Literary Analysis of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
Ambrose Bierce, the author of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”, uses several literary devices, enhancing the total effect of the story on the audience. One of the important literary devices used in the story is imagery. The use of imagery enhances Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by supporting the exposition, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, and giving an insight on the protagonist through indirect characterization.
For any literary piece, a build-up of the exposition is important to maintain a strong plot. Ambrose Bierce uses descriptive language to convey the settings and characters of the story. he author depicts the state of the protagonist, Peyton Farquhar, and his close surroundings. Bierce writes, “It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack fell to the level of his knees. Some loose boards laid upon the sleepers supporting the metals of the railway supplied a footing for him and his executioners…” (21)
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The author allows the reader to clearly picture Peyton Farquhar. Bierce describes, “His features were good—a straight nose, firm mouth, broad forehead, from which his long, dark hair was combed straight back, falling behind his ears to the collar of his well-fitting frock coat. He wore a mustache and pointed beard, but no whiskers; his eyes were large and dark gray, and had a kindly expression which one would hardly have expected in one whose neck was in the hemp.” (22) Farquhar’s physical state is presented to the audience, “He knew that it had left a circle of black where the rope had bruised it. His eyes felt congested; he could no longer close them. His tongue was swollen with thirst; he relieved its fever by thrusting it forward from between his teeth into the cold air.” (30) From these quotes, readers gain insight on the protagonist and his
“ The horizon was the color of milk. Cold and fresh. Poured out among the bodies” (Zusak 175). The device is used in the evidence of the quote by using descriptives words that create a mental image. The text gives the reader that opportunity to use their senses when reading the story. “Somehow, between the sadness and loss, Max Vandenburg, who was now a teenager with hard hands, blackened eyes, and a sore tooth, was also a little disappointed” (Zusak 188). This quote demonstrates how the author uses descriptive words to create a mental image which gives the text more of an appeal to the reader's sense such as vision. “She could see his face now, in the tired light. His mouth was open and his skin was the color of eggshells. Whisker coated his jaw and chin, and his ears were hard and flat. He had a small but misshapen nose” (Zusak 201). The quotes allows the reader to visualize what the characters facial features looked like through the use of descriptive words. Imagery helps bring the story to life and to make the text more exciting. The reader's senses can be used to determine the observations that the author is making about its characters. The literary device changes the text by letting the reader interact with the text by using their observation skills. The author is using imagery by creating images that engages the reader to know exactly what's going on in the story which allows them to
According to Baybrook, “Peyton Farquhar believes -- as do the readers -- that he has escaped execution and, under heavy gunfire, has made his way back home” (Baybrook). One of Bierce’s main means to achieve this goal of forcing the reader to buy into his delusion is ‘time’. Because ‘time’ is utilized to calibrate human experiences, it becomes obscure, altered and split in times of extreme emotional disturbance. The time that is required for hanging Farquar seems to be indefinite, however, Bierce goes the extra mile and indicates that there is a certain ‘treshold of death’ that lingers beyond recognition. When it is exceeded, it results in a distorted and blurred pe...
During the period of Realism in the late 19th century, writers attempted to bring their readers into a story that they or someone they knew might experience. It was very popular as it was relatable but also brought up themes that were not commonly explored. As best said by Harriet Kramer Linkin of the Journal of Narrative Technique "Bierce plays a cat and mouse game with his readers in the tale" (Linkin 2). This is shown especially well in Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". In this short story, Bierce tests his readers by blurring the fine line between fiction and reality.
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 effective use of color and imagery by an author, combined with poetic language can give the reader a detailed image in their mind. Edith Wharton uses this technique in her writing in the novella Ethan Frome. Using imagery, the author paints a vivid picture with words using color to set moods, develop characters, and foreshadow coming events allowing the reader to fully experience the world of Ethan Frome.
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.
In Ambrose Bierces " An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" two private soldiers of the Federal army were appointed by a sergeant to lynch Peyton Farquhar from a elderly suspended bridge because of his attempt to aid the Confederate forces. He was to be executed for aiding the confederate forces. He knew his death was at his fingertips and couldn’t help ponder its arrival. He looks at the river below observing the depth of the river. Early on in the story Ambrose portrays Peyton, from his perspective, seeing a shallow river. The fact that the river is shallow and will defiantly kill Peyton distracts the reader from the truth behind the mans observation. Peytonseeing the river shallow is foreshadowing the actual depth of the river. In fact the river is so deep that when the rope snaps it seems he falls endlessly in the water. The reader is eagerly awaiting the soon death of Peyton, then suddenly surprised while the river cushions his fall. Several other soldiers were relentlessly targeting the man at ...
In “The Tell Tale Heart,” one of the many themes could be that guilt will catch up with you. Although this could be a fitting theme, the more suitable and appropriate theme is about escaping reality and convincing yourself that there is a way out of anything, as this is describing not only the main conflict between the narrator and the old man's eye, but the other conflicts as well. “In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him” (Poe 6). This theme is supported throughout the story by all of the conflicts. While this theme may apply to Edgar Allan Poe's “The Tell Tale Heart,” it is not shared with the short story “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, in which they are very similar. Some may think that in “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge,” Ambrose Bierce use imagery to set up the problem. While this is a good claim, there are some problems with this, however. In “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, there is a fair amount of imagery. Although this short story does contain imagery, it is not used to create the problem. In the beginning, the conflict and problem of the story is already happening. The scenes that involve imagery are moreso used to create suspense as well as build a mood, while this craft is used in the scenes that are filled with action and very exciting. For example, when Farquhar is falling into the river, the author uses imagery to give the reader a picture in their mind and describe him falling, which makes it more suspenseful. “As Peyton Farquhar fell straight downward through the bridge he lost consciousness and was one already dead” (Bierce 3). Thus, Bierce uses imagery to create suspense and build the mood of the story, while Edgar Allan Poe uses different crafts to
People can easily recognize that a butterfly, a horse, or a tree are alive and that a
He was a slave owner, a politician, a secessionist, meaning he was devoted to the Southern cause of seceding from the United States. He was not allowed to be in the army, for a reason that is irrelevant to the story, according to the narrator; however, he does whatever job he can in aid of the South, as he is of good character and faith (655). This is a very important detail to the story, as Farquhar is being hanged when the story begins. Bierce’s An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is an antiwar short story. It shows the futility and waste of war....
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)
It also discusses critical issues such as the concept of what makes a persons destiny, and the historic value of slavery. In order to enhance the effect of the theme on the reader, Ambrose Bierce uses multiple symbolic and writing enhancers to magnify the effect of his story. He uses symbols such as the bridge to show the gap between illusion and reality, the colour grey in all of its shades to symbolize the degrees of goodness in the world and the degrees of reality, time in all of its distortion to show the corruption of reality, and finally him own writing style to to implement the differences between illusion and reality at various
The story started out with Farquhar standing on the edge of the bridge all tied up 20 or so feet above the swift moving river. There were soldiers posted all around so he could not run away even if he did end up getting free and running for it. You no idea of what was going on and, you could tell that the situation was very serious. Farquhar’s eyes were not blind folded so he could see everything that was going on. His main focus was the water, and the driftwood floating down stream. At this point he was already thinking of ways to escape his death that was very near.
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.
Imagery is used by many authors as a crucial element of character development. These authors draw parallels between the imagery in their stories and the main characters' thoughts and feelings. Through intense imagery, non-human elements such as the natural environment, animals, and inanimate objects are brought to life with characteristics that match those of the characters involved.