal is to ultimately display reality as clearly and harshly as possible, and this is done by contrasting reality with fantasy. In both stories, Bierce creates a somewhat nightmarish world, and although sprinkled with scenes of beauty, both end in tragedy. In the stories Bierce attempts to dash fantasies of a Romantic world view, and display the cold and unfair reality of the world.
Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” brings upon many questions relating to its change in perspectives and the focus on the character. The story is classified as realism based on the fact that the author, Bierce, focuses more on the character than the plot itself. Readers worry about the characters hanging, not about the war and the chicanery used by both opponents. Bierce also uses a change in perspective throughout the story to show emphasis on the character and his thoughts. The change alters the reality in the readers minds, in a way they truly believe that he will survive the hanging and escape free to his family. Sadly, that wouldn’t have given readers the opportunity to classify it as realism and it wouldn’t have given Bierce the chance to show the readers the way our brains play tricks on us.
There has been much examination of the more popular terms used in American literature, such as romanticism and classicism, but little examination done on literary realism. Despite realism being mostly ignored in the late nineteenth century, it has now become commonplace in American literature. Although An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce does offer some examples of literary realism in its verisimilitude of detail and idealism, there were also many instances of fantastical imagery and an unrealistic sense of time, which is contradictory to literary realism.
OWLCREEK BRIDGE" ." ABP Journal. 1.1 (2005): n. page. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. Bierce, Ambrose “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. The Norton Introduction to
Throughout literary history, one of the most amazing mysteries that still lingers in great literary minds today is about Ambrose Gwinett Bierce. He disappeared in the early 1900s never to be found again. He is remarkably remembered by his literary works of sarcasm and illusion. Throught his lasting life he wrote many fascinating short stories that reflected his experiences during his time as a soldier in combat during the American Civil War. His two most famous works being “Killed at Resaca” and “An Occurrence at Owl Creek”. Through the use of war-like scenarios, sarcasm and the use of personification, Ambrose Bierce implies them all in his two most famous short stories of his time. “ Killed At Resaca and “An Occurrence At Owl Creek”.
In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", we see the author, Ambrose Bierce, cleverly develop his short story through a masterful use of style, plot and theme. We must appreciate the use of these aspects, especially when we consider the amazing twist the story takes, and how perfectly this piece has been set up.
In the last three paragraphs of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge told by a third person point of view, Farquhar is being hanged by the rope, and when the rope is undone, Farquhar escapes and sees the light of the river. The light in this particular story represents a warm bright light from heaven. On other hand on the complete opposite side, in The Tell Tale Heart the light (lantern) signifies fear of the eye. However the narrator reveals that Farquhar?s escape is a hallucination that lasts only from moment the rope breaks his neck at the end of the fall.
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)
"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is a story of illusion, decision, and fate. It presents one with a very powerful scenario - one that questions the protagonist 's ultimate destiny, and the concept of good vs. evil. It defines the grey area of deeds by which most humans live, and uses powerful thematic concepts and devices to convey the author 's own value while leaving some space for the reader to make their own choice. Furthermore, this story discusses the life of a man who ended up on the wrong side of history, humanizing yet criminalizing him for his beliefs. This can all be attributed to a wide array of symbols and interactions- all which support the theme of illusion vs. reality. The complex thematic value of this piece stems from multiple aspects – the most important of which are the bridge through both its literal and symbolic meaning, the colour grey in all its depth and broad variations, the essence of time in all of its distortion, and the story 's style of writing.
The short story takes place at a specific time and place. During the time of Farquhar’s execution, the American Civil War was abroad in northern Alabama. The war between the North and South is essentially what causes Farquhar’s fate. He is a southern planter who owns slaves, “and like other slave owners a politician he was naturally an original
In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Ambrose Bierce uses many different literary techniques to maintain suspense throughout the entire story. There are different plot elements that also, towards the end, lead the reader to believe that the story will have a nice, classical conclusion, but turns any reader on their head, when they to the last few sentences, combining all the suspense into one, mind-boggling, occurrence.
In this adaptation of an excerpt from An Incident at Owl Creek Bridge, the author
In the short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Bierce uses a piece of driftwood floating down the river to symbolize that maybe Peyton Farquhar has a chance to get away from his hanging. Correspondingly, Farquhar running and running and not able to really cover