Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Civil war research essays
Effects of realism on literature
An occurrence at owl creek bridge essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Civil war research essays
An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge Set during the Civil War, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” has three sections. An opening scene, flashback, and a conclusion that takes place after the opening scene. This short story is a good example of literary realism. It displays nearly every realist characteristic. Typical realist style works exhibit traits such as attention to detail, complex characters who struggle morally, realistic events in life, and detailed descriptions of nature. In the opening scene, the entire focus is on the setting. So much so that the author doesn’t even mention the protagonist's name until the second act. It begins with a condemned man, who is being hanged by the Federal army. The author stated, using verbose descriptions, …show more content…
The narrator writes “He had not known that he lived in so wild a region. There was something uncanny in the revelation.”(613). This foreshadows the ending of the story. Peyton doesn’t know where he is, even though he has lived near Owl Creek presumably much of his life. Like the name suggests, realist writers usually include events that are realistic. The author writes, “Attention, company! . . . Shoulder arms! . . . Ready! . . . Aim! . . . Fire!” (611). Peyton is able to avoid all of the Union army’s fire, even though many soldiers were at the bridge to prevent what he is doing, escaping. While this may seem contradictory to a realist literary work, Peyton’s whole escape was only in his head. The fact that Peyton dreamed about making a unfavorable escape, and it not happening supports the trait of realistic events in realist works. In another example the author states, “Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.”(614). This is yet another instance of a realistic event. It would not have been probable for Peyton to use seemingly superhuman strength to free himself of his restraints, and make it home to his plantation. Instead, he is hanged, with no miracles
The bridge he is being executed on has opportunities for escape, with a river below, and a dense forest on his right. Moments before his execution, Payton gazes at the water. All of his efforts in supporting the Confederacy in defeating the Union via sabotage has led to his passing. In the moments of his hanging, he passes out and falls into the creek below, freeing himself from the ropes, and dodging bullets while going down the river. As he escaped he runs into the forest and travels the day to see his family; and in the moment he grasps his wife, he dies.
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.
Particularly, Peyton Farquhar was an innocent civilian and a family man willing to help the southern cause. In part II of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” a Confederate soldier stopped at Peyton’s plantation and discussed about burning down the bridge. The soldier implied that Peyton should do it. As a result, Peyton went down to the bridge in an attempt to burn the bridge. Afterwards, we learned that the Confederate soldier was a federal scout and that he had framed
Ambrose Bierce chose to write this story in third person limited omniscient point of view to help the reader understand the story from the main character’s mind, Peyton Farquar. During the story you only see what happens through Peyton’s eyes. Therefore, you do not realize that most of the narrative reflects Peyton’s imagination. Choosing this type of view also lets the author focus more on the emotions and thoughts of the main character. The author does not let the reader see into the eyes of the men hanging him, but after reading the story one will understand that their point of view was not needed and would have actually taken away from the story if done so. His creative way of inventing this story would not have affected me and many other readers if written any other way.
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 ...
We realize that Peyton never really escaped, he was seeing his life flash before his eyes and the reader was right there with him. As stated by Peter Stoicheff in ‘Something Uncanny’ : The Dream Structure in Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” “somehow the reader is made to participate in the split between imagination and reason, to feel that the escape is real while he knows it is not”(349). The reader wants to believe he survived and doesn’t realize the reality actually happening due to the altering of perspectives on Bierce’s part. There is evidence that shows that Bierce wanted the reader to see the reality that comes with your mind playing
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is a perfect example of the power of the will to live. It
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” by Ambrose Bierce is a short story about a man who seems to be lost in a world between reality and imagination. The story shows trials, triumphs, and the matters of life and death. The main character Peyton Farquhar is a proud confederate, husband, planter, and politician, not only is he all of those things but he is an optimist and this is what takes him on the journey of his life. After being put in a sticky situation he has nothing else to do but hope for a miracle. It’s not till the end that we find out Peyton has been dead throughout most of the story after breaking his neck from being hung.
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
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge uses dramatic irony, imagery and time to piece this short story together in a compelling way that brings the reader through the text in a swift, but gentle movement. Bierce is also protesting the Civil War going on in the United States as futile and inhumane. He produces a timeless piece that can be related to present times and times to come. He maintains control throughout the entire work and uses the element of surprise to the benefit of his work. Bierce’s ability to create a dramatic, detailed story using imagery and irony to establish a vibrant mental image and produce the well-written short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.
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)
...ony, and narration. Without these exceptional parts the theme would not have as much meaning and depth in its perception to the reader. The symbols show to the reader that there is a hidden message to what is going to happen in the end and hints to the theme of the story but is purposely ignored. Irony brings attention to the conscious or thoughts during the story and the unlikelihood of actually dying at the end shows how strong our minds are. Narration is brought to show the theme of his expected death and a diversion from the reality of the readers thoughts. The story is saturated with literary elements that help prove the theme of “An Occurrence of Owl Creek Bridge”.
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
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce provides a lot of realism throughout the story. Bierce makes the story seem so real that it felt like it was actually happening throughout the story. He makes the reader believe that this whole thing is real. He does this by describing the soldiers in the exact position they are standing. The way they hold their gun.
But this isn’t just the opening scene. Bierce paints a picture throughout the whole short story. Bierce paints a well enough picture as though you had witnessed the whole thing and had been listening to Peyton Farquhar tell you his plan on escaping the hanging, “”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.” (Bierce 8), with this I just wanted to visually leap through the book and help Peyton run to his home where he talks about is his wife and two children waiting for him.