An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge Naturalism Analysis

Naturalism in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

“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.”

One naturalistic view is that man is alone in the world, and his fate is completely out of his control. To start with Farqhar is a member and supporter of the confederacy and, in addition, a slave owner himself. Therefore even if he had escaped from the Union Army, he would have lost his lifestyle in the end. Another point was that he was, even in his dream, isolated from the outside world. In his imagery-rich dream he said, “It was as wide and straight as a city street, yet it seemed untraveled. No fields bordered it, no dwelling anywhere. Not so much as the barking of a dog suggested human habitation.” This means that even though he had been born and raised in that exact area, he still seemed isolated from everything.

Another element is that people need other people in order to survive in the world.

In the story, Farqhar was cut off from his family and friends, in his attempt to help to confederacy by destroying Owl Creek Bridge, which was a major supply line for the Union Army. The second he was cut off from his peers by the Union, he was ultimately doomed, because of this naturalistic law. In the story, he says he was trying to escape to get back to the safety of his family, when he says, “If I could free my hands, I might throw off the noose and spring into the stream. By diving I could evade the bullets and swimming vigorously reach the bank, take to the woods and get away

home.”
Then, finally, Bierce uses incongruity and imagery most to make the illusions that he has before death. This dream has a naturalistic sense in the will for man to survive. In the beginning of the story, when Farqhar looks down he says, “…then let he gaze wander to the swirling water of the stream racing madly beneath his feet,” then proceeds to say the opposite, “A piece of driftwood caught his attention and his eyes followed it down the current. How slowly it appeared to move! what a sluggish stream!” This is a major incongruity because a stream that races madly between one’s feet wouldn’t be described as a slow stream. Later Bierce paints the picture of his escape by saying that when they start shooting at him, “Some of [the bullets] touched him on the face and hand, then fell away continuing their descent. One lodged between his collar and neck; it was uncomfortably warm and he snatched it out.” However, if someone gets shot, they are not going to pluck out a bullet from their neck, simply because it was warm.
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” shows major signs of imagery, along with very frequent and peculiar in continuities. Through these, he paints vivid images that show the Farquhar is dreaming of escape. Ambrose Bierce relies on incongruity and imagery to suggest the theme of naturalism in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”